Space

At Sener we have been making the future of space exploration possible since 1967

MAXIMUM RELIABILITY FOR THE MAIN AGENCIES

Since 1967, we have been leveraging our extensive experience in the human adventure of outer space. This scientific challenge, which we are passionate about, has allowed us to showcase our capabilities in programs for leading space agencies such as ESA, NASA, and JAXA. Our technological excellence transforms essential components and equipment into reality, supporting a wide range of satellites in Earth orbit and interplanetary exploration.

Electromechanical Systems

We began our space odyssey by developing structural mechanisms and components. Today we are a key supplier of electromechanical components and systems for the European Space Agency (ESA) including deployable systems, high precision pointing and positioning systems, sweeping systems, as well as gripping and release systems. Our equipment includes different functional elements and their integration within the electromechanical system including radio frequency, optics, power and thrust systems, etc., adapting the system to our clients’ needs.

With over half a century of experience, we specialize in the design, manufacture, verification, and final integration of critical electromechanical components and systems for space. Our commitment to 100% reliability is unwavering: throughout our entire space history, none of the hundreds of pieces of equipment supplied by Sener Aeroespacial have ever recorded a failure in flight.

Mechanical Ground Support Equipment (MGSE)

We have accumulated over 40 years of experience providing ground support equipment, initially related to launchers. As the leader of a consortium of European companies, we developed the on-board equipment for the Spacelab mission, 165 pieces of which were ground support devices. Since then, our level of responsibility in this technological field has increased until ultimately becoming a world-class company.

We are one of the few European companies qualified to design specialized satellite integration equipment. We have extensive experience manufacturing mechanical ground support equipment (MGSE) and assembling satellites, ranging in weight from several hundred kilograms to several tons. These projects represent a major engineering feat, since each satellite or subsystem is practically one of a kind.

To date, we have successfully manufactured and tested MGSE components for satellite assembly on the Euclid scientific space probe, in addition to participating in European Space Agency missions such as Juice, Biomass, Electra, PLATO and FLEX and as a supplier of the auxiliary equipment for the M2/M· and M5 cells of the ELT telescope for the European Southern Observatory (ESO).

Rotary Actuators. Mechanical Components

Sener Aeroespacial’s DTA family of rotary actuators is based on electric motors designed and manufactured in our own facilities. This allows us to benefit from full vertical integration and have control over all design and MAIT (Manufacturing, Assembly, Inspection and Test) activities.

Our DTA actuators are available in a variety of diameters from 2 to 10 centimetres with kinematic chains, position sensors, heaters, connectors, etc. They are characterized by high holding torque and outstanding technical performance, in addition to being used in scientific missions, institutional missions and commercial telecommunications platforms.

At Sener Aeroespacial, we have been mass-producing them since 2017 and they can be integrated into a wide variety of mission-critical subsystems, such as pointing, deployment and electric propulsion mechanisms, both of our own design and production and those of external clients.

Devices for Space Applications

Our systems include mechanism and electronic control for other features and functionalities such as antennas, robotic elements, autonomous connections, orbital docking systems, landing gear, launcher motor vectoring, ground sample capture and analysis, gates, crew support systems, and instrument structures and benches.

Devices and Electronics for Scientific Payloads

We provide both systems engineering and the development of equipment and devices for a wide range of scientific and biomedical research applications in crewed space flights.

For on-board instrumentation, we collaborate with the scientific community designing and implementing both the mechanisms and the electronics for said instruments in the field of:

Filter wheels and mechanisms with their corresponding electronics and control software (ROSETTA, JUICE-JANUS, ARIEL M2M).
Power supplies for instrument subsystems (JUICE-GALA, Comet Interceptor, EnVision).
Instrument control electronics (SO-PHI, LISA Pathfinder DMU).
Proximity electronics for detectors (World Space Observatory – WSO).

Life support systems

We are dedicated to making future long-duration crewed missions a reality, enabling future generations of astronauts to settle on the Moon or Mars. We contribute our expertise to microgravity experimentation, a crucial activity for several scientific fields.

Our team of specialists, with nearly 40 years of experience in life support systems, carries out the specification, design, qualification, integration and verification of systems, equipment and instrumentation for crewed flights such as:

Systems for monitoring and studying human physiology, such as MARES.
Support equipment for life science experiments, such as FIXBOX.
Equipment for protein crystallization.
Equipment for detecting microbes in the air and on surfaces.
Refrigerators and freezers for preserving physiological and biological samples.

In addition, we participate in the technological and engineering development of Controlled Ecological Life Support Systems (CELSS). This field, in which biology, chemistry, food and agriculture technology converge with traditional engineering, has the ambitious goal of developing self-sustaining habitats in which humans can live in harsh conditions, through:

Collaboration with the engineering and control of the MELISSA Pilot Plant.
Systems engineering and technology development for water and organic waste recycling and treatment systems.
Development of sensors for monitoring and detecting contaminants in water, microbiology and biomass (OLAA).
System studies on the feasibility of a Closed Ecological System and Habitability Centre (CES/HABLAB)

Communications

We supply antennas and radio frequency equipment, both active and passive, to leading satellite manufacturers and space agencies for use in navigation, telecommunications, exploration and Earth observation.

In the mid-1980s, we began to apply our advanced engineering knowledge in the area of space communications. Since then, we have provided more than 10,000 pieces of equipment and subsystems on board 1,400 satellites in LEO, GEO, MEO and launcher orbits. Thus, we have managed to accumulate an enormous amount of flight experience, both in payload and in TTC (Telemetry Tracking and Command), with which we offer highly competitive solutions in the supply of components and the development of dedicated designs.

At Sener Aeroespacial, we set ourselves apart by covering the full cycle of services through our own capabilities, highlighting our solid experience in high-power equipment, the design of Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits (MMIC), and the assembly of Microwave Hybrid Integrated Circuits (MHIC). Some of our capabilities are:

Electrical (RF, DC and digital/software), mechanical and thermal design engineering.
Machined production.
Surface treatments.
Brazing.
Field tests of antenna patterns.
Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC).
High power.
High-vacuum chambers, climate chambers, vibrating chambers.
Radiofrequency (RF) test equipment.
MMIC design.
MHIC assembly.

Fixed and Steerable Antennas

We have a long history in the design of fixed and steerable antennas, used for communication with satellites in all Earth orbits, and for probes and observatories sent into deep space.

Also RF Passive Equipment and Active RF Equipment.

Navigation

Guidance, Navigation and Control systems (AOCS/GNC) make up one of Sener Aeroespacial’s main activities in the space industry. In this field we stand out for the following disciplines:

· Attitude and orbit control systems (AOCS).

· Guidance, navigation and control systems (GNC).

· Navigation and flight termination system for launchers (NAVIGA).

· Testing equipment for AOCS and GNC (GATB).

Ever since we started designing AOCS/GNC systems in the nineties, our level of responsibility has evolved, and today we are a leading company in this field of technology and a main contractor at the subsystem level.

Thus, following the success of the AOCS for the Herschel and Planck scientific missions, which we executed as a consortium, we have developed the GNC for the IXV (Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle). Currently, we are the main contractor for Proba-3, with responsibility for the entire mission, in addition to being responsible for its GNC subsystem, the Space Rider GNC —Europe’s first reusable space transportation system— and for the AOCS on Euclid, a top-level scientific mission by the ESA, for which we are acting as the final authority on its subsystem.

Products

AOCS/GNC Systems

The bulk of our activity in AOCS/GNC systems covers all the elements of the value chain of these subsystems, with proven capabilities in:

· Systems and subsystems engineering: Proba-3, Euclid, AERIAL and SPADS.

· Advanced control techniques (robust control, predictive control): LISA and AI4GNC.

· Attitude control: Herschel and Planck.

· Atmospheric re-entry and landing flight: Space Rider

· Guidance and trajectory optimization solutions: IXV and Space Rider.

· Solutions based on artificial intelligence and machine learning: AI4GNC

Navigation Equipment

Our activity in this field focuses on the development of equipment and on-board units that require in-depth knowledge of localization and positioning techniques. In particular, Sener Aeroespacial is developing the navigation unit for VEGA-C, the future version of the European VEGA launcher, as well as autonomous flight termination units for microlaunchers.

Power Supply Units

We have a wide range of solutions in the field of power electronics for space. Power supply units and, in particular, DC/DC converters, are a fundamental part of the electrical power system. Their function is to provide the necessary energy to scientific instruments, actuators and motors, as well as to radio frequency equipment to carry out their objectives. Their reliability has been proven over more than 20 years of space missions and hundreds of units delivered without any recorded failures in orbit.

The Sener Aeroespacial power supply units are found in various types of satellites and space probes:

· Earth observation.

· Scientific missions.

· Communications satellites.

· Deep space probes.

Thanks to our experience and facilities, we meet the needs of projects that require both unique custom designs and large productions. Our capabilities cover all phases of the project, from conception to manufacturing and testing in order to ensure compliance with all requirements.

Our power supply units are characterized by:

· Power management between 1 W and 200 W.

· Compatibility with the most widely used satellite platforms, both in science and communications missions.

· Control interfaces based on discrete commands or digital communication buses such as CAN bus, MIL-STD-1553B or proprietary buses.

· Redundant solutions, protections against failures and security mechanisms.

News

12.02.2024 SPACE

Developed under Sener’s leadership, ESA’s Proba-3 mission successfully launched from India

04.11.2023 Mechanical Ground Support Equipment (MGSE)

Sener is responsible for the boom and three other components of the JUICE satellite

03.28.2023 SPACE

Proba-3, closer to completion

Other Aerospace lines

Defence

We believe in the need to develop technologically advanced national capabilities so that our armed forces, in collaboration with their international allies, can ensure that our society is kept safe. We know that the future belongs to those who collaborate and establish partnerships, a conviction with which we participate in defence programs of vital importance for our environment.

AEROSPACE & DEFENSE

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ENERGY

MARINE

MOBILITY

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