Securing the contract for the Themis project opens the door for Sener to participate in one of ESA’s most ambitious programs. The project is strategically important for the development of reusable rockets and represents a significant step toward increasing Europe’s independence in accessing space.

Rocket demonstrators, such as Themis, allow new technologies to be tested in practice before they are deployed in operational rockets used in missions. They help reduce potential risks and accelerate the development of competitive launch systems.

In Poland, Sener engineers are responsible within the Themis program for designing and producing two components essential to the operation of the grid fin system. These include the GFAM (Grid Fin Assembly Mechanism), which serves as the main mechanical interface structure, and the LLD-D device, which enables locking and unlocking of the fins after deployment. Both components will be tested as part of the qualification model.

Meanwhile, Sener’s Spanish team is developing the GFAD (Grid Fin Actuation Device), a linear actuator responsible for transferring motion to the GFAM developed in Poland. Both devices, GFAD and GFDM, are integral parts of the GFS (Grid Fin System), delivered by Sener’s Spain offices. This system provides precise control necessary for the safe vertical landing of Themis’ first stage.

Participation in the Themis project confirms Sener’s expertise – the company is among those creating the most advanced technologies for the European space sector. Components from Sener will form an integral part of a system that could define the future of European reusable rockets. We are excited to contribute to such a groundbreaking project. – says Jakub Pierzchała, General Manager of Sener in Poland.

Themis is designed to demonstrate that Europe can compete with global leaders in reusable rockets. Its success is expected to pave the way for lowering the cost of space access and enhancing Europe’s competitiveness on the global market.

Ports are among the many infrastructures affected by global warming, which is causing rising ocean temperatures and glacier melt, resulting in higher sea levels. Between 1993 and 2024 alone, sea levels have risen by 10 centimetres, and by the end of the century, up to 410 million people could be at risk from the negative effects of coastal flooding, according to NASA. Additionally, such infrastructure is increasingly impacted by other phenomena such as droughts.

The SAFARI project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme, has been launched to tackle this challenge through the development of a generic digital platform for port infrastructure, enabling it to better withstand extreme weather events. This platform will include several emergency management modules powered by operational, maintenance, and analytical components.

The engineering and technology group Sener is participating in the project and will develop a digital twin to support the maintenance of the lock at the Port of Seville, enhancing decision-making during flooding events. Sener will collaborate with the University of Seville, the Port of Seville, CMA CGM, NextPort, Serviport Andalucía and Lynxdrone in developing this system. The Ports of Seville, Dunkirk, and Lisbon have been selected as pilot ports for the project. The knowledge gained from them will be extrapolated to other similar infrastructures. The project brings together 26 entities from 10 countries (France, Spain, Italy, Norway, Finland, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Greece, and Lebanon), including 7 universities and 6 ports.

Specific goals of the SAFARI project include: developing measures to reinforce port infrastructure against extreme climate events; maintaining port operations at 80% capacity during periods of disruption; optimising the allocation of multimodal transport assets before and after disruptive events to achieve a 20% modal shift of freight with a lower environmental footprint and minimise downtime during extreme weather events; ensuring the safety of personnel and vessels and protecting biodiversity; and building a governance model and guidelines to address climate risks and hazards affecting port infrastructure.

Sener’s specific role in the project focuses on three main areas. Firstly, the development of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms that will predict and advise on the impact of weather events, thereby optimising the maintenance of the lock infrastructure. Three algorithms will serve as the foundation for the decision-making process within the maintenance module of the project’s digital twin: infrastructure and system condition monitoring; predictive maintenance of equipment; and intelligent emergency management system protocols.

Secondly, Sener will work on developing the BIM (Building Information Modelling) model of the Port of Seville’s lock, which includes modelling the infrastructure and systems of the lock and adding a geometric layer to the data.

Thirdly and finally, Sener will develop the maintenance management module for an intelligent and interactive digital representation of the Seville lock system. The digital twin includes the predictive maintenance optimisation tool, integrated with the recently implemented CMMS (Computerised Maintenance Management System) at the Port of Seville.

The work being carried out at the Port of Seville is part of the broader efforts within the SAFARI project, which has already begun and will run until 2027, with a total investment of nearly 8 million euros.

Once again, Sener consolidates its position as a technological and industrial leader in Europe, participating in six important projects of the European Defence Fund (EDF) in its 2024 call: BEAST, AI-WASP, ePERFECT, AURIGA and NEREUS, thus strengthening its commitment to European industrial collaboration.

BEAST is the programme that aims to advance Missile Systems technologies in Europe through the development of the Future Short-Range Missile (FSRM), a multi-role missile for use in air-to-air environments, ground-based air defence or even air-to-surface operations. BEAST will pave the way for a joint European development and procurement mechanism. Sener is leading important aspects of this project, based on its experience as a design authority in actuation and control systems (CAS) on several missiles in the European inventory (IRIS-T, IRIS-T SLM, METEOR, TAURUS) as well as on the PATRIOT, which positions the entity as a centre of excellence in these mechanisms, as well as in missile systems engineering and navigation.

AI-WASP aims to develop a pioneering AI-based multifunctional aperture and processing unit solution. The outcome of the project will be two prototypes of two different variants of the system to be integrated into small and medium-sized unmanned aerial systems and/or ground vehicles. Sener is contributing with its expertise in electronically-pointable antenna designs, especially in the airborne segment, building on its experience in remote carrier communications in the NGWS-FCAS programme.

On the other hand, ePERFECT will focus on the development of RF-CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor on integrated circuits) connected components in current and future military applications. The project proposes a European supply chain strategy that can provide the Armed Forces with these high-performance components, such as transceivers and processors. SENER will develop a use case based on next generation communications using the elements developed in ePERFECT.

The AURIGA project seeks to respond with a multidisciplinary consortium to the critical requirements of an Armoured Infantry Fighting Vehicle (AIFV), such as protection, mobility, firepower and situational awareness, incorporating innovative and disruptive technologies also with the potential to modernise existing vehicles. Sener is involved in several areas, derived from its experience in UGS and autonomy such as MUT (Manned-Unmanned Teaming), situational awareness and integration.

Finally, the NEREUS project, coordinated by Navantia, and with a broad participation of the Spanish Defence & technology industrial base, will develop the intelligent System of Systems that will be integrated as an essential element of future naval combat platforms.

Rafael Orbe, Managing Director of Defence at Sener, said: “We are very satisfied with the results of the contracts received, as they are perfectly aligned with the three pillars of technological and industrial development we have focused on. Within the scope of the European Defense Fund, Sener is involved in more than 20 programs, all of them linked to our centers of excellence: communications, autonomous navigation, and high-precision electromechanical and targeting systems.”

In total, Sener has been involved in 20 EDF projects since its start in 2021. Of particular note is its significant participation in EU HYDEF, the first project to develop a European interceptor missile against hypersonic vehicle threats, awarded to Sener and subsequently handed over to SMS, and which is complemented by a classified hypersonic technologies project in the 2024 call; as well as in COMMANDS, where Sener’s leadership has been recognised with the coordination of the European Defence Fund in autonomous navigation of ground platforms.