Partnership project programme: Space for 5G

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5G EMERGE

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Space for 5G

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Supported by our Space for 5G/6G & Sustainable Connectivity programme, 5G-EMERGE – which is led by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) – represents an effort to rethink media distribution in an era of ubiquitous connectivity.


The project aims to do so by integrating satellite and terrestrial 5G/6G infrastructures into a seamless media-delivery ecosystem, based on open standards. The upshot will be scalable, high-quality media distribution to a variety of endpoints: homes, vehicles, network edges, and even direct-to-device.

By fusing satellite distribution, edge computing, and 5G infrastructure, it tackles both the technological and economic challenges of reaching users everywhere, with high quality and resilience. As use-cases evolve from homes and vehicles to devices and interactive services, the project charts a course for how Europe – and potentially beyond – will deliver content and connectivity in the next decade. 

The success of 5G-EMERGE could catalyse broader adoption of integrated space-terrestrial networks, helping to realise the vision of seamless global connectivity.


Consortium and industrial collaboration


The 5G-EMERGE project brings together a diverse consortium of key players from across Europe, combining expertise from the space, telecommunications, and media sectors under the coordination of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

5G-EMERGE is a broad consortium involving dozens of companies across Europe. In Phase 1 25 organisations participated, while Phase 2 expanded to 34 companies, and across eight Member States including Switzerland, Luxembourg, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Finland. 


Features of 5G-EMERGE


The architecture envisaged for 5G-EMERGE includes several layers and key elements:

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A satellite backhaul layer
Satellites transmit content (popular media streams) to teleports, home gateways or edge nodes.
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Edge nodes
These may reside in 5G base stations, micro-data centres, home gateways, vehicles etc. They host caching, content delivery logic, service orchestration, and the interface to end-users.
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Service provisioning layer / orchestration
Because the system is multi-tenant and must support distributed edges and satellite links, the project investigates the interfaces, service discovery, orchestration, caching optimisation, QoS/security layers.
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Integration with standards
The work leans heavily on 3GPP standards for terrestrial 5G/6G, as well as satellite standards. Phase 2 explores New Radio-Non-Terrestrial Network (NR-NTN), direct satellite-to-device connectivity, multicast/broadcast over 5G.
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Open IP-based system
The ecosystem uses native-IP protocols to enable flexibility and interoperability.

Use cases of 5G-EMERGE

The core value proposition of 5G-EMERGE is that satellite distribution can efficiently deliver popular content (live events, on-demand) to many users simultaneously, while terrestrial edges (including 5G base stations, home gateways, localized caches) handle the “last-mile” delivery and interactive functions.

Use-cases include:

Direct-to-home (DTH)
Satellites deliver high-quality media content directly to homes, complementing or enhancing terrestrial broadband and broadcast services. By combining satellite multicast/broadcast with 5G unicast delivery, users can enjoy seamless video streaming, ultra-high-definition television, and interactive content even in areas with limited terrestrial coverage. This hybrid model also reduces strain on terrestrial backhaul networks by offloading popular content to satellite links.
Direct-to-vehicle (DTV)
Focuses on enabling connected cars, buses, trains, and other vehicles to receive content directly from satellites. Vehicles can pre-cache or stream live content such as news, entertainment, navigation updates, and critical software patches. This approach ensures connectivity on the move – especially in rural or cross-border areas where terrestrial 5G coverage is inconsistent – and supports emerging automotive services like in-car infotainment, over-the-air updates, and intelligent transport systems (ITS).
Direct-to-edge (DTE)
Satellites distribute content to 5G edge nodes, such as local data centres, base stations (gNodeBs), or micro-edge servers. These edge nodes then serve end-users through terrestrial 5G networks. This model is highly efficient for content delivery networks (CDNs), allowing popular or time-sensitive content to be pre-positioned closer to users, reducing latency and network congestion. It is particularly useful for live events, VR/AR applications, and industrial Internet of Things (IoT) scenarios that demand low-latency access to large data volumes.
Direct-to-device (D2D)
In the D2D use case – planned for Phase 2 of 5G-EMERGE – mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, and IoT terminals will receive data directly from satellites integrated into 5G standards. This allows end-users to receive broadcast or multicast services without relying on terrestrial infrastructure. It has major implications for public safety, emergency alerts, rural connectivity, and content delivery in remote or maritime regions.
Content distribution and edge caching
One of the broader use cases across all categories is hybrid content distribution, where popular or time-critical content (for example, video-on-demand, live sports, or software updates) is delivered by satellite to edge nodes or devices, then distributed locally through 5G. This significantly enhances network efficiency and user experience, while enabling new business models for media service providers.
Network Resilience and emergency communications
Another emerging use case involves disaster recovery and emergency communication services. When terrestrial networks are congested, damaged, or unavailable (for example, during natural disasters or major public events), satellite links in the 5G-EMERGE system can maintain continuity of service, ensuring critical information and connectivity remain available.
Industrial and rural connectivity
5G-EMERGE also supports industrial IoT and smart rural applications, where hybrid connectivity ensures reliable communication for remote operations, agriculture, energy infrastructure, and environmental monitoring. The satellite component guarantees coverage and data transfer capabilities even in isolated or infrastructure-poor areas.

RELATED LINKS & CONTACS

CONTACT

Antonio Franchi


ESA’s European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications (ECSAT)

Fermi Avenue

Harwell, Didcot, OX11 0FD, United Kingdom

+44 (0)7775 426521

Antonio.Franchi@esa.int

Documents

Overview page

Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES)

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Space for 5G

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Home   /  Sunrise

Sunrise

Ongoing
Space for 5G

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The Sunrise Partnership Project is focused on developing next-generation satellite communications and associated technologies

Sunrise project key visual

The project is structured as a public-private partnership, supporting European industry, promoting competitiveness, and enabling novel capabilities in Earth orbit for telecommunications, connectivity, servicing and sustainability.

The satellite communications industry is undergoing rapid transformation: the rise of low-Earth orbit (LEO) constellations, convergence of satellite and terrestrial 5G/6G networks, increasing demand for direct-to-device services, as well as heightened focus on sustainability, including debris removal and end-of-life servicing. ESA’s Sunrise project responds to these trends by helping European industry develop, mature and validate enabling technologies across payloads, user terminals, active antennas, beam-hopping, servicing, active debris removal in orbit, and multi-orbit systems.

The project also addresses Europe’s strategic imperative of maintaining sovereign access to space-based telecommunications infrastructure and enabling European companies to remain competitive in a global market. Moving from traditional GEO telecommunications models to LEO / medium Earth orbit (MEO) hybrids, beam-hopping, flexible user terminals and servicing, Sunrise is part of ESA’s Partnership Project programme line.

The project exemplifies how public-private collaboration can drive breakthrough technologies, industrial innovation and strategic autonomy.


Sunrise’s phases


Sunrise is organised in phases, each addressing different maturity levels and industrialisation steps

Phase 1 and 2 focuses on identifying key technologies and validating them (ground prototypes, in-orbit demonstrators). For example, early work with OneWeb, before its merger with Eutelsat Group, addressed digital payloads, user terminals and 5G convergence.
Phase 3, which was launched formally in May 2024, emphasises industrialisation, production readiness, small-sat/constellation deployment, mass-manufacturing and sustainability. The contract signed on 15 May 2024 at ESA HQ in Paris marks this milestone.
The project is supported by several ESA Member States, including the UK, Austria, Italy and Romania, and relies on European industry clusters – for example, SMEs and supply-chain participants across Europe – and the UK Space Agency.


Major technological focus areas

Sunrise covers several interrelated technology domains

Beam-hopping and digital payloads
Demonstrating flexible beam steering and dynamic resource allocation to improve satellite system efficiency.
Integration of 5G/6G and satellite connectivity
Supporting hybrid terrestrial-satellite networks, enabling 5G non-terrestrial networks (NTN) readiness, user-terminal development, and direct-to-device possibilities.
End-of-life servicing and active debris removal (ADR)
Under Sunrise, ESA and industry partners such as Astroscale UK are developing commercial servicing solutions for satellite end-of-life.
Mass-manufacturing and industrial scalability
Phase 3 emphasises industrial production readiness of satellite platforms, modular subsystems, supply-chain readiness and economics of scale for constellations.
Multi-Orbit solutions and new services
Beyond single-orbit telecommunications, Sunrise supports technologies for LEO, MEO and hybrid systems (connectivity, remote-sensing payloads, AIS/ADS-B surveillance) enabled through the partnership.


Impacts and benefits 

The Sunrise project carries significant strategic benefits for Europe

ndustrial competitiveness
By derisking cutting-edge technologies and co-funding demonstrators, it helps European operators and suppliers to remain competitive in global satellite markets (particularly LEO/MEO constellations and 5G/6G integration).
Sovereignty and autonomy
Supporting European operators and industry ensures Europe retains independent access to satellite communication infrastructure and associated technologies.
Innovation ecosystem
Enables collaboration across large operators (Eutelsat Group), service providers, SMEs and research organisations. This stimulates supply-chain growth, technology spin-offs and new business models.
Sustainability & long-term space usage
The inclusion of ADR and servicing activities under Sunrise addresses orbital debris and sustainability concerns, aligning with global space-sustainability goals.
New business models
Moves away from classical GEO telecommunications and into hybrid, multi-orbit, flexible and service-oriented architectures, opening opportunities in direct-to-device, mobility, Internet of Things (IoT) and other emerging markets.


Sunrise Next Gen

Sunrise Next Gen, which supports ESA’s goals by advancing mobile convergence between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks, is focused on several key objectives

Enabling a seamless transition towards unified terrestrial/non-terrestrial (TN/NTN) architectures, anticipating future 5G/6G standards.
Improving capacity, flexibility, and spectral efficiency through advanced beamforming and dynamic resource allocation.
Integrate Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) capabilities for resilience against interference and spoofing.
De-risking and validating space, ground, and user segment innovations to maintain European competitiveness.
Incorporating industrialisation and scalability from the outset to enable mass production of satellites, gateways, and user terminals.
Promote European sourcing of critical components to reduce dependence on non-European suppliers.


Evolution of Sunrise 

Phase 1 (2019 – 2020)
Preparatory studies identifying critical technologies.
Phase 2 (2021 – 2026)
Technology maturation and in-orbit validation via the JoeySat demonstration satellite. JoeySat successfully tested dynamic beam-hopping and flexible payloads, surpassing its planned mission lifetime.
Phase 3 (2024 – 2028)
Supports the ongoing development of technologies for NextGen batches 1 and 2, focusing on new space hardware and user terminals.
Phase 4 (2026 – 2029)
Focuses on the development and qualification of innovative payloads, user terminals, antennas, and ground segment technologies for Batch 3. It will also support responsible space activities such as active debris removal and end-of-life management.

RELATED LINKS & CONTACS

CONTACT

Michael Witting


ESA’s European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC)

Keplerlaan 1

2201 AZ Noordwijk, The Netherlands

+31 625158619

Michael.Witting@esa.int

Documents

Overview page

Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES)

Overview page

Partnership Projects programme

Overview page