Spain’s government-owned satellite operator, Hisdesat, has signed an industrial agreement with Airbus Defence and Space and Thales Alenia Space to develop SpainSat NG III, the latest addition to the country’s next-generation secure military communications constellation.
The satellite is scheduled for launch in the third quarter of 2030 and is expected to enter operational service in early 2031.
The new spacecraft will complete Spain’s SpainSat NG architecture alongside SpainSat NG I, replacing lost capacity while significantly enhancing secure communications for Spain’s armed forces, government agencies, NATO and allied nations.
The program is regarded as Europe’s most advanced sovereign military satellite communications capability, providing highly resilient, encrypted command-and-control links across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and much of the Atlantic.
The satellite will feature advanced payloads operating across X-band, military Ka-band and ultra high frequencies, offering greater operational flexibility, increased bandwidth and enhanced protection against electronic warfare and signal interference.
Its electronically steerable antennas will be capable of rapidly reconfiguring coverage while detecting and mitigating attempts to jam or disrupt communications, capabilities that have become increasingly important as military operations grow more dependent on contested space-based networks.
The announcement comes just months after SpainSat NG II was rendered inoperable following damage sustained during its journey to geostationary orbit, prompting Hisdesat to fast-track plans for a replacement spacecraft. Rather than simply restoring lost capability, SpainSat NG III is expected to incorporate the latest technological advances developed through the broader SpainSat NG program.
Beyond replacing a single satellite, the project reflects a broader European effort to strengthen sovereign space capabilities as strategic competition increasingly extends into orbit.
Secure satellite communications have become indispensable for military command and control, intelligence sharing, joint operations and disaster response while providing governments with assured communications that remain available during conflict or cyber disruption.
The program also represents a significant investment in Europe’s defence industrial base. Airbus will act as prime contractor, with Thales Alenia Space responsible for key communications payloads and more than a dozen Spanish companies contributing critical technologies, helping to preserve sovereign expertise in secure satellite communications while supporting long-term industrial resilience.
As NATO members continue to invest in resilient space capabilities, SpainSat NG III underscores the growing recognition that space has become an operational domain in its own right.
For Spain, the satellite will ensure continuity of secure communications for national and allied forces well into the next decade. For Europe, it represents another step towards greater strategic autonomy in one of the most contested and strategically important domains of modern warfare.
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