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PACIS 3

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PACIS 3 is a strategic satellite communications project by the European Space Agency (ESA), carried out as an ESA Partnership Project under our Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) programme, and in cooperation with Spain’s Hisdesat and the Spanish Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI). 


PACIS 3 develops, qualifies and provides in-orbit validation for extremely advanced active-antenna technologies for secure satellite communications. Some of its key goals were:

Some of its key goals were

To develop reconfigurable active antennas operating in X-band for transmit and receive functions, featuring beam-hopping, geolocation, and rapid reconfiguration of coverage patterns.
To develop a deployable pallet of six individually steerable Ka-band antennas for high-capacity, flexible coverage over large areas.
To demonstrate in-orbit innovative pooling and sharing services for government/defence users, aligned to the European GOVSATCOM framework, to reduce costs and enhance flexibility.

PACIS 3 supports Europe’s aim of sovereign and resilient secure communications, reducing dependence on non-European providers, improving flexibility and affordability of government satellite services, and maintaining industrial leadership in high-tech satellite payloads.

PACIS 3-enabled payloads – which are currently on board the SpainSat New Generation (NG) programme satellites, SpainSat NG I and II – will provide secure communications services for government, defence, and allied users, with coverage spanning Europe, the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, up to Singapore. 


Industrial partners

Industrial leadership is provided by Airbus Defence and Space in Spain as the prime for the PACIS 3 payload, working with a Spanish consortium, including SENER, Indra, GMV, Tecnobit, Arquimea, and Iberespacio. The satellite operator is Hisdesat, under the SpainSat New Generation (SpainSat NG) programme: two new-generation satellites based on the Eurostar Neo platform. PACIS 3 payloads are integrated into SpainSat NG I and II.

ESA’s Partnership Project model enables sharing of risk between the agency and industry and supports end-to-end system development up to in-orbit validation. 


Key technologies from PACIS 3

X-band Direct Radiating Arrays (DRA) to transmit and receive, with fully reconfigurable software-defined beamforming and beam-hopping capabilities, enabling simultaneous beam configurations in orbit.
Gallium Nitride (GaN) high-power amplifiers in the X-band aperture for efficient radio frequency (RF) power performance under demanding thermal conditions.
Ka-band pallet with six steerable reflector assemblies, each capable of pointing independently, offering dynamic coverage flexibility at higher frequency for throughput-intensive services.
Advanced thermal management systems including Loop Heat Pipes (LHPs) and Collecting Heat Pipe Assemblies (CHPAs) to dissipate the high heat loads associated with active antenna transmitters on board.


PACIS 3 milestones 

October 2020
he Preliminary Design Review (PDR) of the SpainSat NG programme (which incorporates PACIS 3) was passed.
2021
The Critical Design Review (CDR) for PACIS 3 was achieved in 2021.
Throughout 2023 and 2024
Manufacturing of the Ka-band pallet and X-band DRAs progressed with delivery of flight-hardware components to Airbus for satellite integration in Toulouse and Madrid.
October 2024
The antennas underwent rigorous thermal vacuum, mechanical vibration, acoustic and shock testing as part of the satellite’s environmental test campaign.
April 2024
Major antenna elements such as the DRA TX and power-supply electronics were integrated onto the SpainSat NG I satellite.
January 2025
The launch of SpainSat NG I, carrying the PACIS 3 payload, took place on 29 January 2025 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
August 2025
The SpainSat NG I telecommunications payload was successfully activated in orbit, showcasing PACIS 3 innovations in August 2025.
October 2025
SpainSat NG II launched on 24 October 2025 on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

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CONTACT

Michael Witting


ESA’s European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC)

Keplerlaan 1

2201 AZ Noordwijk, The Netherlands

+31 625158619

Michael.Witting@esa.int

Documents

Overview page

Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES)

Overview page

Partnership Projects programme

Overview page