Nichols Martin
Airbus has received a contract from the European Space Agency to provide a service demonstrator for the Governmental Satellite Communications program that aims to update satellite communications capability in Europe.
The two-year contract consists of a first phase that entails the production of a ground system that can facilitate the sharing of satellite functions as well as a second phase designated for the enhancement of the Newtec-built Dialog satcom platform, Airbus announced Monday.
The company added the demonstrator will work to verify the performance of the proposed GOVSATCOM service that will be operated by European government agencies to support overseas operations.
GOVSATCOM serves as the first step to a satcom capability pooling and sharing agreement employed by 15 European countries, Airbus noted.
The program, which is expected to launch by 2020, is also backed by the European Commission and European Defense Agency.
