EU GOVSATCOM has been operational since January 2026. The programme provides secure and reliable satellite communication services to EU institutions and national public authorities responsible for security-critical missions and critical infrastructure.
The system pools governmental satellite communication capacity from participating Member States. It makes that capacity available to authorised users, including those without their own national satellite communication resources.
At the centre of EU GOVSATCOM is a secure platform known as the hub. The hub connects authorised government users with pooled satellite communications capacity from across Europe.
The platform is designed to ensure reliable, real-time connectivity for security and safety-critical missions. Its purpose is to improve resilience when communications are most needed.
Since January 2026, an interim GOVSATCOM Hub has been operated by EUSPA. This interim infrastructure is delivering secure and cost-efficient satellite communications services to EU Member States.
The interim hub is now being progressively replaced by two permanent operational sites in Athens, Greece, and Cologne, Germany. These two sites will operate the hub and strengthen Europe’s governmental communications network.
The European Commission said the permanent sites will improve redundancy, reliability and continuity of service. They represent a key evolution of the system, which currently pools capacity from multiple satellites operated by several countries.
GOVSATCOM also forms an important precursor to IRIS², the EU’s sovereign multi-orbital communication system. As the programme evolves, the Cologne site will introduce higher automation, stronger security features and enhanced operational performance.
The Cologne site is intended to reinforce Europe’s long-term strategic autonomy in space-based communications. The groundbreaking marks another step in the EU’s effort to build a secure satellite communications capability for government users across Europe.
