The communications module (CM) of Hisdesat’s SpainSat NG II secure telecommunications satellite is entering the final stretch of the construction process.
After 12 months of work in the clean room of Thales Alenia Space España, the company in charge of integrating the military Ka-band and UHF communications payloads, the CM of SpainSat NG II is ready to leave in the next days for the Airbus facilities (Toulouse) and continue there with the assembly, integration and testing (AIT) activities for the entire satellite.
The SPAINSAT NG program, owned and operated by Hisdesat, comprises two satellites — SpainSat NG I and II — which will be located in different geostationary positions to operate in X-, military Ka- and UHF bands. The capabilities and technologies incorporated in SpainSat NG place it among the most advanced in the world, including the following:
- Its active X-band antennas, in reception and transmission, pioneers in the European aerospace sector, and which will provide 16 communications beams each, with electronic configuration and orientation, developed by Airbus Defense & Space System in Spain.
- They have a transparent digital processor which, together with the antennas, allows the payload to be defined by software in almost real time, so that it really is a software-defined satellite.
- In addition, they will be equipped with the latest systems for protection against interference and cyber-attacks (anti-jamming), and will be reinforced against nuclear phenomena at high altitude.
In the development and execution of this project, it is worth highlighting the participation of Spanish industry, which has reached 45% of the workload. The Spanish divisions of Airbus Defence & Space and Thales Alenia Space have led the execution and construction process of the satellites.
The SPAINSAT NG program is the result of public-private collaboration between the Ministry of Defence and Hisdesat.The project is also financed by the Ministry of Industry and Tourism and the collaboration of the ESA (European Space Agency) financed by the Spanish Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) of the Ministry of Science and Innovation within the framework of the Pacis3 program.
“This is the first time that all the payloads of a telecommunications satellite have been integrated in Spain,’ said Basilio Garrido, Hisdesat’s director of operations and programs. “These are cutting-edge technologies that make these communications satellites the most advanced in Europe. These satellites will serve the Spanish Government and Armed Forces from 2025, as well as friendly governments and international organisations such as NATO. SpainSat NG I is scheduled to be launched at the end of this year, while its twin will be launched into orbit in the third quarter of 2025, in both cases with Space X.”
Hisdesat was founded in 2001 as a government satellite services operator to operate in the areas of defence, security, intelligence and foreign services. Since 2005, the company has been providing secure satellite communications services to government agencies in various countries. It has been providing radar-based Earth observation services via the PAZ satellite since 2018. It also markets real-time global maritime traffic information services using a constellation of satellites (SAT-AIS EV RT).
