Photo: GMV

The European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) has awarded a contract to a consortium led by GMV to design, develop and deploy the communications hub for the Governmental Satellite Communications (GOVSATCOM) programme. This contract, valued at up to €107 million ($119 million), is a critical component of the European Union (EU) satellite communications initiative.

GOVSATCOM is one of the five main components of the EU Space Programme, alongside Copernicus, Galileo, EGNOS and Space Situational Awareness. Its primary objective is to provide secure and cost-efficient satellite communication services to authorized governmental users in EU Member States.

The program aims to support various scenarios, including crisis management, border and maritime surveillance, critical infrastructure management and security operations in polar regions.

The communications hub is a critical element of the GOVSATCOM architecture. Its main functions include:

• Ensuring optimal delivery of satellite communication services
• Meeting the demand for operational services from EU Member State users
• Planning for predefined medium-term communication needs
• Handling dynamic and urgent requests from unforeseen scenarios
• Operating under strict security and resilience requirements

The hub will manage satellite communication resources from EU Member States and services provided by the EU’s future multi-orbital secure communications constellation, IRIS2.

The consortium led by GMV includes Indra and Hisdesat. The contract was awarded following a competitive bidding process involving pre-selection consortia and execution of parallel contracts for preliminary design and capability demonstrations.