posted 03-30-2023 11:55 AM               

Government approves establishment of Spanish Space Agency

Spain's Council of Ministers approved on Tuesday (March 28) a Royal Decree establishing the Spanish Space Agency, a public body attached to the Ministries of Science and Innovation and Defense.

The Minister for Science and Innovation, Diana Morant, stated that the Spanish Space Agency is a national project and a firm commitment by the Government of Spain to a key sector that generates opportunities and quality employment.

Morant indicated that the agency will have an initial budget of more than 700 million euros this year and will employ 75 people with highly-qualified profiles and recognized professional careers.

The agency, based in Seville, will serve to guarantee Spain's strategic action in the field of space, both from the point of view of its technological development and the use of space in areas such as security, Earth observation, geolocation and telecommunications.

Space is a priority and a strategic area, essential to protecting Spain's society in fields as diverse as cybersecurity, navigation, the fight against climate change and the monitoring of phenomena such as drought or fires.

In addition, the minister has stated that, with the creation of the Spanish Space Agency, the Government complies, and in record time, with the new Law on Science, Technology and Innovation, which authorized the creation of this entity in the period of one year from the approval of its reform.

Likewise, it complies with the National Security Strategy, with the Strategic Project for Aerospace Economic Recovery and Transformation (PERTE) and with the plan of the Government of Spain for the decentralization of entities of the General State Administration.

The Presidency of the Spanish Space Agency will be assumed by the person in charge of the Ministry of Science and Innovation. The Control Commission and the Permanent Commission will be established within the Governing Council. The Governing Council will be made up of the person in charge of the Presidency of the Agency and eleven people, one of them representing the Ministry of Science and Innovation, with the rank of Director General at least.

PERTE Aerospace

Morant has also reported on the development of the Aerospace PERTE and has detailed that the Government has increased its budget from the initial 2.1 million euros of public investment to 2.315 million. In addition, it is expected that the endowment of this project will increase by another 300 million euros with the contribution of the addendum to the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.

The minister has remarked that PERTE is going at a very good pace and 82 percent of its resources have already been mobilized, which is having its first results and success stories in our country.

In this sense, she pointed out that a clear example of Spain's new positioning in Europe in the field of space is the selection of two new Spanish astronauts by the European Space Agency (ESA), Pablo Álvarez and Sara García.

Among other examples, Morant recalled that the Ministry of Science and Innovation has launched a call for the development of a launcher for small satellites worth 45 million euros. "With the development of this technology, Spain would be the first European country to have a microsatellite launcher, which is the commercial future of the space sector," said the minister.

In addition, thanks to the commitment of the Government of Spain for the space sector, the space sector is being strengthened with the strength of the Spanish companies in this sector and its worldwide recognition and our country leads the international mission ARRAKIHS, with a budget of 200 million euros.