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.
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.
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.
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.