Third Spanish Military Satellite Ordered To Complete Secure Network
Contract Locks In 2030 Launch, Five Years After First Satellite Reached Orbit
Hisdesat has signed a contract with Airbus Defense and Space and Thales Alenia Space to build a third satellite for Spain’s military and government communications network, the companies said in a news release Friday.
The satellite, SpainSat NG III, will join SpainSat NG I and SpainSat NG II in the SPAINSAT NG Program, a public-private partnership between Hisdesat and Spain’s Ministry of Defense that provides secure communications to the Spanish armed forces, allied governments and NATO. Hisdesat operates the system under an agreement with the ministry.
The new satellite is not expected to reach orbit for another four years. Airbus and Thales Alenia Space have a 48-month development timeline, with launch targeted for the third quarter of 2030 and the satellite becoming operational in early 2031, according to the release.
Airbus Defense and Space will serve as prime contractor, a role it also held on the program’s first two satellites. Thales Alenia Space — a joint venture between Thales, which holds 67%, and Leonardo, which holds 33% — will build the UHF and military Ka-band payloads and integrate the satellite’s communications module in Spain. Airbus will build the X-band payload. More than 10 additional Spanish companies will supply other technology for the system, according to the release.
SpainSat NG III will carry the same X-band, military Ka-band and UHF-band capabilities as its predecessors, with what the release describes as upgrades to interference protection and available capacity. Its coverage will stretch from the United States and South America across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Combined with SpainSat NG I, the system’s reach extends as far as Singapore, according to the release.
NATO, allied governments and the European Union’s GOVSATCOM program currently use the secure communications services provided by the SPAINSAT NG satellites already in orbit, according to the release.
Construction of SpainSat NG III now begins, with the satellite’s launch not expected before the third quarter of 2030.