Pacis 3 now in orbit aboard Hisdesat’s SpainSat NG I

The European secure satellite communications sector marked a strategic milestone as SpainSat Next Generation I (SNG I), with ESA’s Pacis 3 antennas onboard, successfully deployed via SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral. The launch took place on 29 January 2025 at 20:34 EST local time (30 January 2025, at 02:34 CET).

Pacis 3 is an ARTES industry-initiated Partnership Project led by ESA and in partnership with prime contractors Hisdesat and Airbus Defence and Space, alongside a Spanish consortium that includes Thales Alenia Space, Sener, Airbus Crisa, Tecnobit, Indra, Arquimea and GMV. The antennas, developed through ESA’s Partnership Project, as well as being a key element of SpainSat Next Generation I satellite, will also fly on SpainSat NG II showcasing the innovative technologies and implementation of a dual-use programme with a private satellite operator. SpainSat Next Generation II is scheduled for launch in second half of 2025.

The project has successfully completed the development and qualification phases and is moving toward validation of antenna technologies in-orbit. The project will demonstrate in the second half of 2025 new pooling and sharing concepts for satellite communications by providing a new approach to more cost-effective, adaptable and secure communication services for European governmental users.

Pacis 3 has showcased how Spanish industry is pushing the frontiers of European and global technological capabilities in the field of active antennas, a product line which has evolved over several years and with Spainsat-NG has reached its peak technological maturity. The payload includes X-band transmit and receive Direct Radiating Antennas, as well as Ka-band antennas. The X-band antenna system provides advanced features such as the ability to geolocate and mitigate interferences, as well as the capability to switch between coverages more than a thousand times per second and best-in-class power efficiency with the use of GaN amplification technology.

Based on a Eurostar Neo platform by Airbus Defence and Space, that was developed through the ESA Neosat programme, the SpainSat NG I satellite has been designed, integrated and tested at Airbus in Toulouse. Following the successful launch, SpainSat NG I is expected to enter service in the second half of 2025, with an operational lifespan of 15 years, which will bring it to end 2040.

“The Pacis 3 active antenna system provides coverage across key government and defence markets including Europe, the Americas, Africa, Middle East, and Southeast Asia,” said Laurent Jaffart, ESA’s Director of Connectivity and Secure Communications. “This expanded footprint enables Spanish government entities, allies and partner nations to forge new partnership opportunities within the EU's GOVSATCOM framework.”

“Spainsat NG is the most important and ambitious space program carried on by Spain, developed through a Public Private Partnership between the Spanish Ministry of Defense and Hisdesat, with the collaboration of the Spanish Ministries of Industry and Tourisim, and Science, Innovation and Universities. The successful launch of the European most advanced and protected software define satellite, including state of the art X-Band active antennas, now is on its way to provide a very high secure and resilient satellite communications to the Spanish Armed Forces and to our allies in Europe and NATO,” said Miguel Ángel García Primo, Hisdesat CEO.

“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. 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,” said Alain Fauré, Head of Space Systems at Airbus Defence and Space.