In the space area, the objective of this investment is to improve the competitiveness of the Spanish space production industry by implementing R&D&I projects that contribute to the development and testing of novel technology of interest to end users in the space segment. The establishment of a space technology programme that generates new capacities of its own will be sought to develop space systems with a high disruptive or enabling potential in terms of promoting a great recurrence of use and/or commercial use, all through calls for subsidies, agreements between public administrations for the execution of R&D projects, as well as to develop a national strategic capacity aimed at demonstrating serial production capacity of numerous space systems such as constellations satellites in line with the New Space trend or the commercialisation of space.
Projects to be financed within this technological programme will focus mainly on two classes:
- Strategic projects aimed at demonstrating the serial production capacity of space systems, at subsystem and payload level, with potential demand in future satellite constellations.
- Projects to advance the degree of maturity of a technology at an early stage. This second group specifically seeks to finance initiatives for future space systems that are considered to have a high disruptive potential, or that have enabling potential in terms of providing great recurrence of use and/or commercial use, or that enable the development of cutting-edge scientific instrumentation for future space science missions.
Technology emerging from high-impact and frontier research within the framework of both Academics (Universities and Research Institutions) and the Spanish space entrepreneurship ecosystem (Start-up, Spin-off, Deep-Tech), or of SMEs and companies, will have the opportunity to be developed as a finalist. This will be achieved with the participation of potential developers, marketers and business end users who will have to participate in the consortiums that are eligible for PTE funding.
Highly competitive teams of very diverse actors are expected to be able to compete with greater chances of success 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 leadership in some market segments.
Execution and results
The Council of Ministers approved the Addendum to the PRTR on 6 June 2023. This new stimulus package was ratified by the European Commission and later by the EU Council of Finance Ministers (ECOFIN) on 17 October 2023. Action 19: PTE is contained in the Addendum and can be found in the chapter on Investment 9 (C17.I9): Aerospace (pp. 257-258). CID 461 and 462 compliance indicators can be found on pages 264-265.
The Regulatory Bases and the 2024 Call will be published soon.