Luxembourg taps into SES O3b mPOWER
February 24, 2023
By Chris Forrester
Luxembourg, already a major investor in SES, has announced it will leverage capacity on the SES O3b mPOWER fleet for government usage extending to Europe and NATO demand for defence and disaster recovery. The agreement also says it will support further “strategic partnerships” between Luxembourg and the US.
Luxembourg’s Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, François Bausch said that the Luxembourg Government is proud to be utilising highly innovative satellite technology that was developed in the country by its leading space player, SES.
“The programme – MEO Global Services (MGS) – valued at €195 million over 10 years will authorise, when passed by Luxembourg parliament, the acquisition and operation of O3b mPOWER services. In late 2022, Luxembourg and the US entered into a support partnership with the aim of commercially contracting satellite communications capabilities through the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA). The MGS programme will be realised through this partnership,” said Bausch.
“This ambitious new project carried out through the NSPA will consolidate Luxembourg’s position as a reliable partner in space. The satellite communication capabilities of SES’s O3b mPOWER will reinforce Euro-Atlantic joint deterrence and defence. The aim is to support our Allies, the EU Member States and the international organisations of which Luxembourg is a member,” continued Bausch. “We will increase the resilience, flexibility and connectivity of our satcom capabilities while creating synergies through cooperation with nations who share our values.”
“We are proud to support the Luxembourg Government’s space defence strategy and leverage the unique space-based capabilities of SES to enable greater cooperation between Luxembourg and its partners,” added Steve Collar, CEO/SES. “O3b mPOWER has been designed with the unique needs of governments firmly in mind and brings unprecedented levels of guaranteed performance to support defence, security and sovereign networks as well as disaster recovery and response for a safer and more secure Europe and beyond.”