The EU has taken the next step in the development of its secure satellite communications system GOVSATCOM (Government Satellite Communications) with the groundbreaking of a permanent hub facility in Cologne, Germany.
The ceremony was attended by, among others, Catherine Kavvada, Director for Secure and Connected Space at the European Commission, Rodrigo da Costa, Executive Director of EUSPA (European Union Agency for the Space Programme), as well as representatives of the German federal government, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, and the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
According to the European Commission, GOVSATCOM has been operational since January 2026 and provides secure and reliable satellite communications to EU institutions and national authorities responsible for security-critical missions and critical infrastructure. The system pools satellite capacity from participating member states and makes it available to authorised users, including countries that lack their own national capacity.
The interim GOVSATCOM hub, operated by the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), is to be gradually replaced by two permanent facilities: one in Athens, Greece, and one in Cologne, Germany. According to the Commission, both facilities will strengthen redundancy, improve reliability, and ensure continuity in Europe's government satellite communications network.
The European Commission states that GOVSATCOM is an important precursor to IRIS², the EU's planned sovereign multi-orbit communications system. The Cologne facility is intended to deliver a higher degree of automation, enhanced security, and improved operational capability over time.
Nordic Defence Sector reported in March that Norway and Iceland had joined GOVSATCOM and IRIS².