Spain’s Ministry of Defence has confirmed the successful launch of SpainSat NG-II, the second next-generation secure communications satellite built by Airbus. The launch took place from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the completion of the SpainSat NG programme — regarded as the most ambitious space initiative in Spain’s history and one of Europe’s most advanced government communications systems.
The programme, led by Hisdesat on behalf of the Spanish Ministry of Defence, will provide secure communications for the Spanish Armed Forces, NATO, the European Commission under the GOVSATCOM framework, and other allied nations. Both satellites, SpainSat NG-I (launched in January 2025) and NG-II, are operated by Hisdesat and are expected to enter joint service in spring 2026.
Following its assembly and testing at Airbus facilities in Toulouse, the NG-II satellite was shipped to Florida in September and launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket.
Raquel González Sola, Head of Space Systems at Airbus in Spain, said:
“Secure satellite communications play an increasingly important role in operating effectively in multiple fields, including military operations and humanitarian relief and rescue missions. With SpainSat NG, Spain will be at the forefront of Europe and among one of the few countries in the world with access to the most secure communications networks, providing our country and its allies with sovereignty and strategic autonomy.”
Built on the Airbus Eurostar Neo platform, the 7-metre, 6-ton SpainSat NG-II carries an advanced payload featuring an active X-band receive and transmit antenna system. The system offers the equivalent of 16 traditional antennas, allows coverage adjustments up to 1,000 times per second, and can geolocate and counter jamming attempts with high precision. The payload is also shielded against nuclear electromagnetic pulses.
Around half of the satellite’s components were designed and produced by the Spanish space industry, led by Airbus. Key innovations, including the active antenna technology, were developed under the ESA-Hisdesat Pacis 3 partnership within the ESA ARTES programme, with support from the Spanish Space Agency.