The European Space Agency Council has approved the reassignment of Laurent Jaffart to a newly created senior leadership role focused on resilience, navigation and connectivity, reflecting the growing strategic importance of space-based infrastructure to European security and defence priorities.
From 1 February 2026, Jaffart became Director of the Resilience, Navigation and Connectivity Directorate, a position that consolidates responsibility for systems and programs underpinning Europe’s space-enabled resilience capabilities. He currently serves as ESA’s Director of Connectivity and Secure Communications and Head of the European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications in the United Kingdom.
The creation of the new directorate signals a deliberate shift within ESA toward tighter alignment with the security and defence objectives of its Member States, the European Union and defence-related agencies. Space-based navigation, secure communications and connectivity are increasingly viewed as critical infrastructure, with resilience against disruption now a central design requirement rather than a secondary consideration.
ESA has highlighted the importance of establishing a clear design authority to support the European Resilience from Space program, which aims to accelerate the development and deployment of space systems that meet evolving security and defence needs. By centralising oversight, the agency is seeking to reduce fragmentation and ensure that technologies are delivered in line with Member State requirements and operational timelines.
The reassignment also underscores ESA’s role as an intergovernmental body capable of developing space technologies and systems for security and defence-related applications while remaining compliant with international agreements governing the peaceful use of outer space. This positioning allows ESA to act on behalf of its Member and Participating States, as well as the European Union, at a time when strategic autonomy and supply chain security are high on the political agenda.
Jaffart brings extensive experience at the intersection of space, defence and industrial strategy. He joined ESA in May 2024 after a long career at Airbus Defence and Space, where he served as Vice-President and Head of Strategy, Corporate and New Business Development for Space Systems. In that role, he led multinational teams across France, Germany and the United Kingdom and held board positions including Airbus OneWeb Satellites.
Earlier in his career, Jaffart held senior strategy and business development roles at EADS and Astrium Satellites, where he was closely involved in the initial OneWeb constellation bid and the establishment of the Airbus OneWeb Satellites joint venture. His background combines commercial space, government programmes and defence-related policy, supported by academic qualifications spanning European business, technology, defence strategy and national resource policy.
As Europe seeks to strengthen the resilience of its space-based navigation and communications systems amid rising geopolitical and technological risks, the establishment of the new directorate and Jaffart’s appointment reflect how space governance structures are evolving to support security, defence and critical infrastructure objectives alongside traditional civil and scientific missions.
Credits: ESA – P. Sebirot