The integration in Spain of the SPAINSAT NG satellite communication payloads at Thales Alenia Space’s clean rooms in Tres Cantos is a major step forward for Spanish space industry
Madrid, June 5, 2023 – The Communications Module of the SpainSat NG-I telecommunications satellite has left the plant of Thales Alenia Space (joint venture between Thales, 67%, and Leonardo, 33%) in Tres Cantos (Spain) inside a container on a special transport truck towards the plant of Airbus Defence and Space in Toulouse (France), to proceed with the assembly, integration and test (AIT) activities of the whole satellite.
© Thales Alenia Space
The SPAINSAT NG programme, owned and operated by Hisdesat Servicios Estratégicos S.A., will provide continuity of the secure communications services to the Spanish Ministry of Defence and Governmental Agencies using Hisdesat’s current fleet, with enhanced capacities. It comprises two satellites, SpainSat NG I and II, which will be located at different geostationary positions to operate in X, military Ka and UHF bands. The communication payloads of both satellites are provided by Spanish industry, including the integration of the Communications Module in Spain, a major step forward for Spanish industry.
Airbus Defence and Space in Spain is responsible for the already integrated X-band payload, while Thales Alenia Space in Spain is responsible for the UHF and Ka-band payloads of the two satellites. Other companies from the Spanish space industry are also involved.
© Thales Alenia Space
The Communications Module of SpainSat NG-I arrived in Tres Cantos in December 2021, and since then it has undergone comprehensive assembly, integration and test activities of the three communication payloads in X, military Ka and UHF bands, involving hundreds of electronics and radiofrequency units.
SpainSat NG-I will now proceed with the AIT activities at satellite level in Toulouse, preparing for launch in 2024. In the meantime, the Communications Module of its “twin” satellite, SpainSat NG-II, will continue with the payloads’ assembly, integration and test activities in Thales Alenia Space’s clean rooms in Tres Cantos.
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Drawing on over 40 years of experience and a unique combination of skills, expertise and cultures, Thales Alenia Space delivers cost-effective solutions for telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation, environmental management, exploration, science and orbital infrastructures. Governments and private industry alike count on Thales Alenia Space to design satellite-based systems that provide anytime, anywhere connections and positioning, monitor our planet, enhance management of its resources, and explore our Solar System and beyond. Thales Alenia Space sees space as a new horizon, helping to build a better, more sustainable life on Earth. A joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), Thales Alenia Space also teams up with Telespazio to form the parent companies’ Space Alliance, which offers a complete range of services. Thales Alenia Space posted consolidated revenues of approximately 2.2 billion euros in 2022 and has around 8,500 employees in 17 sites in 10 countries across Europe and a plant in the USA.
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