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.”
ESA’s Partnership Projects programme, which forms part of ESA’s Connectivity and Secure Communications Directorate’s ARTES programme, works to bring its Member States expertise and innovative minds to the global market, developing, de-risking and empowering its industry to build world-leading space solutions.
