MINISTERIO DE DEFENSA

Their core work

Spain's Ministry of Defense contributes national space surveillance and tracking (SST) sensor assets and operational capabilities to the EU Space Surveillance and Tracking programme (EUSST). Their role centers on providing military-grade radar and optical infrastructure for detecting and cataloguing space debris and orbital objects. Within H2020, they consistently participate as a third party — supplying sovereign defense assets and expertise to a pan-European civilian space safety initiative.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

The Ministry's H2020 involvement is remarkably consistent — all four projects from 2016 to 2024 focus on the same mission: building and maturing the European SST service. Early projects (2SST2015, 3SST2015) focused on establishing the initial service provision function, while the later project (2-3SST2018-20) shifted toward further development and operational maturity of EUSST. The trajectory is one of deepening commitment to the same programme rather than diversification.

Spain's Ministry of Defense is deepening its EUSST role, likely expanding sensor contributions and data-sharing as the programme moves from setup to full operational capability.

How they like to work

The Ministry participates exclusively as a third party — never as coordinator or direct participant — which reflects its role as a sovereign asset provider rather than a research performer. With 17 partners across 8 countries, it operates within a structured multi-national consortium typical of EU space programmes. Working with them means accessing national defense-grade space monitoring infrastructure through a formal governmental channel.

Connected to 17 unique partners across 8 countries, reflecting the multi-national structure of the EUSST consortium which includes the major EU space-capable nations (France, Germany, Italy, and others contributing national SST assets).

What sets them apart

As a national defense ministry, they bring sovereign military-grade radar and optical tracking infrastructure that no university or private company can replicate. Spain is one of the core EUSST member states, and the Ministry of Defense is the entity that actually operates the national SST sensors. For any consortium needing access to operational space surveillance data or ground-based tracking capabilities in southern Europe, this is the institutional gateway.

Highlights from their portfolio

• 2-3SST2018-20
  The longest-running project (2020-2024), representing the most mature phase of EUSST development and the Ministry's deepest involvement.
• 2SST2015
  The earliest project in the series, marking Spain's initial commitment of defense assets to the European SST civilian programme.