EU brings secure GOVSATCOM hub online under GMV leadership

by Hugo Ritmico
Madrid, Spain (SPX) Feb 18, 2026

The European Union has begun operational use of its "Governmental Satellite Communications Programme", known as "GOVSATCOM", opening secure encrypted satellite communications services to EU member states under European control. The move marks a significant step in the bloc's efforts to secure strategic autonomy in space-based communications for government and security users.

At the core of the new capability is the GOVSATCOM Hub, described as the central node that manages service delivery across the system in an efficient, resilient and coordinated way. In 2024, the "European Union Agency" for the Space Programme awarded GMV a multi year contract valued at 107 million euros to lead a European industrial consortium tasked with designing, developing and deploying this hub as a critical operational element.

The initial "GOVSATCOM" configuration aggregates satellite capacity contributed by several EU member states, drawing on a fleet of eight satellites operated by five different countries. This pooled resource is intended to grow over time as additional national and European capabilities are integrated into the common framework.

The system is engineered to support a wide range of governmental missions, including crisis management, border and maritime surveillance, protection of critical infrastructure and support for operations in remote regions and polar areas. By providing a shared, secure satellite communications layer, the programme aims to improve coordination and resilience across civil and security actors that depend on robust connectivity in demanding environments.

GMV leads the GOVSATCOM Hub effort at the head of a consortium that includes Indra and Hisdesat along with other European partners that have contributed to development of the architecture. The hub is designed to optimise satellite communications provisioning through aggregation and intelligent management of both space segment assets and associated terrestrial infrastructure.

The hub architecture enables medium term planning of communications needs so that capacity can be allocated against anticipated operational demands. At the same time it is built to handle dynamic and urgent requests that arise from unforeseen crises or rapidly evolving scenarios, while maintaining strict requirements for security, resilience and European sovereignty over the service.

The project draws on GMV's long standing experience in space systems and cybersecurity, combined with Indra's role in communications and command and control technologies and Hisdesat's operational track record in secure governmental satellite communications. Together, the partners are positioning the hub as a focal point for coordinating European secure satcom resources.

Beyond the satellites and services already contributed by member states, the GOVSATCOM Hub has been designed to integrate future assets from IRIS2, the European Union's planned multi orbital secure communications satellite constellation. As IRIS2 is deployed over the coming years, its services are expected to be federated into the hub to expand coverage, capacity and service diversity.

GOVSATCOM sits alongside Galileo, Copernicus, EGNOS and Space Situational Awareness as one of the five pillars of the EU Space Programme. Within this broader portfolio it is regarded as a key strategic enabler for meeting the European Union's preparedness and resilience objectives towards 2030 by assuring secure, sovereign communications for critical users.

The programme is also framed as an important element in Europe's ambition to strengthen its capacity for autonomous action in security and defence and to advance interoperability between national and European structures. By consolidating secure satellite communications under a common European framework, the initiative seeks to reduce fragmentation and dependence on non European providers.

The contract supporting the hub is part of a programme funded by the European Union and implemented through EUSPA. The organisations involved emphasise that the views expressed in the announcement are those of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the European Commission or the European Union Agency for the Space Programme.