SES CEO Steve Collar and Luxembourg Luxembourg Deputy Prime Minister François Bausch. Photo: SES

The Luxembourg government is deepening its relationship with SES thanks to a new partnership announced Feb. 23. The program – MEO Global Services (MGS) – valued at 195 million euros ($206.8 million) over 10 years will authorize the government to acquire O3b mPOWER services. In late 2022, Luxembourg and the U.S. entered into a support partnership with the aim of commercially contracting satellite communications capabilities through the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA). The MGS program will be realised through this partnership.

The Luxembourg government sees this as a critical resilient satcom infrastructure for Luxembourg, its partners and NATO in the areas of defense and security, disaster recovery, and more. SES said the open architecture and security features of the O3b mPOWER system aim to enable governments to operate sovereign gateways and networks on a global basis.

“This ambitious new project carried out through the NSPA will consolidate Luxembourg’s position as a reliable partner in space. The satellite communication capabilities of SES’s O3b mPOWER will reinforce Euro-Atlantic joint deterrence and defense. The aim is to support our allies, the EU member states and the international organizations of which Luxembourg is a member. We will increase the resilience, flexibility and connectivity of our satcom capabilities while creating synergies through cooperation with nations who share our values,” Luxembourg Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, François Bausch, said in a statement.