Indra Group diseña y desarrolla la misión del satélite IOD-2 de Startical

Indra Group has further strengthened its standing as a key player in the European space sector by successfully completing the development of the engineering for the mission involving the IOD-2 satellite of Startical, a company created by ENAIRE and Indra to provide communication and surveillance services via space and improve air traffic management. The demonstrator satellite which has been launched will contribute to the development and design of the future constellation of over 200 low-orbit satellites set to provide global coverage and transform aviation, delivering greater efficiency, capacity and sustainability around the world.

The company has been tasked with designing, developing and integrating the satellite’s payload, the first one fully developed by Indra Group to be launched. The entire mission cycle, including the avionics development, has been completed in a record two-year period.

The payload is based on an advanced high-power VHF amplifier that’s key to enabling long-range satellite communications, particularly in oceanic and remote areas without any current coverage. The amplifier, developed by Indra Group, will facilitate new tests as part of the IOD-2 mission. With its VHF antenna measuring nearly four meters, the largest ever built and launched into space, the aim of the Startical-led mission is to demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the system for real-time voice, data and aeronautical surveillance communications via space.

“This project for IOD-2 not only reflects the technological maturity of Indra Group’s solutions for a sector as highly demanding as space, it also shows that we’re fully capable of taking on the leadership of comprehensive space missions, with critical technologies validated and qualified for the purpose. This milestone offers proof of our status as a reliable and internationally competitive strategic integrator”, declared Fernando García Martínez-Peñalver, Indra’s director of Space.

This achievement reflects Indra Group’s progress toward its goal of becoming one of Europe’s leading companies in the space sector. With the creation of Indra Space, the company will be able to cover the entire value chain of a space project, from mission design to satellite development and manufacturing, ground segment deployment and mission operations.

Indra Group’s potential for space capabilities is complemented by its leadership and standing as one of the major global benchmarks for air traffic management, a field in which it has deployed systems in over 11,000 facilities around the world, with one of the most advanced technological portfolios for the gate-to-gate management of a flight, from the moment it takes off until it reaches its destination.