By: Nana Appiah Acquaye
The
European Space Agency (ESA) Council has approved the appointment of Laurent
Jaffart as Director of the newly created Resilience, Navigation and
Connectivity Directorate (D/RNC), with the reassignment taking effect on 1
February 2026.
Mr.
Jaffart, who currently serves as ESA’s Director of Connectivity and Secure
Communications (D/CSC), will lead the new directorate as part of ESA’s efforts
to strengthen resilience and advance navigation and connectivity capabilities
aligned with the security and defence priorities of ESA Member States, the
European Union and European defence-related agencies.
The
establishment of the Resilience, Navigation and Connectivity Directorate is
intended to provide a clear design authority within ESA, supporting the
successful delivery of the European Resilience from Space (ERS) programme and
the timely development of critical security and defence technologies. The move
is aimed at ensuring that space systems are designed and implemented in line
with Member States’ operational and strategic requirements.
ESA
noted that its intergovernmental framework provides the mandate and
institutional capacity to develop and deliver space technologies and systems,
including those supporting security and defence objectives, while remaining
fully compliant with international conventions governing the peaceful use of
outer space.
Mr.
Jaffart took up his current role as Director of Connectivity and Secure
Communications and Head of ESA’s European Centre for Space Applications and
Telecommunications (ECSAT) in Harwell, United Kingdom, in May 2024.
He
holds an honours degree in European business and technology from the University
of Brighton, obtained in 2000, as well as dual Master of Business
Administration degrees from Reims Management School in France and Dublin City
University in Ireland. In 2012, he was awarded a Master’s degree in military
national resource strategy and policy from the Industrial College of the Armed
Forces, now the Eisenhower School, at the National Defense University in
Washington, DC.
Prior
to joining ESA, Mr. Jaffart served at Airbus Defence and Space as
Vice-President and Head of Strategy, Corporate and New Business Development for
Space Systems, where he led multinational teams across France, Germany and the
United Kingdom. During this period, he was also a member of the Space Systems
Executive Board and the Airbus OneWeb Satellites Board.
Earlier
in his career, he held several senior roles within the European Aeronautic
Defence and Space Company (EADS), later integrated into Airbus Defence and
Space. These included Vice-President and Head of Sales and Marketing Business
Growth for Space Systems, as well as Head of Strategy at Astrium Satellites in
Germany, where he played a key role in the OneWeb first-generation
constellation bid and the establishment of the Airbus OneWeb Satellites joint
venture.
