The Spanish government and Hisdesat have tentatively selected Airbus to replace Airbus-built SpainSat NG2.
SpainSat NG2 was built by Airbus.
The Spainsat NG2 Spanish government satellite, despite being HANEP-certified, suffered a critical impact from a tiny metallic particle from a solar eruption traveling about 24,000 kilometers per hour.
The Spainsat NG2 incident was not an enemy attack and forced a rapid reorganization of Spain’s national space program and accelerated development of Spainsat NG3.
The Agencia Espacial Española designed and financed the active antenna core of the SpainSat system.
The SpainSat program is described as vital for Spanish Armed Forces operations and governmental communications.
SpainSat II will not interfere with present or future space operations while in its current orbit.
The space particle that collided with SpainSat II was estimated to be millimetric in size and to weigh only a few grams.
The damage to SpainSat II will prevent the satellite from completing its mission.
SpainSat II is stable, complete, and in a highly eccentric orbit.
The loss of SpainSat II will not cause economic harm because the satellite is insured against this kind of damage.
A high-speed impact on a vital area of SpainSat II caused non-recoverable damage to the satellite.
Until SpainSat NG III enters into operation, services will be provided through SpainSat NG I from 29ºE and SpainSat from 30ºW.
The RFQ process was initiated after confirmation that SpainSat II was damaged by a collision with a small particle of indeterminate origin.
The original SpainSat was launched aboard an Ariane 5 in 2006 and is almost 20 years into its originally planned 15-year design life.
Until the SpainSat NG III is operational, satellite services are guaranteed by the capabilities of the SpainSat satellite at 30°W and the SpainSat-NG satellite at 29°E, which is already in service.
Satellite coverage remains fully guaranteed due to the available capabilities of the SpainSat satellite and the operational capabilities of the first next-generation satellite, SpainSat-NG, which is already in service.
The first SpainSat satellite was launched in January 2025.
According to the Spanish Ministry of Defence, secure communications services remain uninterrupted due to Spainsat NG-I and the legacy Spainsat satellite.
Through its NATO partnership, the SpainSat satellites will also provide service in parts of the European Union.