Major contracts for Galileo Second Generation

Thales has been notified by the European Space Agency (ESA) of two major contracts for over 60 million euros for the cybersecurity aspects of the Galileo Second Generation (G2G) programme. . These contracts concern the architecture, security equipment and protection against cyberattacks.

At the signing of the contracts: Sylvain Loddo, Director of the Galileo ground segment programme at ESA, Ennio Guarino, Head of the Egnos and Galileo programmes at ESA, Lionel Salmon, Director of Cybersecurity for Information Systems at Thales and Alexandra Porez, Director of Cybersecurity for Satellite Systems at Thales.

Thales has been working with ESA for over twenty years, contributing to the security of the Galileo programme, Europe’s largest satellite programme for sovereign and critical navigation services.

Cybersecurity for satellite systems has become a growing concern for satellite operators and space agencies, particularly against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions and increasing demand. It is estimated that over the next ten years the proliferation of both civil and military uses will add 10,000 satellites to the number already in service.

System support and second-generation ground segment

In addition, Thales Alenia Space has announced the signing of contracts with ESA totalling more than 300 million euros for the design and build of the G2G Ground Mission Segment as well as for system engineering and technical assistance activities.

The second-generation ground mission segment is designed to generate and connect the navigation services to the Galileo satellites and to keep the satellites synchronised with a common time reference. The first version will arrive in time for the launch of the first second-generation satellites and for the validation of the system’s in-orbit capabilities. The second version will be responsible for the missions of both the first- and second-generation Galileo satellites.

The new ground mission system, which includes a number of major technological innovations, will provide over 4 billion users worldwide with improved performance in terms of positioning, navigation and synchronisation. 

Read the latest press releases, Thales confirms its key role to provide cybersecurity for Galileo Second Generation to meet tomorrow's threats and Thales Alenia Space confirms its key role in Galileo 2nd Generation program by signing contracts for the ground mission segment and system activities.