SpainSat NG-III will build on the architecture developed for the earlier satellites in the programme. Airbus said the new spacecraft would provide greater operational flexibility, increased bandwidth and stronger protection against jamming and electronic threats.
The SpainSat NG programme is designed to deliver encrypted, high-capacity command-and-control connectivity for government and defence missions. Airbus describes it as Europe’s most advanced secure satellite communications constellation.
“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 satellite will extend a communications network intended to support military operations across several regions.
Airbus will design, integrate and test SpainSat NG-III at its facilities, drawing on experience from the wider SpainSat NG family. The programme will also involve companies across the Spanish and European space sectors.
The spacecraft will carry advanced X-band receive and transmit active antennas developed by Airbus in Spain. Airbus said the systems would provide the capability of 16 conventional antennas within a reconfigurable architecture.
The antennas will be able to change their coverage up to 1,000 times per second. They are also designed to detect and mitigate electronic interference with high precision.
Thales Alenia Space in Spain will lead development of the UHF and military Ka-band payloads. These systems will operate alongside the X-band antennas within the satellite’s secure communications package.
SpainSat NG-III will incorporate hardened resilience features designed to withstand high-altitude nuclear events and electromagnetic pulses. Airbus said the satellite would meet demanding NATO standards for signal intelligence, anti-jamming and anti-spoofing.
The satellite’s planned coverage will extend from North and South America across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Combined with SpainSat NG-I, which was launched in 2025, the system will cover two-thirds of the Earth.
