España y Estados Unidos, un gran espacio de colaboración

Spain and the United States tienen una larga y exitosa historia de colaboración de más de 60 años en el sector Espacial. Esta relación de negocios y acuerdos institucionales tiene un presente muy sólido y un futuro muy prometedor, a pesar de que haya riesgos en el horizonte.

Formal cooperation between Spain and the United States in the Space domain can be traced back to 1964, with the signing of an agreement between NASA and the Spanish Government for the construction of the Robledo de Chavela station, part of NASA JPL’s Deep Space Network. This facility has played a critical role in numerous missions to the Moon, Mars, and Jupiter. The station remains fully operational and will undoubtedly contribute to the upcoming Artemis II mission.

In June 2024, NASA and the Spanish Space Agency renewed this scientific cooperation agreement for an additional 15 years, extending it through 2039—yet another symbol of a partnership that began over six decades ago. This milestone invites reflection.

Another key agreement that consolidates this relationship is the industrial return programme associated with HISPASAT. Since the 1990s, HISPASAT has procured telecommunications satellites from various manufacturers, both European and American. In return, these manufacturers committed to sourcing components from Spanish companies in subsequent years, with volumes equivalent to those of the initial procurement.

This industrial return scheme has significantly boosted technological development, strengthened Spain’s space sector, and enabled Spanish companies such as Airbus Spain, Arquimea, GMV, INDRA, SENER, and Thales Alenia Space Spain to penetrate the US market.

The Space sector has undergone profound transformation over the past decade. Previously dominated by institutional missions led by space agencies and large telecommunications operators,

Today’s commercial market is driven by new players such as SpaceX, Starlink, Planet, OneWeb, Amazon, Blue Origin, Firefly, and Intuitive Machines. This shift is accompanied by a new wave of growth driven by security and defence. The United States remains the world’s largest space market and has been at the forefront of this paradigm shift.

Several Spanish companies have successfully established strong commercial partnerships with leading US firms. Examples include Airbus Crisa, AVS, Integrasys, Satlantis, and SolarMems.

At DHV Technology, we supply solar panels to flagship missions such as Haven-1, one of the first private space stations developed by California-based VAST Space, scheduled for launch in 2027.

The geopolitical landscape has evolved and is now less predictable than in previous years. Europe faces the challenge of achieving autonomy in defence, security, and intelligence, prompting the development of national and European programmes in these areas.

EUSPA (European Union Agency for the Space Programme) is initiating programmes such as GOVSATCOM for secure governmental communications and IRIS² (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite). These initiatives are expected to drive the industrialisation of the European Space sector, although there is a risk of market penetration by Chinese companies engaging in dumping practices, as seen in other industrial sectors in the past.

From our perspective, Spanish entrepreneurs, executives, scientists, and technologists in the Space sector face a historic opportunity: to consolidate decades of transatlantic collaboration between companies on both sides of the Atlantic.

A long-term vision is essential—building strong commercial relationships based on our strengths. We also benefit from a unique advantage: there are more native Spanish speakers in the United States than in Spain itself.

Our culture is well understood, as is the reliability and excellence of Spanish products and services, supported by a long track record of successful collaboration. We are confident that the coming decade will bring significant success to the Spanish Space sector, driven in part by strategic commercial alliances with US companies.

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