Luxembourg's Delano infosite and reporter Jess Bauldry reports that the government last week greenlighted a bill to acquire, launch and operate a satellite and ground segment to help meet the country's defense needs and obligations.

The acquisition of a very high resolution Earth Observation (EO) satellite will enable Luxembourg to participate in a “tangible way” in the international initiatives and defense planning operations of NATO, a government statement said after last week’s cabinet meeting. The project is part of Luxembourg’s 2025 defense guidelines, providing observation, communication and data transmission and analysis capabilities, which are expected to increase the security of deployed military personnel. The program is expected to be launched in 2021.