ND SatCom, together with its partner EADS Space Services, has won a major contract for the next step of the German Armed Forces’ satellite communications programme, SATCOMBw Stufe 2. The project comprises the delivery of two military communication satellites, several fixed and transportable ground stations of various sizes as well as a bundle of communication services.
The contract period stretches over ten years, with an option for subsequent follow-up contracts. Based on the contract, ND SatCom will provide a complete ground segment containing the various user ground stations, the telemetry, tracking and command (TT&C) network as well as network management for monitoring and controlling the overall system. EADS is to deliver the space segment, which mainly includes two military satellites.
In order to serve the German Armed Forces in the most efficient way, ND SatCom and EADS set up a common special purposes company named MilSat Services, with EADS holding 74.9 percent and ND SatCom 25.1 percent. The joint venture will be in charge of the deployment and integration of the overall system for the customer. During the following operational phase, MilSat Services will provide additional military communication services and operate the two military satellites on behalf of the German Armed Forces.