ARQUIMEA contributes to SpainSat NG with cutting-edge thermal control and microchip technologies

• The SpainSat NG programme will provide secure communications for the Spanish Armed Forces, the European Union and NATO.
• ARQUIMEA is a leader in space components and systems, with more than 20 years of experience in the sector and has participated in more than 180 missions.
• The company brings to the SpainSat programme, and its two satellites, its experience and capabilities in the design, development and manufacture of thermal systems and microchips.

Madrid, 24 January 2025. ARQUIMEA, a technology company specialising in the aerospace sector, is participating in the SpainSat NG programme by contributing its experience, knowledge and capabilities in two main lines of activity: on the one hand, co-engineering, detailed design, manufacture and support for the integration of the thermal control system for the active antennas of the two satellites; and, on the other, with the design and qualification of two microchips, one analogue and one digital, for the control, telemetry data measurement and alignment of the active antenna.

The SpainSat NG I satellite will be launched on 28 January from the SpaceX facilities at Cape Canaveral (Florida). This satellite will guarantee secure communications for the Spanish Armed Forces and for European NATO countries and other allies.

ARQUIMEA is a leading supplier of space components and systems with 20 years of experience in the sector and has participated in more than 180 missions. The company boasts unique technical capabilities, know-how and facilities for the manufacture of thermal structures for telecommunications, observation, navigation and exploration satellites.

Thermal control systems are critical in satellites, and their primary purpose is to maintain the entire active antenna assembly and the equipment it houses within the temperature ranges specified in each phase of the mission.

The thermal system of the active antennas of the SpainSat NG satellites consists of several sets of Heat Pipes (HPs) and Loop Heat Pipes (LHPs) that enable high levels of heat to be extracted from the active antennas aboard these satellites. This network transports this heat to the satellite’s radiator panels, where it is ultimately discharged into space.

Defining this thermal system has been extremely complex given the small volume available within the antenna itself and the complexity of the interfaces with the electronics.

In addition to the thermal system, ARQUIMEA has designed, manufactured and qualified a set of application-specific analogue and digital microchips. More than 4,000 of these will be used for this programme. These chips control every single element of the active antenna, which means that hundreds of them are needed for each antenna.

The integrated circuits must operate without interruption in the aggressive space environment; to this end, ARQUIMEA has designed and qualified these chips to be resistant to radiation in space and to withstand extreme temperatures and vacuum conditions.

The work was carried out at the company’s state-of-the-art facilities in Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid. The activities have lasted three years, including extensive and complex qualification and acceptance processes for the delivered equipment.

ARQUIMEA also participates in major international missions, including Artemis, Copernicus and Galileo, as well as in commercial constellation programmes and geostationary telecommunications satellites.

 

About ARQUIMEA

ARQUIMEA is a Spanish technology company that operates globally in technically demanding sectors, such as the aerospace, defence and security, science industry or fintech sectors.

With more than 20 years of experience, ARQUIMEA collaborates in the space sector with the leading space agencies, such as NASA, JAXA or ESA, leading companies in traditional space and New Space, international consortia, universities and research centres.

ARQUIMEA has become a comprehensive supplier with the capability to develop and manufacture entire satellites, thermal systems, structures, deployment mechanisms, avionics, microelectronics and optical instruments.