February 2, 2026
Add to Cart: EU Satellite Edition
EU launches government satcom program in sovereignty push
EU’s new satellite service is basically a secure marketplace, and the comments are spicy
TLDR: The EU launched GOVSATCOM, a secure “marketplace” pooling capacity from existing satellites, with bigger plans by 2027 and IRIS² integration by 2029. Commenters split between eye-rolls at “just a marketplace,” applause for faster sharing, and a debate over what “sovereignty” should mean.
Europe just “launched” a big satellite thing — but the twist has Reddit and space nerds clutching pearls. GOVSATCOM, announced by EU Commissioner Andrius Kubilius, isn’t a shiny new bird in orbit. It’s a hub that lets EU governments tap into unused capacity from eight already-up satellites with a few clicks. Think “Amazon for secure satellite comms,” not rockets. Coverage runs from Greenland down past South America and over to India, with plans to expand by 2027 and plug into the 290-satellite IRIS² (the “Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite”) by 2029. The Ka-band military frequencies just went live, too, meaning the security side is warming up. The community? Split. The top mood: expectation vs. reality. One camp is like, “Where are the new satellites?” The other applauds the centralized sharing of capacity that France, Spain, Italy, Greece, and Luxembourg already have. Some call it “too little, too late,” while pragmatists say it’s a smart fast-track before IRIS² arrives. Meanwhile, semantic warfare breaks out over the word sovereignty — is it for member states or the EU as a whole? And yes, there are memes: “EU built a satellite Costco,” “Prime for Presidents,” and endless “Add to cart” jokes. The drama is real, folks. Read the receipts via SpaceNews
Key Points
- •EU launched GOVSATCOM, pooling capacity from eight existing GEO satellites, and began operations last week.
- •The GOVSATCOM hub acts as a secure marketplace where member states can request services from enrolled providers.
- •Five member states—France, Spain, Italy, Greece, and Luxembourg—currently supply capacities, offering 35 encrypted services.
- •Coverage spans from south of Greenland to South America in the west and up to India in the east, with catalog expansion planned by 2027.
- •GOVSATCOM is expected to integrate with the 290-satellite IRIS² constellation starting in 2029; IRIS² Ka-band military frequencies were recently brought into use.