Spain funds $550M SpainSat NG-III to replace satellite lost to debris

Spain's Council of Ministers approved a €492.2 million (~$550M) loan to Hisdesat for the SpainSat NG-III military communications satellite, replacing NG-II, which was destroyed in January 2026 by an untrackable debris strike at about 50,000 km. Airbus and Thales Alenia Space will build it on the Eurostar Neo bus, targeting a launch in Q3 2030.

• The €492.2M loan covers Hisdesat commitments from 2026 through 2030
• NG-II was lost to an untracked fragment at roughly 50,000 km altitude
• NG-III launch is targeted for Q3 2030, with operations in early 2031
• Its X-band active antenna can reconfigure coverage up to 1,000 times per second