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.

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Proba-3 mission, led by Sener in close collaboration with an industrial team comprising Redwire, Airbus, GMV, and Spacebel, and involving a broad consortium of over 29 companies from 17 countries, was launched on 5 December 2024 and is currently in its commissioning phase in orbit.

The mission aims to demonstrate the feasibility of high-precision formation flying between spacecraft, using cutting-edge new technology. It involves the synchronisation of two satellites flying in an elliptical orbit, reaching distances of over 60,000 km from Earth (more than ten times the distance from the Earth’s surface to its core). In this same mission, formation flying technology is also used to capture images of the solar corona (coronagraphy). The Coronagraph satellite houses the mission’s coronagraph, an instrument that points directly at the Sun. The second satellite, the Occulter, eclipses the Sun by positioning itself between the star and the Coronagraph. Using a range of metrology equipment (optical and laser), the two satellites are maintained at a distance of approximately 150 metres, with extremely high precision (within a few millimetres).

In recent weeks, the team operating the satellites from the ESEC control centre in Redu, Belgium – comprising ESA, Sener, and Redwire personnel with support from GMV experts – has achieved a key milestone: entry into the mission’s first operational orbits, where formation flying operations are conducted. In these orbits, the satellites manoeuvre into the optimal relative position for coronagraphy at apogee, using various sensors in sequence: first the WAC and NAC cameras of the Visual-Based System, then the Fine Lateral and Longitudinal Sensor (a laser system), and finally the Shadow Position Sensor, integrated within the coronagraph itself. The formation is maintained continuously for a six-hour period before being broken with new manoeuvres as the satellites pass through perigee. All these operations are carried out entirely autonomously, without operator intervention, although still under the monitoring of the operations team in Redu.

These latest activities have confirmed not only that the Formation Flying System’s logic is functioning correctly, but also that the system achieves its millimetric performance targets.

The operations team is now preparing for the final activities of the commissioning phase, particularly the use of this novel formation flying technology to capture images of the solar corona.

Proba-3 is part of ESA’s General Support Technology Programme, and Spain’s involvement has been made possible thanks to the support of the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI), as well as close collaboration between international companies.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in no way reflect the official views of the European Space Agency.

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) new Biomass satellite, designed to provide unprecedented data on the world’s forests and their crucial role in the Earth’s carbon cycle, has been successfully launched. The satellite lifted off aboard a Vega-C rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on April 29 at 11:15 CEST (06:15 local time).

Biomass seeks to improve understanding of the carbon cycle and global warming processes through the monitoring of forest biomass. Biomass is part of ESA’s Earth Explorer programme and is designed to deliver precise data on forest conditions and deforestation worldwide. This data will enable the generation of high-resolution, three-dimensional maps of forests, significantly contributing to global efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Sener is involved in the mission as part of an international consortium comprising 50 companies from 20 countries. Sener has developed the Reception Amplification Subsystem (RAS), a crucial part of the Biomass satellite’s electronic system. The RAS is responsible for amplifying incoming radar signals, ensuring low interference and high precision in data capture. This subsystem includes several critical components, such as filters and low-noise amplifiers, all of which have been rigorously designed and tested to meet the mission’s demanding requirements.

Photo: (C) ESA-CNES-ARIANESPACE/Optique vidéo du CSG–S. Martin.

The industrial engineering and technology group Sener has taken part in the Biomass mission, a scientific project led by the European Space Agency (ESA) that seeks to improve understanding of the carbon cycle and global warming processes through the monitoring of forest biomass. Biomass is part of ESA’s Earth Explorer programme and is designed to deliver precise data on forest conditions and deforestation worldwide. This data will enable the generation of high-resolution, three-dimensional maps of forests, significantly contributing to global efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Sener is involved in the mission as part of an international consortium comprising 50 companies from 20 countries.

Sener has developed the Reception Amplification Subsystem (RAS), a crucial part of the Biomass satellite’s electronic system. The RAS is responsible for amplifying incoming radar signals, ensuring low interference and high precision in data capture. This subsystem includes several critical components, such as filters and low-noise amplifiers, all of which have been rigorously designed and tested to meet the mission’s demanding requirements.

As part of the European Space Agency mission, Sener in Poland, commissioned by OHB Italia, designed, manufactured and tested ground-based mechanical equipment (Mechanical Ground Support Equipment) supporting the installation of the satellite, which is 12 meters wide and 20 meters long. The MGSE set includes, among others, devices for mounting and dismounting the satellite panels. Additionally, the engineers designed a container and devices enabling the transport of panels together with instruments.

The Biomass satellite is scheduled for launch on 29 April from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, aboard a Vega-C launcher. The mission is expected to last a minimum of five years. During this time, the data gathered by the satellite will be crucial for improving projections of the carbon cycle and supporting environmental policymaking on a global scale.