GMV has won a bumper contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) for maintenance, development and upgrading of Galileo’s Ground Control Segment (GCS). Galileo, the veritable flagship of the European Union’s now flourishing space business, is Europe’s own global navigation satellite system.

GMV’s framework contract with ESA is worth a total of €250 million, already including a signed-and-sealed contract for the first Work Order, in itself worth around €150 million. This makes it without any doubt the biggest contract ever signed by GMV in its whole history. Not only that: it is also the biggest contract ever signed by Spain’s space industry. All this represents a huge boost and a real thrill for the company while also posing a great challenge that places GMV and Spain itself on the very highest rung of responsibility and visibility. GMV is leading an industrial team made up by several European firms, with starring roles for GMV and Spanish industry.

The Ground Control Segment is responsible for monitoring all constellation satellites and includes all the necessary components for this purpose: the control center, the orbital dynamics system, mission planning, operational support, simulation devices, the key management facility, network security, the Telemetry, Tracking and Command (TT&C) stations and the interconnection between all these components. The GCS comprises the main operations center, based in Munich (Germany), plus a backup center in Fucino (Italy), as well as the various monitoring stations spread throughout the world.

As well as taking on critical GCS items, GMV, as part of its overall responsibility for the whole ensemble, will also see to management of all the abovementioned functions, in all the sites identified, in liaison with the European Space Agency (ESA), as end client, and the subcontractors of the different items. Its main remit is maintenance of all the already deployed systems, assuring operations already underway and organizing the future upgrading of the whole system. The cybersecurity aspects, led and developed by GMV, weigh especially heavily in the overall deal.

This contract cements GMV’s worldwide leadership in satellite ground control systems and sets up the company as a worldwide benchmark in satellite navigation and cybersecurity.