HISDESAT SELECTS THE NORTH AMERICAN SPACEX FOR THE LAUNCH OF THE SPAINSAT NG SATELLITESNovember 7, 2022Hisdesat, the government satellite services company, has formalized an agreement with the North American company SpaceX to put into orbit the two SPAINSAT New Generation satellites (I and II). This is the new program developed by the Spanish company to improve secure communications and defense of the Spanish Government, allied countries and various international organizations.The agreement, which includes the use of two Falcon 9 launchers for the launch of the two satellites, comes to continuity the agreement that the two companies sealed in 2018 for the launch of the PAZ satellite.On this occasion, the launches will be made from either of the two complexes that SpaceX uses in Florida, Cape Canaveral or NASA's Kennedy Space Center.The SpainSat NG I and II will replace the current SpainSat and XTAR-EUR and will incorporate the latest technological advances in communications to reinforce their capabilities, levels of security and resilience.The first of the devices, the SpainSat NG I, will be launched into orbit in 2024, while the SpainSat NG II will be launched in 2025. They will have a useful life of about 15 years, which will be at full capacity until the threshold of 2040.[...](Google Translate from Spanish)
The Communications Module of the SpainSat NG-I satellite shipped from Madrid to ToulouseJUN 6 2023The 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.[...]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.
Hisdesat, the Spanish government satellite operator, has announced that the first satellite in the SPAINSAT NG programme, SpainSat NG-I, will be ready for launch in summer of 2024 after confirming that the programme is making good progress.
The general director of the Spanish strategic services company Hisdesat, Miguel Ángel García Primo, has just confirmed in Santander that the launch into orbit of the first Spanish communications satellite with the capacity to survive the effects of a nuclear explosion will take off “next summer, at the end of September 2024.”
SPAINSAT NG: Start of final acceptance testing of satellite and active antennas30 November 2023SpainSat NG 1 satellite is in its final testing phase with most critical components already integrated on the spacecraft and major systems having been validated in preparation for launch in 2024.[...]
The first unit is already at the Airbus factory in Toulouse, facing its final months of testing before launching in the fourth quarter. It will enter service a few months later as an advance guard and waiting for the second member. For its part, Spainsat NG 2 will be launched next year.
Now targeting Q4 (via translation).QuoteThe first unit is already at the Airbus factory in Toulouse, facing its final months of testing before launching in the fourth quarter. It will enter service a few months later as an advance guard and waiting for the second member. For its part, Spainsat NG 2 will be launched next year.https://www.elespanol.com/omicrono/defensa-y-espacio/20240330/spainsat-ng-nuevos-satelites-daran-comunicaciones-estrategicas-cifradas-ejercito-espanol/835416545_0.html
Spainsat NG I is now fully completed in Toulouse, on the verge of completing the last stage of testing prior to its launch, which is scheduled for the end of November. As for NG II, it will leave Tres Cantos in a special convoy by road in the last days of May for the French city to complete the work and carry out the final tests. It is scheduled to be launched into orbit "in June 2025", the Secretary of State for Defence said.
Airbus delivers first active antenna of the SpainSat NG-I satelliteIntegration on the secure communications satellite has started16 May 2024Acceptance testing of the active transmit antenna for Hisdesat's SpainSat NG-I satellite has been successfully completed following the final radiation pattern tests. The antenna is now being integrated onto the satellite at the Airbus facilities in Toulouse, France. Once integrated, the antenna and satellite will undergo thermal vacuum tests (TVAC) and then vibration tests. The two SPAINSAT NG satellites of Hisdesat include a highly advanced, fully flexible X-band payload, which employs active antennas with in-orbit reconfiguration capability, an integrated digital processor that will interconnect the X- and Ka-band payloads for cross-banding, and a dedicated high-speed service link that enables rapid reconfiguration. The acceptance test campaign for the active receive antenna has also started at Airbus’ Getafe site in Madrid, and the antenna will be ready for delivery at the end of the summer. The first satellite is scheduled to enter into service in 2025, providing coverage across Europe, Africa and the Americas from geostationary orbit.[...]The integration of the antennas for the second SpainSat NG-II satellite has also started, with delivery expected early in 2025.
ESA’s Pacis 3 project took another step towards the launchpad, with the Direct Radiating Array Transmit (DRA TX) antenna and associated power supply unit and antenna control electronics being recently delivered to Airbus Toulouse. These components were integrated on to the Spainsat NG1 satellite, a crucial element of the Spainsat second-generation programme for Spanish satellite operator Hisdesat.The successful integration follows the completion of the Thermal Vacuum phase in Madrid in February 2024. The DRA TX underwent its radiated radio frequency test campaign at Airbus Toulouse and was delivered for satellite integration on 20 April 2024, with the preparations for the thermal vacuum campaign now underway.Installed on the spacecraft, the DRA TX is now following the integration onto the satellite’s distributed electronics units which includes the antenna control electronics and the power supply unit developed by Airbus CRISA. The DRA TX is set to be powered on for the first time in its final flight configuration on 14 June 2024.The SpainsatNG1 satellite is being developed to provide secure communications for governmental users in Europe in Geostationary orbit. It is equipped with advanced telecommunications capabilities, including X-band and Ka-band services, which are used for secure communications in Spain. The satellite also features state-of-the-art technology, such as Direct Radiating Array (DRA) antennas, which enhance coverage, capacity, and flexibility.The DRA receive antenna (DRA RX) and Ka-band pallet antennas will be delivered to the satellite later this year, with the antennas due to be delivered for early summer with integration at the end of the month, once the thermal vacuum activities are completed, and the DRA RX is due for delivery between September and October. Once all components are delivered and integrated the satellite will be ready to enter its mechanical test phase, a pivotal step to ensure the satellite’s resilience and operational readiness, then moving onto final preparations before launch, scheduled for the end of 2024.ESA’s Pacis 3 project has been a collaborative effort between ESA and Hisdesat, supported by the Spanish Space Agency to develop and fly these innovative antenna elements on the Spainsat NG1 satellite. These antennas, developed by an Airbus-led Spanish consortium of six Spanish companies, will be demonstrated through the satellite in-orbit by 2025 featuring in-orbit reconfiguration, beam hopping and geolocation capabilities.“The Pacis 3 project has demonstrated a true partnership between ESA, Spanish industry and the Spanish Space Agency, coming together to deliver technological advancements that Spain and Europe can be proud of.” Said Oscar Del Rio Herrero, ESA’s Pacis 3 Project Manager. “It is great to see, as we move closer to the launchpad of Spainsat NG1, that all the elements our teams have worked so hard on, are coming together.”“Delivering the first active antenna for Hisdesat's Spainsat NG-I satellite is a remarkable achievement. We are honored to play a key role in this pioneering venture and we look forward the continued success of the Spainsat NG initiative.", said Jean-Philippe Delapierre, Airbus Defence and Space Project Manager for Spainsat."The integration of this state-of-the-art antenna, featuring in-orbit reconfiguration capability and a versatile X-band payload, highlights our dedication to driving innovative progress in the GEO satcom market for secure communications.", said Basilio Garrido, Hisdesat Project Manager for Spainsat.
NarrativeUSN LEOP Support for SPAINSAT-NG-1 from HawaiiSpainsat-NG-1 is a Spanish government Defense mission aims at providingsecure and reliable communications for military operations, as well assupporting humanitarian and disaster relief efforts.Airbus Defence & Space, as the satellite manufacturer, has contracted theFrench space agency (CNES) and Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) to use theirS-band ground stations network for the duration of the satellite LEOPAirbus Defence & Space will operate the satellite during the LEOP phase. Afterhandover, the satellite will then be operated by HISDESAT, Spanish satelliteservices operator (with their own ground stations).It is set to launch inDecember 2024, testing and preparation to start on or around September 15 th2014.This application for support from SSC is for a period of 30 days commencing onOctober 16th 2024. This is an extension of SES-STA-20240711-01507. TheLEOP is an electrical orbit raising which could need a new extension.The frequency coordination report will be provided as soon as it is ready.
the new schedule indicates that this will not happen until the last days of this year and could even be extended to January 2025 .
ESA’s Pacis 3 Partnership Projects programme has moved SpainSat one step closer to the launchpad following the formal delivery of the Ka-band pallet to Airbus Toulouse in September 2024.Manufactured by Airbus Defence and Space (ADS) Spain, the Ka-band antenna sub-system, which provides high-speed data transmission between the 27GHz and 40GHz frequency bands, features a set of six moveable reflectors, designed and manufactured by Spain-based engineering and technology company Sener. The reflectors are mounted on a composite deployable pallet alongside two clusters of three radio frequency (RF) feeders, which illuminate the associated reflectors.Following the RF performance validation in Toulouse, July 2024, the ADS team are continuing with the integration on the SpainSat satellite ahead of the mechanical test campaign. The Ka-band pallet will allow the generation of six steerable spot beams, operating in circular polarisation, allowing the satellite to cover one third of the Earth’s surface.The Pacis 3 project forms a critical part of the SpainSat NG1 satellite programme, which will provide secure communications for governmental users in Europe in geostationary orbit. Additionally, through its advanced telecommunications capabilities in X-band and Ka-band services, it will provide secure communications, as well as using its state-of-the-art Direct Radiating Array antennas to enhance coverage, capacity and flexibility.These innovative antenna elements are developed through Pacis 3, an ESA-Hisdesat Partnership Project being driven by an Airbus-led Spanish consortium of six companies and supported by the Spanish Space Agency. The antennas are scheduled to have in-orbit demonstrations taking place in 2025, focusing on in orbit reconfiguration, beam hopping and geolocation capabilities.“Bringing secure communications to European governments from space is pivotal to European autonomy,” said Oscar Del Rio Herrero, Pacis 3 Project Manager for ESA, “ESA is proud to be working with innovative and technologically advanced Spanish companies, to showcase the excellent capabilities Spain and Europe has, we look forward to taking another step closer to the launchpad.”
On October 15, 2024, Universal Space Network, Inc. was granted special temporary authority for 30 days, beginning on October 15, 2024 through November 13, 2024, to operate two antennas at its fixed earth station in Naalehu, HI to provide launch and early orbit phase (LEOP) support for the Spainsat-NG-1 satellite at the 2056 MHz and 2062MHz (Earth-to-space) center frequencies.
Pacis 3 antennas successfully pass environmental testing campaign on board SpainSat NG-1 satellite10 October 2024The SpainSat NG-1 spacecraft has successfully completed its thermal and mechanical environmental test campaign, marking a crucial milestone for the Pacis 3 project.Pacis 3 is an ESA Partnership Project between ESA and satellite operator Hisdesat, supported by the Spanish Space Agency. The aim of Pacis 3 is to develop and integrate reconfigurable, active antennas for secure communications at frequencies used by governmental users – representing the most challenging active antenna ever developed in Europe. A pallet of six individually steerable antennas, capable of working at the higher Ka frequency band, are also being developed.[...]Following these preparations, the SpainSat NG-1 spacecraft underwent a comprehensive thermal and mechanical environmental test campaign at Airbus Defence and Space in Toulouse. The System level testing was conducted by Airbus Defence and Space Toulouse and in collaboration with Hisdesat, ESA, Airbus Defence and Space Madrid, and Arquimea.Being part of the Eurostar Neo platform family, SpainSat NG-1 undertook a generic thermal vacuum test sequence. This sequence was amended to incorporate test phases focused on assessing the thermal performance of the Pacis 3 TX active antenna and its advanced heat transport system, with the primary objective of validating the thermal link to the spacecraft radiators.The complete thermal design system performed well within the specified environments and demonstrated its robustness, confirming the previous elementary tests.The tests confirmed breadboard and acceptance levels in heat transport capability and thermal conductance across the entire chain. Additionally, the tests confirmed the thermal gradient management between the Loop Heat Pipes (LHPs) and the Distributed Solid State Power Amplifiers as well as the LHP start-up, parallel operation and shutdown behaviour, and heat sharing capability.Following the successful thermal vacuum test, SpainSat NG-1 proceeded to mechanical testing. As the satellite, including Pacis 3 elements, is scheduled for launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the mechanical tests were adapted to meet the specific requirements of the launcher profile.The mechanical test campaign included sine vibration testing, acoustic testing, and shock testing for appendage release including the release of the Pacis 3 Ka-band pallet deployment.Each of these tests was successfully completed, verifying the structural integrity of the spacecraft, the Pacis 3 TX active antenna and the Ka Pallet under the dynamic loads to be seen during launch.
SpainSat-NG I receives its active antenna! ✅ Designed and built by Airbus in Spain, the X-band active antenna was delivered to our facilities in France for its integration on Hisdesat‘s SpainSat-NG I communications satellite. The antenna system, including the receiving antenna and the newly delivered X- band active transmitting antenna, provides the equivalent functionality of 16 traditional antennas. It will ensure reliable communications between the satellite and ground stations via X-band used for governmental and military communications.