ORBITAL SISTEMAS AEROESPACIALES SL

Their core work

Orbital is a Spanish aerospace SME based in Navarra that develops technical solutions at the intersection of aerospace engineering, safety-critical systems, and certification processes. Their work spans two distinct but related application areas: emergency location and tracking systems using mobile networks, and virtual testing methodologies for aircraft certification. As a company that has led both of its EU projects rather than joining as a junior partner, they appear to operate as a technical project initiator rather than a subcontractor. Their practical orientation suggests an engineering consultancy or product development firm serving aerospace and safety system markets.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Orbital began their H2020 participation with MOBNET (2016–2018), focused on applied mobile communications for emergency response — a safety-of-life application with clear civilian and civil protection relevance. By 2019, with FAVIT, their focus shifted decisively into core aerospace engineering: specifically the regulatory and certification challenge of replacing physical aircraft tests with validated virtual models. This suggests a deliberate move from adjacent safety markets into the heart of aerospace R&D and airworthiness processes, likely reflecting where the company sees its strongest competitive position.

Orbital is moving toward aerospace certification technology, a high-value niche where validated virtual testing methods could reduce cost and time-to-market for aircraft manufacturers — a direction aligned with Clean Aviation and EASA's ongoing regulatory evolution.

How they like to work

Orbital exclusively leads projects rather than joining as a participant — both H2020 projects list them as coordinator, with zero participant or third-party roles. Their consortia are very small (4 unique partners across 2 projects), suggesting they prefer focused, tight-knit teams where they retain control of the technical direction. This profile suits partners who want a motivated SME lead rather than a passive subcontractor, but it also means Orbital brings limited experience navigating large multi-partner consortia.

Orbital has collaborated with just 4 unique partners across 4 countries, reflecting the small scale of their two projects. Their international footprint is modest but European in scope, with no evidence of geographic concentration beyond Spain.

What sets them apart

Orbital is unusual among aerospace SMEs in that they coordinate rather than serve as subcontractors — they initiate projects and define the technical agenda, which is rare for a company of this size. Their specific focus on virtual testing for aircraft certification addresses a genuine bottleneck in aerospace development cycles, where physical testing is expensive, slow, and constrained by available aircraft access. A consortium looking for a motivated, technically-focused SME leader in aerospace certification or safety-critical systems would find Orbital a credible candidate, particularly for Innovation Action projects where the goal is demonstrating feasibility of new methods.

Highlights from their portfolio

• FAVIT
  At nearly €500K and linked to Joint Technology Initiatives in aviation, FAVIT is Orbital's largest and most technically ambitious project — addressing the regulatory frontier of replacing physical aircraft tests with virtual models, a problem with industry-wide implications.
• MOBNET
  MOBNET demonstrates Orbital's ability to operate outside pure aerospace in safety-critical positioning applications, showing technical breadth beyond aviation.