The satellite, which is operated by GovSat, a public-private venture between the Luxembourg State and SES, will provide secure and reliable satellite communications for military and civilian purposes.

It also provides enhanced resilience capabilities, with anti-jamming features, encrypted telemetry and control, and use of military frequencies, extensive capabilities which have never before been seen in a public-private venture.

Part of the satellite’s capacity will be used to meet Luxembourg’s requirements for military-frequency satellite communications, while it is planned to sell on its additional capacity to allied partners and international organisations like Nato and the EU.

Photo: GovSat. This image shows the GovSat-1 satellite

It also forms part of a strategy to modernise Luxembourg’s military and build an expertise in field-based satellite know-how.

The satellite will operate from 21.5° east, enabling interconnectivity with Europe, the Middle East and Africa as well as maritime operations over the Atlantic and Indian oceans.

GovSat-1 is scheduled to launch aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on 30 January during a two-hour window starting from 10:23pm, Luxembourg time.

Click here to watch the launch live.