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Satellite launching

SpainSat NG-II Successfully Launched, Completing Ambitious Space Project

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

The second Airbus-built new generation secure communications satellite for Spain, SpainSat NG-II, has been successfully launched from the Kennedy Space Center in the US, marking the completion of the SpainSat NG programme, the most advanced government communications system in Europe. Led by the Spanish operator Hisdesat, the programme has been promoted for the Ministry of Defence and is expected to serve the Spanish Armed Forces, international organisations, and other allied governments by spring 2026. The new satellite, operated by Hisdesat, will ensure Europe's most advanced secure communications, complementing its twin satellite launched in January.

Key Takeaways:

  • The SpainSat NG programme is the most ambitious space project in Spain's history, with the aim of providing advanced secure communications for the Spanish Armed Forces and international organisations.
  • The programme has been led and promoted by the Spanish operator Hisdesat for the Ministry of Defence and is expected to serve multiple entities by spring 2026.
  • The second SpainSat NG satellite, SpainSat NG-II, carries an innovative payload, including an X-band active receive and transmit antenna system, providing equivalent functionality to 16 traditional antennas.
  • The active antennas system can eliminate and geolocate jamming attempts with high accuracy and is hardened to protect against potential nuclear electromagnetic pulses in orbit.
  • The satellite payload, representing around half of the entire satellite, was designed and manufactured by the Spanish space industry, led by Airbus.
  • Key innovative technologies, such as active antennas, were developed as part of the Pacis 3 ESA-Hisdesat Partnership through the ESA ARTES programme and supported by the Spanish Space Agency.

Statistics:

  • The SpainSat NG-II spacecraft measures approximately 7 meters in length and weighs around 6 tons.
  • The satellite carries a payload that represents around half of the entire satellite's mass.
  • The active antennas system in the satellite can adapt and change its coverage up to 1,000 times per second.
  • The satellite is expected to serve the Spanish Armed Forces, international organisations, and other allied governments by spring 2026.

Sources:

  • Airbus
  • Hisdesat
  • European Space Agency (ESA)
  • Spanish Space Agency
  • pivotalsources.com

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