ESA’s Council has approved the reassignment of Laurent Jaffart to a newly created role, Director of Resilience, Navigation and Connectivity. ESA said the change takes effect on 1 February 2026.
Jaffart is currently Director of Connectivity and Secure Communications. ESA said the new directorate is intended to strengthen work linked to resilience, navigation and connectivity, reflecting security and defence priorities set by ESA Member States, the European Union and defence-related agencies in Europe.
ESA described the post as part of its approach to building a clearer “design authority” inside the agency for the European Resilience from Space (ERS) programme. The press release also links the directorate to faster development of security and defence technologies, with systems delivered to match Member States’ needs.
New Directorate Brings Resilience, Navigation and Connectivity Together
The announcement is organisational, but the direction is fairly clear. ESA is bringing navigation and connectivity together with resilience work under one directorate. The press release links the change to security and defence priorities set by ESA Member States, the European Union and European defence-related agencies.
ESA also used the release to restate its position on how it supports security-related work. It said its intergovernmental structure gives it the authority and mechanisms to develop space systems, including those linked to security and defence, while staying within peaceful-use principles and its governing convention. Jaffart took up his current ESA post on 15 May 2024, alongside the role of Head of ECSAT at Harwell in the UK. ESA’s release lists his education and a career that included senior strategy and business development roles at Airbus Defence and Space, plus board involvement linked to Airbus OneWeb Satellites.
Public event biographies linked to his ESA telecom portfolio describe oversight of ESA’s satellite communications programme, including ARTES programme activity and ESA contributions connected to the EU’s secure connectivity work.
ESA did not set out a detailed workplan for the new directorate in the announcement. The change sets a single point of leadership for programmes that Member States and EU institutions are treating as increasingly security-sensitive.
Source: ESA Press Release
Published by Ben Ward
Ben Ward studied English Literature and Language at the University of Bristol. With a background in analytical news writing and an interest in space exploration, his work focuses on the connection between science, history, and language. He has a measured approach to space journalism, always prioritising accuracy. He is interested in how the decisions of private industry, government agencies, and scientific institutions shape the future of space exploration. When not writing, He closely follows updates in Geopolitics, Aerospace and Planetary science, considering how humanity’s presence on earth has an influence far beyond it.