In the area of space, the objective of this investment is to improve the competitiveness of the Spanish space production fabric by developing R+D+i projects that contribute to develop and test new technology of interest to end users in the space segment. The aim will be to establish a space technology program that generates new capabilities to develop space systems with a high disruptive or enabling potential in terms of promoting a great recurrence of use and/or commercial, all through calls for grants, agreements between public administrations for the execution of R&D projects, as well as to develop a national strategic capacity to demonstrate serial productive capacity of very numerous space systems of the type of satellite constellations in line with the current of New Space or the commercialization of space.
The projects to finance within this technological program will focus mainly on two classes:
- Projects of a strategic nature aimed at demonstrating the serial productive capacity of space systems, at the level of subsystems and payloads, with potential demand in future satellite constellations
- Projects to advance the degree of maturity of a technology in an early stage. In particular, this second group seeks to finance initiatives for future space systems that are considered with a high disruptive potential, or that have enabling potential in terms of promoting a great recurrence of use and/or commercial, or that enable the development of cutting-edge scientific instrumentation for future scientific space missions.
The technology arising from high-impact and frontier research within the framework of both the Academy (Universities and Research Bodies) and the Spanish space entrepreneurship ecosystem (Start-up, Spin-off, Deep-Tech), or SMEs and companies, will have the opportunity to develop in a finalist way. This will be achieved through the participation of potential developers, marketers, end users of an entrepreneurial nature who will have to participate in the consortiums that opt for financing in the PTE.
Nuclear is thus expected to be teams of very diverse, highly competitive actors, who are more likely to be successful in open competitions within the framework of the European Commission and ESA. The technological positioning that will give us the continued application of this strategy through the PTE, followed by the instruments of the future National Space Plan, will consolidate the international expansion of our space industry in the medium and long term, as well as the leadership in some market segments.
Execution and results
The Council of Ministers of 6 June 2023 approved the Addendum to the PRTR. This new stimulus package was ratified by the European Commission and subsequently by the EU Council of Finance Ministers (ECOFIN) on 17 October 2023. The performance 19: PTE is contained in the Addendum and can be consulted in the chapter of Investment 9 (C17.I9): Aerospace (pp. 257-258). Compliance indicators CID 461 and 462 can be found on the pages. 264-265.
The Regulatory Bases and the Call for 2024 will be published soon.