Open Cosmos, the leading space company building satellites to understand and connect the world, presented this morning eight new Earth observation satellites to advance Europe’s ability to monitor climate-related disasters and environmental threats from space at the ESA Earth Observation Commercialization Forum (ESA CommEO).

The final design of the satellites was presented by Tiago Rebelo, CRO of Open Cosmos, along with Cecilia Hernández, Director of Programs and Industry at the Spanish Space Agency (AEE) and Simonetta Cheli, Director of Earth Observation Programs at the European Space Agency (ESA). To mark the impact of this achievement on the Spanish space industry, the model will be donated to the AEE headquarters in Seville. The contributing satellites are a significant milestone in the development of the Atlantic Constellation (ESCA), a project managed by the AEE in collaboration with the ESA to significantly strengthen Europe’s Earth observation capabilities. The project, endowed with €30 million of funding, will deliver 16 state-of-the-art satellites to create a linked, coordinated constellation capable of high performance and reliability in operational Earth observation missions. 

Open Cosmos has achieved a key project milestone in passing the Critical Design Review (CDR), ensuring that the meticulous design of the mission (the satellites and the ground segment), the manufacturing, and verification plan are all now defined and frozen. Passing this milestone confirms that the design is safe and viable, enabling the start of satellite production, laboratory qualification, and software integration. 

Open Cosmos is the lead company and coordinator of the Spanish component of ESCA, taking the helm of a consortium of top-level industrial and scientific companies and institutions in the region. These include Fossa, Satlantis, the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), MWSE, Alén Space and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), which will act as the main suppliers and key technology providers to the programme, and will in turn subcontract to other Spanish companies in the sector.  

Under Open Cosmos’ stewardship, the Spanish component of ESCA will directly contribute to the industrialisation, innovation, and consolidation of the national space ecosystem, reaffirming Spain’s technological autonomy in the sector. 

Tiago Rebelo, CRO of Open Cosmos, said: “Passing the Critical Design Review is a key milestone for a programme of ESCA's complexity and ambition. It confirms that the system is ready to make the leap to the production phase and reflects the enormous joint work of Open Cosmos and the entire Spanish industrial and scientific consortium. This project shows that Spain has the technological, industrial and coordination capacity necessary to lead strategic Earth observation missions with a real impact on society.”

Cecilia Hernández, Director of Programs and Industry at the Spanish Space Agency, says: “The Atlantic Constellation is a strategic cooperative effort, bringing together Spain, the European Space Agency, and the Government of Portugal. With ESCA, Spain is promoting its own Earth observation technologies, strengthening its technological autonomy, and consolidating high-value national industrial capabilities in a key area for European technological sovereignty.” 

“This system will provide guaranteed access to Earth observation data over the Iberian Peninsula, strengthening monitoring and emergency response capabilities, as well as environmental protection and efficient land management. Furthermore, it contributes to improving the competitiveness of the Spanish scientific and industrial sectors and positioning the country as a key player in the development of advanced space infrastructure.”

Satellite technology and capabilities

ESCA's satellites will be based on Open Cosmos' high-resolution (HR) satellite platform, an architecture used in more than 40 satellites currently under construction, many of which will be part of the Open Constellation. These are microsatellites weighing approximately 100 kilograms, designed to offer high performance and reliability in operational Earth observation missions.

Each satellite integrates a set of complementary payloads (VNIR, AIS, IoT and GNSS-R) that, in combination, capture accurate information of land and sea surfaces. This data translates into high-value operational services, such as support for emergency management in the event of forest fires, floods or volcanic eruptions, beach erosion monitoring, maritime monitoring and the deployment of IoT connectivity services in remote areas. This technology will allow Spain to utilise highly accurate contextual information from space to enhance strategic decision-making for environmental protection, natural disaster management, forest fire prevention and response to climate emergencies.

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