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Airbus launches Spanish SATCOM satellite into geostationary orbit

Airbus Defence & Space has launched the first of two SpainSat satellites, SpainSat NG-I, on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, in the US. Operated by Hisdesat for the Spanish Armed Forces, the Satellite Communications (SATCOM) satellite operates in the UHF, Ka and X bands and will enter service in the second half of 2025, following initial testing and commissioning.

“The launch of SpainSat NG-I with cutting-edge secure communications technology enabled by our industry-leading Eurostar Neo platform is a major step for Spanish and European sovereignty,” said Alain Fauré, Head of Space Systems at Airbus Defence and Space. “Its innovative payload, which represents more than 45% of the satellite, has been developed thanks to a joint effort of the Spanish space industry, led by Airbus.”

Airbus Defence and Space designed, integrated and tested the satellite at the Airbus facilities in Toulouse. Airbus in Spain also developed the innovative X-band transmit and receive active antenna system, providing functionality equivalent to 16 traditional antennas, the company says. These active antennas provide the satellite with exceptional flexibility and resilience, it adds. Their software enables them to adapt and change the coverage up to 1,000 times per second and can detect, geolocate and mitigate multiple and simultaneous interference with high precision. The satellite is also radiation hardened to protect against a potential nuclear blast.

SpainSat NG satellites will deliver a tenfold increase in communications capacity over the previous generation, says Airbus Defence & Space, allowing the transmission of more data more quickly with coverage over two thirds of the Earth’s surface. The second satellite in the series, SpainSat NG-II, is currently under construction and testing at Airbus Defence and Space and will be completed at the end of 2025, the company says.

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