Space Restrictions Task Force absorbs Lead metal and Chromates Task Forces on REACH

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Eurospace is pleased to announce that the merger of the Space Chromates Task Force (STF) and the Lead metal Task Force (LTF) into the Space Restrictions Task Force (RTF) has been completed.

The merger was agreed at the 9th meeting of the RTF on 5 February 2026 in the interest of better administration. The STF (since 2013) and LTF (since 2018) were initially established in order to organise the European Space Sector’s joint response to the REACH authorisation process. However, both chromates and lead are currently heading towards restriction-based regulation in the EU.

As a result, the STF and LTF have now been discontinued and relevant REACH-related activities are being followed up instead as part of the wider scope of the RTF, which already covers the European Space Sector’s response to important restriction activities such as Universal PFAS and bisphenols.

The RTF is an initiative of the Materials and Processes Technology Board of the European Space Components Coordination (ESCC MPTB), a partnership between the European Space Agency (ESA), national space agencies, and space industry represented by ASD-Eurospace.

The main objective of the RTF is to prepare and inject contributions to ECHA, the European Commission and potentially Member States in support of European Space Sector interests, collaborate with third parties as appropriate in relation to restriction proposals including but not limited to the EU REACH Regulation and the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. To this end the RTF monitors the related regulatory processes and conducts impact assessments to identify the main challenges of complying with the proposed restrictions, as well as possible solutions, including the definition of suitable derogation claims. With regard to chromates, the RTF also elaborates and keeps up-to-date compliance recommendations for space downstream users with the REACH authorisation regime currently still in force.

Following the merger, the following 29 organisations are represented in the RTF:

Industrial participants:

  • Airbus Defence & Space
  • ArianeGroup
  • Avio
  • Beyond Gravity
  • ESR Technology (ESTL)
  • HPS GmbH
  • INVENT GmbH
  • Jena-Optronik GmbH
  • Leonardo Company
  • Materiales GmbH
  • Maxon International AG
  • MT Aerospace
  • OHB
  • Safran Aero Boosters
  • Sodern
  • Thales Alenia Space
  • TESAT
  • L. Gore & Associés S.A.R.L.

Space Agencies:

  • Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI)
  • European Space Agency (ESA)
  • Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES)
  • Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR)
  • UK Space Agency

Observer:

  • Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD)
  • European Defence Agency (EDA)

Independent research organisations:

  • Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics
  • TNO

Secretariat:

  • ASD-Eurospace

Consultant:

  • REACHLaw

The group is an open forum. New participants with a Space Sector interest may be admitted. You are invited to contact Eurospace.

Contacts:

  • Secretariat: Valentin Marie, Research Analyst & Compliance Manager, ASD-EUROSPACE, valentin.marie@eurospace.org, +33 (0) 7 86 58 74 34
  • RTF Coordinator: Tim Becker, Senior Legal Advisor, REACHLaw Ltd., tim.becker@reachlaw.fi; +358 (0) 40 773 8143