The Blog

On Tuesday, 2 June 2026, our experts attended the 7th ESA REACH Workshop at ESA ESTEC, the European Space Agency (ESA) Research and Technology Centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. The full-day hybrid and interactive event brought together more than 100 participants from 25 countries.

Invited speakers from ASD Europe, Defra UK, ECHA, the European Commission (EC), ESA, NASA and REACHLaw provided a comprehensive update on the latest REACH-related challenges facing the European space sector, with a particular focus on PFAS.

Key highlights of the event from REACHLaw’s perspective are outlined below.

Morning Session

ECHA provided a broad overview of its ongoing activities related to authorisation (chromates), restriction (universal PFAS / uPFAS, among others), and new responsibilities, including those under the Batteries Regulation. Regarding uPFAS, ECHA reported that its consultation on the SEAC draft opinion, which closed on 25 May 2026, received another record number of comments (3,511). As a next step, the SEAC opinion is expected to be finalised by the end of 2026 and subsequently submitted to the EC for decision-making.

The EC reiterated that its forthcoming uPFAS restriction proposal – expected to be presented “as soon as possible” after receipt of ECHA’s opinion – aims broadly to distinguish between consumer uses (a ban approach) and critical industrial applications (continued use under strict conditions until suitable alternatives become available). However, this distinction is not currently reflected as such in the uPFAS restriction proposal.

Representatives of the space sector agreed that the proposed uPFAS restriction in the EU would impose an unmanageable burden on the industry. ESA REACH Officer Premysl Janik warned that the production of launchers and spacecraft could be forced to stop if the restriction were adopted without a space-specific derogation. Key and complementary contributions to the SEAC draft opinion consultation were presented by Elisa Consoli for the Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD) and by Tim Becker (REACHLaw) for ASD-Eurospace.

Defra UK presented its new PFAS Plan, published earlier this year, which outlines the UK’s vision and approach for managing PFAS-related risks. Reflecting more on UK REACH policy in general, it was highlighted that the UK now attempts to avoid duplication of effort wherever possible through recourse to previous work in other trusted jurisdictions; EU REACH thereby constitutes an important baseline for UK developments.

Beyond PFAS, several speakers highlighted other priority substances and substance groups, as well as ongoing regulatory processes and EU requirements, illustrating the growing complexity of the chemicals regulatory landscape. In his update on priority topics and joint contributions, Tim Becker (REACHLaw) provided a concise overview of this evolving landscape and elaborated on several regulatory files of particular relevance to the space sector. These included the European Commission’s next steps following the withdrawal of the REACH revision proposal, harmonised classifications under the CLP Regulation, the new German restriction initiative on bisphenols, developments concerning the SCIP database and the Commission’s proposal to discontinue it, and ongoing activities related to “substances of concern.”

Afternoon Session

Oliver Reiff-Musgrove from REACHLaw presented an IT perspective on regulatory compliance in the space sector, including the use of the ESA REACH Tool, general Artificial Intelligence (AI), and other software solutions to identify PFAS and assess the impacts of REACH and other regulations. As a practical example of “targeted” AI, he introduced a new PFAS identification tool under development by REACHLaw, called “IsItPFAS”. Interested parties were invited to join the early-access waitlist at https://www.isitpfas.com/pricing (for further information: oliver.reiff-musgrove@reachlaw.fi).

Léo Fournier from ESA then provided an overview of PFAS-use mapping and mass estimation across ESA projects, together with an update on activities aimed at mitigating obsolescence risks.

Finally, David Liu from NASA presented on the impact of PFAS-related regulations on the global space materials supply chain. His presentation closely mirrored concerns identified by European stakeholders, highlighting significant risks arising from product obsolescence and reformulations that may be unable to meet the performance requirements of the space sector.

The event concluded with a panel discussion featuring experts from industry and space agencies on the impacts of, and future direction for, EU chemicals legislation. One particularly interesting takeaway from the discussion on digitalisation – including the Digital Product Passport and substance traceability – was that, although highly beneficial in principle, implementation for complex products such as space hardware should be viewed as a very long-term objective. Feasibility and information requirements must first be assessed before practical implementation can be considered. In addition, security concerns have to be addressed.

Further Information

All presentations and the workshop report prepared by REACHLaw will be made available soon at https://atpi.eventsair.com/7th-esa-reach-workshop.