Bulgaria Sat announces strategic shift towards defense and security

Bulgaria is making a strategic shift in the space sector. Bulgaria Sat, the operator of Bulgaria's first geostationary communications satellite BulgariaSat-1, has announced a new phase in its development. The operator is expanding its activities beyond traditional telecommunications services and positioning the satellite as a strategic communications capacity in the context of growing demands for security, sustainability, and communications sovereignty in Europe.

With the shift announced on Friday, the company is moving towards secure satellite communications, integrated defense and security solutions, and the development of ground technologies with potential for serial production in the country.

According to the company's CEO and founder Maxim Zayakov, the strategic transformation positions Bulgaria among the six EU countries – along with France, Spain, Luxembourg, Italy, and Greece – with space infrastructure capacity.

We have accumulated unique expertise and today we operate space equipment entirely from Bulgaria with Bulgarian engineers. This, together with the geostationary satellite itself, represents a national asset," said Maxim Zayakov.

Bulgaria Sat's new strategy includes several key areas: guaranteed satellite capacity for state structures, solutions for critical infrastructure in energy and transport, integration of ground infrastructure with operational management, and development of a new generation of secure ground terminals for future production in Bulgaria.

European frameworks and public-private partnerships

The development of Bulgaria Sat is in line with the European Union's GovSatCom initiative, which is building a coordinated system of secure satellite communications for the needs of state institutions, defense, and crisis management. The European model is based on public-private partnerships – the state sets the requirements, operators provide the technological implementation, and the provision of satellite capacity generates sustainable revenue for the national budget.

Secure communications are part of the resilience of the state and the economy. Bulgaria has a real advantage – its own geostationary capacity, which can be used effectively in a European context," Zayakov commented.

Strategic geographic coverage

BulgariaSat-1, launched in 2017, provides coverage of the Balkans, the Black Sea region, Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa – regions of key importance for defense, border control, energy, and crisis management. The geostationary orbit provides stable and predictable capacity, traditionally used for government and defense communications.

Bulgaria's membership in the EU and NATO, its geographical location in Southeast Europe and the Black Sea region, combined with the availability of its own geostationary satellite, make it "a real net provider of secure satellite communications and part of the pan-European effort," according to Zayakov.

Economic multiplier for the technology sector

In addition to the strategic dimension, Bulgaria Sat's management emphasizes the economic potential of the sector.

The space sector has a strong multiplier effect – every investment in satellite infrastructure generates demand for software, electronics, ground systems, and highly skilled specialists. If we use this strategic potential as an economy, the effect could be avalanche-like for the technology ecosystem," said Zayakov.

The development of secure satellite communications and related ground technologies has the potential to generate high-tech employment and integrate a number of Bulgarian software and engineering companies into the European security chain.

Translated with DeepL.