Airbus awarded contract for SpainSat NG-III satellite

Airbus Defence and Space has been awarded a contract by Hisdesat to act as prime contractor for the development and construction of the secure communications satellite, SpainSat NG-III. 

Building on the design and implementation of its predecessors, the satellite introduces technological enhancements, delivering greater operational agility, expanded bandwidth, and superior protection against jamming and electronic threats, Airbus said.

“In today’s complex geopolitical landscape, SpainSat NG-III reinforces Spanish and European strategic autonomy by securing mission-critical communications for Spain, NATO, and our allied forces,” said Alain Fauré, Head of Space Systems at Airbus Defence and Space. 

The SpainSat NG programme is an advanced secure satellite communications constellation, delivering high-capacity, encrypted command-and-control connectivity for defence and government missions.

As prime contractor, Airbus will design, integrate, and test the satellite at its facilities relying on deep heritage from the SpainSat NG family, Airbus said. The programme continues to mobilize both the European and Spanish space sectors.

Developed by Airbus in Spain, the satellite integrates advanced X-band receive and transmit active antennas. These provide the capability of 16 traditional antennas, able to rapidly reconfigure their coverage up to 1,000 times per second while detecting and mitigating electronic interference with high precision. Thales Alenia Space in Spain leads the UHF and military Ka-band payloads.

SpainSat NG-III incorporates hardened resiliency features to survive high-altitude nuclear events and electromagnetic pulses. Its operational coverage spans from North and South America across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Combined with SpainSat NG-I, launched in 2025, the range covers two-thirds of the Earth.