6 advisory firms conduct feasibility study for Govsatcom
The European Defence Agency has launched a €1 million feasibility study of its satellite communications programme, Govsatcom, to help it identify new cooperation models and system architectures. Six advisory firms, led by Euroconsult, have been selected to execute the study, which will be used in a case study to be provided to the Member States by the end of 2016.
Govsatcom
In December 2013, the EU Heads of State and Government (EU Council) authorised additional efforts towards “the next generation of Governmental Satellite Communication through close cooperation between the Member States, the Commission and the European Space Agency.” For this, they launched the cooperative governmental satellite communications (Govsatcom) initiative.
Early 2014, the members of the European Defence Agency (EDA) adopted a common staff target harmonising the needs of military users. Based on this document, the preparation phase of the project started. The EDA aims at providing Member States with a business case by the end of 2016, which will include detailed technical requirements as well as a through-life management plan, allowing them to evaluate the various options in cooperation models and system architectures.
Consortium
To support the business case, the EDA launched an 18-month feasibility study, for which it appointed six consulting firms. The consortium of firms will be led by Euroconsult and further consists of Airbus Defence & Space, CGI, Istituto Affari Internazionali, Hisdesat and SpaceTec Partners. “The international consortium combines expertise across the full satellite communications value chain, while the project governance will guarantee the independence and neutrality of the results. All partners are fully committed to delivering a study that lays the groundwork for future European capability,” explains Pacome Revillon, CEO Euroconsult.
Commenting on the study, Jorge Domecq, Chief Executive of EDA, says: “This study will help us to find new ways to cooperate in a complex institutional setting. Considering that Govsatcom capabilities are inherently dual-use, one of the main objectives will be to identify an efficient, innovative and sustainable cooperation model in particular by implementing synergies with the Commission. This will certainly be reflected by a genuine governance of the system.”
