Open Cosmos selected for £8bn UK defense communications framework

The UK Government Commercial Agency (GCA) has selected Oxfordshire-based satellite developer Open Cosmos as a certified supplier for the TacSys (Tactical Communication System) framework. The procurement vehicle is valued at up to £8 billion and is scheduled to run until June 2034.

Through this framework, Open Cosmos will provide satellite connectivity via its ConnectedCosmos low Earth orbit (LEO) constellation. The system is designed to support the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) in establishing a sovereign communications architecture, reducing reliance on transcontinental mega-constellations and potentially compromised subsea cables.

Technical features of the ConnectedCosmos network include gatewayless optical routing via Optical Inter-Satellite Links (OISLs), which allows data to be routed directly between satellites without touching ground stations. The architecture also integrates direct-to-device radio frequency interfaces and onboard edge processing to fuse IoT telemetry and imagery for tactical use.