EU member states can now access the EU’s GOVSATCOM satellite communications service, which the European Commission said began operations last month.
More than 2,000 public- and private-sector participants attended a GOVSATCOM event in Luxembourg to discuss trends and challenges in satellite communications, the Commission announced on Thursday.
Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius said GOVSATCOM means all member states can now access “sovereign satellite communication” that is secure and encrypted, built and operated in Europe and “under European control”.
Kubilius also declared a milestone was reached in January with the bringing into use of Ka military frequencies, and added he is committed to delivering a first simplified version of the IRIS² secure connectivity system by 2029, with the full system to follow.
Plans for a “Space Shield”
The Commission will present a plan for a “Space Shield” later this year that would pool and share national capabilities alongside EU assets including GOVSATCOM, the Public Regulated Service of Galileo (the EU’s satellite navigation system) and IRIS², it said.
Delivery is targeted “as early as 2027”, and the Commission said the plan will be coordinated with Member States, with the EU role described as supporting and complementing national defence efforts rather than replacing them.
GOVSATCOM works by pooling existing satellite communications capacities and services owned by certain member states — particularly governmental and military satellites — and making them available to authorised government users across Europe.
Access is provided through a dedicated ground infrastructure called the GOVSATCOM Hub, with its functions overseen by the EU Agency for the Space Programme, EUSPA.
