GovSat, a public-private joint-venture between the Luxembourg Government and a world satellite operator SES, together with Thales Alenia Space, a joint-venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), announced yesterday the signing of a contract for the supply of a new defence geostationary communications satellite, GovSat-2. 

Operating in X, Ka and UHF frequency bands, the satellite will provide secure and jam-resistant telecommunications services for the Luxembourg defence as well as for its partners. 

It will be built on Thales Alenia Space’s Spacebus 4000B2 platform, renowned for its reliability and time-to-market efficiency. 

As prime contractor, Thales Alenia Space will be responsible for the design, manufacturing, testing, and delivery of it. GovSat-2 is expected to have an operational in-orbit service life exceeding 15 years. 

The satellite will be co-funded by SES and the Luxembourg Government (funding from the Luxembourg Directorate of Defence is subject to parliamentary approval of the corresponding draft law).