The SpainSat Next Generation (NG) system will deliver secure, high-capacity communications for the Spanish Armed Forces and allied nations for decades to come.
Led, owned and operated by Hisdesat Servicios Estratégicos SA, SpainSat NG is widely regarded as the most ambitious space program in Spain’s history both for its technical sophistication and the exceptional involvement of Spain’s domestic space industry.
“This launch marks the culmination of a transformative project for Spain’s space sector,” said Ismael López, CEO of Thales Alenia Space in Spain.
Operating from geostationary orbit, the twin SpainSat NG satellites use X-band, military Ka-band, and UHF frequencies to provide secure, resilient and dual-use communications for defence and government applications. Clients will include the Spanish Armed Forces, the European Commission, NATO and allied partners.
The spacecraft were developed jointly by Thales Alenia Space, a partnership between Thales (67 per cent) and Leonardo (33 per cent), and Airbus Defence and Space.
In Spain, Thales Alenia Space took the lead in developing the UHF and military Ka-band payloads and, alongside Airbus, handled the integration of the communications modules that form the technological core of the satellites.
López added, “We’re deeply grateful to Hisdesat and the Ministry of Defence for entrusting us to lead, for the first time in Spain, the development of the communications payloads for the SpainSat NG geostationary satellites. For our teams in Madrid, successfully delivering on a challenge of this scale positions the Spanish space industry at a new level of capability.”
To support the program, Thales Alenia Space constructed a state-of-the-art satellite assembly and integration clean room at its Tres Cantos facility in Madrid, opened in 2021. The purpose-built site was designed to integrate and test large, complex satellite communication modules capabilities previously available only to a handful of global space powers.
In a national first, the Madrid facility successfully integrated a communications module weighing over two tonnes and standing six metres tall, equipped with hundreds of advanced electronic units and cutting-edge space communications systems.
Thales Alenia Space also designed and produced more than 200 electronic and radiofrequency units across its facilities in Spain, France, Italy and Belgium.
These include the UHF processor, the heart of the UHF payload; the digital transparent processor, which interlinks the X and Ka-band payloads; and the Hilink unit, providing a high-speed service link to enable rapid in-orbit reconfiguration.
Together, these achievements mark a major milestone for Spain’s space industry, positioning it among Europe’s most capable contributors to secure satellite communications and reinforcing its strategic role within NATO and allied defence networks.