EGATEL leads a consortium of 11 organizations to promote the growth of the Space Industry in Spain

Technology companies join forces to promote the development of the space industry in Spain

A group of large telecommunications companies, startups and innovation centers have presented the ANSGAL project, a proposal whose objective is the development of an innovative satellite communications ecosystem

The initiative aims to create an industrial pole, with a focus on Galicia, to attract talent, companies and investments and to serve strategic sectors

The proposal is part of the Program to Promote Industrial Competitiveness and Sustainability tractor projects and has been sent to the Ministry of Industry

Ourense, May 05, 2021

A consortium of 11 entities from the technology sector and the academic field led by Egatel -company of the COMSA Corporación group- has presented an expression of interest to the Ministry of Industry to promote the ANSGAL Project (A New Space for Galicia), which has as its final objective the development of the space industry in Spain, focused on Galicia.

The proposal is part of the Program to Promote Industrial Competitiveness and Sustainability Tractor Projects, which is part of the Government’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan for the distribution of European funds. ANSGAL contemplates the provision of comprehensive high-tech, value-added communication services to public and private clients from different sectors at the national and international level through multi-orbit satellites.

The ANSGAL project includes the need to create an industrial center that covers all activities and, from its first phase, is in a position to provide services in certain strategic sectors such as maritime, agri-food, telecommunications and security. This industrial pole will attract talent, companies and investment in the short and medium term throughout the national territory.

In the first phase, it is proposed to develop the following tractor projects:

• the Sayari Constellation, which will involve the deployment of a network of small satellites (constellation) defined by software;

• the design, development and manufacture of terrestrial communications terminals with satellites (LEO, MEO and GEO) that include satellite flat antennas with capacity for self-pointing and fully electronic and automatic monitoring;

• the design and manufacture of a space vehicle that allows the deployment of small satellites in their corresponding orbits with maximum reliability and efficiency;

• the design, development and commissioning of an integrated 5G satellite-terrestrial communications network that enables research, development and experimentation of new solutions and use cases;

• the promotion of quantum communication technologies in space;

• the digitization of the maritime sector (shipyards, extractive fishing and aquaculture, recreational boating, renewable marine energies, the port sector and maritime traffic), through the development of products and services based on a hybrid satellite-terrestrial platform VDES / 5G with global reach;

• the digitization of the agri-food sector (livestock, agricultural, etc.) through the provision of IoT services on a GEO satellite and the development of Artificial Intelligence tools that exploit the data generated to increase productivity and optimize natural resources;

• the digitization of the critical communications systems of the State security forces and bodies: offering advanced, secure and robust communications systems.

The importance of this project proposal does not only lie in economic development (it is estimated that it will generate 7,000 jobs between direct, indirect and induced employment with carry-over effect in the three years following the start of the program) and its contribution to the transformation of the economy. productive model by promoting a high-tech industry that will employ highly qualified professionals, but also by improving the connectivity of society, especially in those areas where the digital divide limits social development.

The companies and organizations proposing the ANSGAL project have the capacity to cover basic research activities, development of high technology products and the provision of high value-added services to the end customer. The members of the consortium that have presented this proposal are: Egatel, Hispasat, Cellnex, Alén Space, UARX Space, Manufactura de Ingenios Tecnológicos, Imatia Innovation, Fundación Centro Tecnolóxico de Telecomunicacións de Galicia (Gradiant), Universidad de Vigo, GII / UDC and Technological Center of the Sea (CETMAR)