Sign in

ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications

@esaconnectivity.esa.int
3K followers 55 following 909 posts

Advancing space-based connectivity – bringing broadband to rural areas, supporting crisis response, enhancing cybersecurity, and connecting everyone, everywhere, at all times. Part of the European Space Agency @esa.int family.

PostsRepliesMedia
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 05/10/2026
One beam full of possibilities: the new @esa.int patch for Optical and Quantum Communications - Scylight⚡⚛️ But, what does it mean? 👉 www.esa.int/Applications...
0193
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 01/10/2026
What do wolves have to do with secure communications?🐺 🤔 Find out here 👇️ www.esa.int/Applications...
0124
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 24/09/2026
Just a week ago we signed 18 contracts with around 80 European companies to study potential uses of IRIS²’s Low‑LEO layer, with the aim to strengthen the EU’s secure connectivity constellation 🌐💪 www.esa.int/Applications...
ESA representatives together with the Director and Director of Programmes and Industry of the Agencia Espacial Española (AEE)
0111
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 17/09/2026
These results will help prioritise those services, subject to successful maturation and future programme decisions could potentially be incorporated into future versions of EU IRIS², supporting Europe’s ability to adapt to a challenging global landscape 🌐
ESA IRIS2 Low-LEO team
041
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 17/09/2026
How will IRIS² adapt to an ever-changing environment?🌍💪 Today, @esa.int signed 18 consolidation contracts with nearly 80 European companies to explore future gov services and associated mission concepts for the future evolution of EU’s IRIS² through Low-LEO activities www.esa.int/Applications...
Group picture at ESA IRIS2 Low-LEO event at ESA's European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC)
182
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 07/09/2026
Operated by @eutelsat.bsky.social, Eutelsat KONNECT VHTS enables: 🎞️High-speed broadband internet (download an HD film in seconds) ✈️In-flight connectivity (to avoid missing any important message when you are flying) 🔒️Secure government communications across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East
171
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 07/09/2026
#OTD in 2022, Eutelsat KONNECT VHTS launched aboard an Ariane 5, carrying with it the most powerful onboard digital processor ever placed in orbit🔥 So, why send a computer to space? It can work as the brain of the satellite, guiding communications traffic by processing, sorting and routing data💾
Ariane 5 VA258 launch carrying Eutelsat Konnect VHTSEutelsat Konnect VHTS ready for integration
1131
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 19/08/2026
ESA and Eutelsat's ECS-1 (European Communications Satellite 1) integration, 1981.
040
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 19/08/2026
ESA's Olympus civilian telecommunications satellite being tested in Canada, 1988.

Credits: Picture Report
140
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 19/08/2026
ESA and Eutelsat's ECS-1 (European Communications Satellite 1) integration, 1981.ESA's Olympus civilian telecommunications satellite being tested in Canada, 1988.

Credits: Picture Report
130
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 19/08/2026
Satellites may not sexy, but they are shiny✨... and extremely useful💪 On #WorldPhotographyDay we highlight some of the coolest pictures of the history of European telecommunications satellites🛰️📡 @esa.int @eurospacehistory.bsky.social
ESA's Olympus civilian telecommunications satellite being tested in Canada, 1988.

Credits: Picture ReportClose up of ESA and Eutelsat's ECS-1 (European Communications Satellite 1) ESA's Olympus civilian telecommunications satellite being tested in Canada, 1988.

Credits: Picture Report
2285
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 12/08/2026
Do sat comms still work during today’s solar eclipse?🌒🛰️ Yes! Satellites 'watch' eclipses often, not just from the Moon, but also from Earth. They may switch to batteries and be briefly affected, but only for minutes⌛ So, even during today’s eclipse, sat comms keep working #Eclipse2026
Satellite eclipse

Credits: Antesky
0123
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 10/08/2026
040
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 10/08/2026
130
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 10/08/2026
130
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 10/08/2026
130
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 10/08/2026
130
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 10/08/2026
140
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 10/08/2026
140
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 10/08/2026
130
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 10/08/2026
Seat back 💺 Relax 🧘‍♀️ And enjoy the flight ✈️ … unless satellite communications are disrupted 🛰️ www.esa.int/Applications... 🧵👇🏼
What would happen to the aviation sector…
… If ESA Member States and Canada lost satcom for a week?
1122
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 08/08/2026
#OTD in 2000, the first telecoms 🌐, navigation🧭 and earth observation🌍️ satellite system was used in an emergency to help during the Thynne Mountain forest fire in British Columbia, Canada🍁 @navigation.esa.int @esaearth.esa.int
REMSAT backpack, enabling fire fighters to connect and navigate through satellites.REMSAT testing in Squamish, Canada.
1158
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 06/08/2026
#OTD 7 years ago, EDRS-C launched aboard an Ariane 5🚀 Dubbed SpaceDataHighway, the European Data Relay System, used laser tech to relay Earth observation images back to the ground, beaming the data back almost immediately and thereby accelerating emergency response down here🚑️ 🌍️ @transport.esa.int
Ariane 5 launching from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French GuianaEDRS-C mated with launcher
1153
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 04/08/2026
🎥Movie streaming takes less than a second today thanks to decades of innovation in satellite broadcasting 📺 #OTD in 1984, the European Communications Satellite 2 launched aboard Ariane 3 flight V10, expanding sat comms and international TV across Europe🛰️🌍 @esa.int @eurospacehistory.bsky.social
Ariane 3 flight V10 from Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, carrying the European Communications Satellite 2.Inflight shot of booster separation. Credits: Ariane GroupInflight shot of booster separation. Credits: Ariane Group
2304
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 30/07/2026
How will these observatories be adapted to connect to satellites? Find out 👇️ resilience.esa.int/archives/new...
Chelmos observatory.
041
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 30/07/2026
The development will help enable more resilient, secure, and high-bandwidth data transmission across Europe💪 🇪🇺
Helmos observatory.
Credits: Sagiakos Dimitris
160
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 30/07/2026
We can't get enough of these stunning observatory images 🤩⚡️ More to come as @esa.int and the National Observatory of Athens sign a Memorandum of Intent to develop ground optical technologies in Greece, the essential Earth-based links connecting with satellites via laser comms 🇬🇷 Thread for more👇️
Helmos Observatory
Credits: Theofanis MatsopoulosHelmos telescope.
Credits: Theofanis Matsopoulos
1130
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 29/07/2026
Are you ready to shape our programmes' strategy and communicate to various stakeholders?🤔 We have a job opening for a Programme and Strategy Coordinator within the Directorate of Resilience, Navigation and Connectivity, based in ESTEC (Netherlands). Details 👉️ jobs.esa.int/job/Noordwij...
ESA recruiting a Programme and Strategy Coordinator — ESTEC, The Netherlands; application deadline 28 August 2026; apply on jobs.esa.int; graphic shows Earth, Moon, satellites and the ESA logo.
041
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 27/07/2026
🇱🇺 just upgraded international quantum-secure communications🔐 Developed under an @esa.int Partnership Project, the Optical Ground Station built by HITEC Luxembourg in a consortium led by Starion Luxembourg will help distribute quantum cryptographic keys through future international secure networks ⚛️
Newly commissioned Optical Ground Station (OGS) in Luxembourg. 
Credits: HITEC Luxembourg/StarionDifferent representatives inside the newly commissioned Optical Ground Station (OGS) in Luxembourg. 
Credits: HITEC Luxembourg/Starion
1132
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 21/07/2026
🤔How do we measure the impact of our programmes? Curious about this question as well? Apply for the Junior Professional in Market Intelligence role and investigate the relevance of our projects in resilience, navigation and connectivity 💪 🧭 📶 Deadline 28 July 2026: jobs.esa.int/job/Harwell-...
ESA recruiting: Junior Professional in Market Intelligence (ECSAT, United Kingdom); application deadline 28 July 2026 , apply on jobs.esa.int; space-themed graphic shows Earth, moon, satellites and the ESA logo.
062
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 20/07/2026
🌒 The first Moon landing over 50 years ago proved we could get there. The next step is making it easier to return and stay there. @esa.int's Moonlight is developing the communication and navigation infrastructure to make that possible 📶 🧭 #InternationalMoonDay resilience.esa.int/moonlight
ESA "Moonlight" mission badge showing Earth partly eclipsed by a crescent moon at center, concentric orbital rings with colored satellite markers and the ESA logo above on a cratered lunar background.The Moon encircled by glowing nodes and connecting lines forming a geometric constellation, illustrating a proposed ESA lunar communications and navigation network against a starry space background.
18513
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 01/07/2026
🍁Happy Canada Day to our Cooperating State 🇨🇦 ESA recently signed a contract with Canadian satellite communications company Kepler to help advance Hydron - the 'fibre of the sky'⚡️ All for better connectivity on space thanks to optical communications www.esa.int/Applications...
1143
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 25/06/2026
What if you could impact the future of Direct-to-Device (D2D) communications?📱🚙 ESA is hiring a Mission Manager for our D2D projects 👇️ jobs.esa.int/job/Noordwij...
Visual of the Earth, with the Moon and a satellite on the right of the image.
030
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 24/06/2026
We wouldn't build cities on Earth without roads, comms and navigation. The same is true for the Moon🌒 ESA's Moonlight programme is creating the infrastructure that future lunar missions will rely on, laying the foundations for a sustainable presence beyond Earth🌍️ connectivity.esa.int/moonlight
Artist impression of an astronaut on the Moon's surface. Includes the text: ESA's Moonlight
0102
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 22/06/2026
🥵 Hot temperatures can lead to more wildfires🔥 How can satellite communications help emergency responders in these situations? www.esa.int/Applications...
GeoVille's SatAlert service, which uses data from Copernicus satellites
0121
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 16/06/2026
#OTD in 1983, ECS‑1 launched aboard Ariane 1, Europe’s first step towards its own space-based communications 📶 From analogue signals to secure networks, the mission set the tone for Europe's present in space. Today, IRIS² builds on that legacy by reinforcing Europe’s autonomy in orbit 👁️ 🔐
Ariane 1 launching from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana, on 16 June 1983, carrying ECS-1 and Amsat P3B.
2357
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 15/06/2026
Do you want to contribute to the future of mobile connectivity?📱 We are hiring a Procurement Coordinator for Direct-to-Device (D2D) projects at ESA. Interested? 🤔 👉️ jobs.esa.int/job/Noordwij...
052
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 11/06/2026
Initially planned for one year, MDA Space's JoeySat marks its third year in orbit! 🥳 Built with support from @esa.int, @ukspaceagency.bsky.social and @eutelsat.bsky.social, JoeySat delivers flexible broadband anywhere with a 'hopping' beam, from busy summer festivals to airplanes💃 ✈️
Beam-hopping JoeySatA long-exposure picture from Earth of JoeySat's orbit
1114
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 09/06/2026
How do you shape the future of satcom in space?🤔 You gather 300+ people from 30+ countries to connect, swap ideas and co-design how optical and quantum comms will work in orbit. Missed this year's ScyLight Conference? Here's the visual recap; maybe you'll join next year👀
091
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 07/06/2026
🇪🇸We've officially wrapped up #ScyLight2026 in Tenerife, Spain! We are delighted to reveal that... ✨We welcomed 316 participants throughout the event ✨91% of you were from an ESA Member State, with 24% joining us from Spain.
2100
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 04/06/2026
Home to world-class research and a unique environment for advancing optical and quantum communications 👇 #ScyLight2026
1117
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 03/06/2026
In case you missed it, check out our new Saga mission patch 👉https://www.esa.int/Applications/Connectivity_and_Secure_Communications/Wolves_and_quantum_bits_creating_the_Saga_mission_patch #ScyLight2026
030
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 02/06/2026
EAGLE-1 will feature at the #ScyLight2026 Conference in Tenerife, Spain. EAGLE-1 is set to be the first space-based Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) system to be developed under a Partnership Project between ESA and a consortium of more than 20 European companies led by SES Techcom.
1103
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 01/06/2026
030
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 01/06/2026
🎉That's a wrap! Our warm-up event, which kick-started the 9th Annual ScyLight Conference in Tenerife, highlighted both the technological progress and commercial momentum driving the future of optical and quantum communications. We'll see you again tomorrow, as we officially begin #ScyLight2026
141
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 01/06/2026
Before we move into the next panel, Optical Ground Station developers have been asked to introduce themselves. Attendees at ScyLight includes Airbus and the University of Stockholm. #ScyLight2026
010
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 01/06/2026
✨”The Business of Light: Scaling up Optical Ground Stations“ panels have begun. Safran’s Alain Thomas, Owain Pryce-Jones of Archangel Lightworks and Sergio Rodrigues of Cailabs are currently discussing estimates for Optical Ground Stations. #ScyLight2026
130
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 01/06/2026
🛰️Our HydRON (High thRoughput Optical Network) project is featuring extensively at the 'pre-event' of the 9th Annual ScyLight Conference, presented by Kasia Balakier, Optical & Quantum Communication Technology Manager at @esa.int. #ScyLight2026
140
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 01/06/2026
ℹ️More about ESA’s work with Optical Ground Stations 👉 www.esa.int/esearch?q=Op...
020
ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 01/06/2026
🛰️Before the 9th Annual ScyLight Conference officially begins in Tenerife, we're kicking off with Final Presentations on ESA's work on Quantum Information Technologies for space. #ScyLight2026 🏷️@esa.int
120