Spanish satellite firm Hisdesat has tapped Airbus and Thales Alenia Space for a new government communications satellite after its predecessor was taken out by space debris during launch.. Hisdesat, a part of Indra Group, has signed a formal industrial contract with Airbus and Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales and Leonardo, to build the SpainSat NG III military communications satellite for the Spanish Armed Forces and its NATO allies under the GOVSATCOM initiative.. – Hisdesat.
The satellite will follow the 6,100kg (13,450lb) Airbus-built SpainSat NG II, which was reported “non-recoverable” during the latter phases of its launch, when it was struck by a “space particle” impact at 50,000km during orbit-raising.. “In today’s complex geopolitical landscape, SpainSat NG-III reinforces Spanish and European strategic autonomy by securing mission-critical communications for Spain, NATO, and our allied forces,” said Alain Fauré, head of space systems at Airbus Defence and Space, in a statement..
As the prime contractor, Airbus will design, integrate, and test the satellite at its facilities, with Airbus’ locations in Spain responsible for developing its X-band payload. Thales Alenia Space’s Tes Cantos factory, also in Spain, shall be tasked with the ultra-high frequency (UHF) and military Ka-band payloads..
Under the terms of the 48-month development timeline, the satellite will be launched in the third quarter of 2030 and will become operational in early 2031, functioning alongside SpainSat NG I.. €2 billion ($2.34bn) of Spanish government money has gone into the construction, launch, and operation of the SpainSat NG program, which is expected to possess an operational lifespan of 15 years. It is not known how much of that investment went into the total loss of the NG II, or if any has been recovered through insurance..
The new third satellite will be the most advanced of them all, with expanded bandwidth, increased jamming and electronic warfare protection, and X-band antennas capable of reconfiguring coverage up to 1,000 times per second – supposedly enabling rapid detection of electronic warfare and spoofing attempts.. In October of 2025, Airbus, Leonardo, and Thales signed a memorandum of understanding to together create a European space company capable of competing globally, which was expected to become operational during 2027, subject to regulatory approvals.
A joint statement issued at the time of the MoU by Guillaume Faury, CEO of Toulouse-based Airbus; Roberto Cingolani, CEO and general manager of Rome-based Leonardo; and Patrice Caine, chairman and CEO of Paris-based Thales said: “By pooling our talent, resources, expertise, and R&D capabilities, we aim to generate growth, accelerate innovation, and deliver greater value to our customers and stakeholders.. “This partnership aligns with the ambitions of European governments to strengthen their industrial and technological assets, ensuring Europe’s autonomy across the strategic space domain and its many applications.”. More in Space.
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