Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, left, and French Minister of the Armed Forces Catherine Vautrin, second from left, at the satellite contract signing. Photo: Airbus

Poland is the latest country to invest more in its space defense capabilities with a key new contract with some of Europe’s biggest players for a new Geostationary Orbit (GEO) satellite. The Polish Ministry of Defence has signed an agreement with Thales Alenia Space, Airbus Defence and Space and Polish electronics manufacturer Radmor to develop a GEO telecommunications satellite for defense use, dedicated to the Polish MoD.

The agreement was announced April 20, during talks between Poland and France.

The three partners will combine their respective expertise in terms of military communications payloads, mission control, satellite platform design and industrialization, as well as secure ground infrastructure and cybersecurity. The announcement did not specify a target date for when the satellite will be launched.

This new GEO satellite will offer secure communications for the armed forces, designed to provide a high level of robustness and resilience. With the return of high-intensity conflicts in a more contested space environment, the partners said this end-to-end system will be cyber-secured across ground and space segments, resistant to threats. The aim is to strengthen Poland’s national space sovereignty.

“This GEO satellite project will embody the highest standards of resilience, cybersecurity, and anti-jamming technologies, reflecting our commitment to strengthening European defense sovereignty. Together with Airbus Defence and Space and Radmor, we are providing the Poland’s armed forces with a robust, end-to-end solution that meets the challenges of today’s complex security environment,” Hervé Derrey, President and CEO of Thales Alenia Space, said in a statement.