4iG and Northrop Grumman sign multimillion dollar agreement for first Hungarian communications satellite
During the visit of J. D. Vance, Vice President of the United States, and his delegation to Budapest, several major space and defence industry agreements involving 4iG Space and Defence Technologies (4iG S&D) are signed, enhancing economic, security and technological cooperation between Hungary and the United States.
As part of these agreements, 4iG S&D and Northrop Grumman entered into the following:
Under the HUSAT programme, Northrop Grumman begins working on Hungary’s first geostationary communications satellite (HUGEO), based on the flight-proven GEOStar-3 platform. Scheduled for delivery in 2030, the project represents the largest international collaboration within the HUSAT programme.
In addition, the companies are expanding the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed last December, extending the intention to cooperate beyond space industry projects to include joint programmes in counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS), advanced weapons and precision guidance systems.
The HUSAT programme, the flagship satellite programme of 4iG S&D, is designed to ensure Hungary’s technological sovereignty in communications and Earth observation. Within the programme, a geostationary communications satellite (HUGEO) and eight low Earth orbit (LEO) Earth observation satellites (HULEO) are planned to be deployed in 2030. The geostationary satellite will be manufactured by Northrop Grumman, while the eight Earth observation satellites will be produced by 4iG S&D, leveraging its own development and manufacturing capabilities at its technology centre located in Hungary, scheduled to be completed in the third quarter of 2026. The supplier structure has already been established: the ground antenna system will be provided by Vertex (Germany), imaging systems by TelePIX (South Korea), and SAR radar technology by MetaSensing (Italy).
As the manufacturer of the geostationary satellite component of the HUSAT programme, Northrop Grumman will deliver a solution built on the GEOStar-3 platform, proven in national security and dual-use environments and representing state-of-the-art technology.
The agreement covers the entire geosynchronous satellite programme including design, manufacture, assembly, integration, testing, and on-ground delivery of the HUGEO satellite; transportation to a U.S. launch site, launch integration and early operations support services, and in-orbit testing. The satellite is scheduled for delivery in 2030. The HUGEO mission is designed to provide Hungary with critical dual-use communications capabilities.
