Protecting citizens and freedoms is one of the four European Union priorities in its 2019-2024 strategic agenda, with a focus on increasing the EU's resilience against both natural and man-made disasters. The EU’s autonomy and independence are essential for implementing the common security policy, including governmental communications. In this context, Satellite Communications (SATCOM) represent the ideal means for covering large geographical areas or operations deployed in remote or isolated sites.
The European Union Governmental Satellite Communications (EU GOVSATCOM) Programme aims to provide secure, guaranteed, and cost-effective SATCOM services to EU governmental stakeholders, such as Member States (MS), related security organizations, and EU Agencies or institutions with special emphasis on civilians.
GEXTRECS will define and demonstrate an End-to-End GOVSATCOM Service supporting Crisis Management. The project will prototype the Dynamic Planner to de-risk an important GOVSATCOM Ground segment element, enabling dynamic SATCOM resources allocation in the most optimal manner using advanced heuristics. Additionally, GEXTRECS will integrate a Network Balancer to ensure interoperability and secure communications across different networks. The project will also illustrate GOVSATCOM synergies with other components of the EU Space Programme. Annual demonstrations will simulate exercises in land cross-border and multinational maritime use cases.
The overall objectives are:
1. To co-design with End-Users a pack of secure SATCOM services useful for the full duration of a massive civil emergencies or security crisis.
2. To show feasibility of GOVSATCOM concept services for civil emergencies or security.
3. To study SATCOM terminals interoperability for different SATCOM channels.
4. To harmonize European crisis management procedures for GOVSATCOM resources usability, as well as for its adoption and prioritization by governmental bodies involved in massive civil emergency or security events with cross-borders impact.
5. To de-risk ground segment technological component for dynamic optimal resource allocation.
6. To demonstrate the prototyped EU GOVSATCOM Crisis Management Service Pack with End-Users involvement in their real environment.
7. To foster, demonstrate, outreach and highlight synergies between GOVSATCOM and others EU Space Program components, notably with Copernicus and Galileo.
8. To raise awareness on GOVSATCOM and promote its market uptake.
9. To contribute to the increased security of EU citizens and the protection of critical infrastructure through enhanced operational capabilities offered by GOVSATCOM services and deployed in a European collective effort during large-scale, cross-border, or multinational crisis events.
