The association representing the digital industry sector in Spain (AMETIC), in collaboration with Hisdesat Servicios Estratégicos and other leading institutions (Indra, Airbus, Telefónica), organised the 17th Space Seminar at the Universidad Europea del Atlántico (European University of the Atlantic, UNEATLANTICO).
This event brought together military, government and business authorities, consolidating its position as a benchmark in the analysis of the role of space in national security and defence, and was held from 3 to 5 September in the University’s Assembly Hall.
On the opening day, chaired by the Admiral General Chief of the Defence Staff, the focus was on how outer space has become a new theatre of conflict. Senior military officials and defence experts agreed that instability in the space environment poses a growing threat to critical infrastructure, while accelerating the evolution of operational and technological capabilities in defence.
The second day focused on technologies applied to ongoing space programmes. Representatives from the Ministry of Defence and industry explained how current national satellite programmes are essential for ensuring secure communications, command and control, intelligence (ISR), positioning and surveillance.
In this context, projects that enable Spain to move towards greater strategic autonomy were highlighted, and the importance of investing in its own capabilities to maintain technological sovereignty in an increasingly competitive global environment was emphasised.
The seminar concluded with a day dedicated to the industrial and technological challenges facing the space sector in Spain. Executives from the main companies in the sector analysed issues such as technological autonomy, geopolitics, industrialisation, talent management and productivity as key factors in ensuring the future of national space programmes.
The closing ceremony featured speeches by representatives from the Ministries of Science and Industry, as well as the Secretary of State for Defence, who emphasised the institutional commitment to the development of the space sector as a strategic area for the future of the nation.