It is a leap in Spanish sovereignty in spatial geopolitics

In 1989, Spain boosted its space industry. Not to go to the Moon, but to guarantee its telecommunications capacity. This is how Hispasat and its fleet of geostationary satellites offering broadcast coverage of television, radio, broadband and connectivity in remote areas. In 2023 it was decided that Hispasat would be our own Starlink. It has been a huge failure has put Hispasat in an extreme situation. But since those satellites are not going to be wasted, there is someone who has already shown interest a few months ago: Indra.

And it is the key piece for the Spanish company to become one of the heavyweights of European rearmament.

The slap of Hispasat. We told it a few days ago. The resounding failure of the plan that sought to place Hispasat as the alternative to starlinkwhen technologically they are two totally different things, has been the condemnation. To face the transformation, it received public funds, money that it has had to return.

The figures are scary: 22 million from public aid that have flown out of the company’s coffers. It has left them shivering.

Indra enters the scene. Indra is a technology group specialized in defense, aerospace and advanced digital technologies. They are focused on the military industry, but not building tanks or ships, but rather the “brain” of the systems, as well as radars, surveillance services, electronic warfare either cyber defense. For a company like this, Hispasat is candy. And at the beginning of this year we already said that Indra was very interestedlaunching a 725 million euro offer that needed regulatory approval.

Now, and as we read in Europa Pressthe Council of Ministers would have already authorized the purchase of 89.68% of Hispasat by Indra for 725 million euros. With this operation, Indra would control the communications satellites, but also Hisdesat. This is the branch of Hispasat military satellitesfocused on offering encrypted and secure communications. It is key in both military and government operations.

Metamorphosis. The Government of Spain controls 28% of Indra’s capital, being the company’s main shareholder, so this approval is a mere procedure. But, if Hispasat was completely absorbed, Indra would experience a metamorphosis. If space is new battlefield (something that The United States, Russia or China are pushing), Spain must be there, and would be hand in hand with Indra systems.

Because this space war is not just something from science fiction or satellites with machine guns like the ones France wants (or the ones it has China with robotic arms), but something we are already seeing in Ukraine. During the war with Russia, Starlinkwhich are communications satellites, were key to offering communications and cloud services, connecting troops, fighters and drones in real time without depending on anyone else.

In Leonardo’s league. It is true that the latency of the Hispasat network is greater as it is at a higher altitude, but it is a first step. Additionally, it allows Indra to be more three-dimensional. The satellite network is added to its radar and command systems division, becoming a piece with more weight in the current turbulent geopolitical board.

And, although he commented that this approval from the Government was a formality, it is not empty bureaucracy, but a declaration of intentions in the direction of industrial and military sovereignty, reinforcing its position within Europe like the French Thales or the Italian Leonard.

Rearmament context. In the end, everything falls within a context in which Europe is seeing that it must stop depending on external agents for its defense and services. A few months ago, The European Commission called for rearmamentand different countries have already raised their military reindustrialization strategies (some giving some ‘face’ to finance infrastructure), but in all areas we are witnessing that the European Union has lost confidence in allied countries.

The war in Ukraine or the tariffs have strained the relationship with the United States, and even in the aerospace industry we are seeing that, now, Europe is taking out the credit card to stop depending on the United States or Russia to launch things into space. And this move by Indra makes the company transcend from being one that provides systems to one that plays the role of architect of European defense.

Images | Zarateman,

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