Telespazio Ibérica awarded contract to build the Canary Islands satellite constellation

19 February 2026

Telespazio Ibérica, the Spanish subsidiary of Telespazio (a Leonardo Group company), has been awarded the €20 million contract to develop the Canary Islands satellite constellation, the first Earth observation system created by a Spanish autonomous community. The company will lead the project, build the ground segment, and manage the constellation.

The project’s objectives and features were presented today in Malaga, together with the Cabildo of Tenerife (the island’s governing body), during SSSIF Málaga 2026, Spain’s leading event dedicated to small satellites.

The contract includes the development of a constellation consisting of three operational satellites and one technological demonstrator in low Earth orbit (450–700 km), each with a mass between 20 and 30 kilograms, capable of ensuring daily coverage of the Canary Islands archipelago and surrounding waters.

Telespazio Ibérica will ensure the entire mission lifecycle: from the flight and ground segments to data processing and distribution, including integration, launch, operations, and deorbiting.

Planned applications will include monitoring of wildfires, marine spills, floods, air quality, soil moisture, and the effects of climate change, delivering scientific, environmental, and economic benefits to support both public and private decision-making.

For the development of the satellite platform, AVS Added Value Solutions has been selected as the industrial partner. The initiative is part of the Tenerife Space Horizon programme, supported by a €78 million investment over five years and aimed at strengthening the region’s technological positioning.

The award also represents a strategic milestone for Telespazio Ibérica, marking its first leadership in Spain of an end-to-end space project of this scale, consolidating the Telespazio Group’s role in Earth observation services and opening new international development opportunities.

Other News & Stories

09.10.2026
Telespazio Benelux to build the ground infrastructure for ESA’s lunar ice-hunting mission

Telespazio Benelux will lead a European consortium, with EarthLab Luxembourg and Astro42, to deliver and operate the control centre for PROSPECT, ESA’s mission to drill for water ice and other volatile chemicals at the lunar south pole, with a drill developed and built by Leonardo.

08.10.2026
e-GEOS: Board of Directors appoints Cristina Sgubin as Chief Executive Officer

The Board of Directors of e-GEOS, a joint venture between Telespazio (80%) and the Italian Space Agency (20%), has unanimously appointed Attorney Cristina Sgubin as Chief Executive Officer of the company. Sgubin will also be responsible for Telespazio’s Geo Information Line of Business.

06.10.2026
ispace, Leonardo and Telespazio Sign Memorandum of Understanding to Collaborate on Lunar Exploration
  • The MoU builds on existing cooperation between ispace and Telespazio further expanding the areas of potential cooperation also leveraging on Leonardo space capabilities in robotics and AI applied to space exploration, strengthening Europe’s and Japan roles in the emerging cislunar economy.

  • The partnership will advance interoperability of lunar infrastructure and services to support global lunar exploration and explore ispace’s lunar transportation capabilities, with the European Space Agency’s Moonlight programme led by Telespazio, part of Leonardo Group, being the first opportunity to implement it.

25.09.2026
Fucino Space Centre: from the first "ping" to the future of the Internet

Prof. Luciano Lenzini, a pioneer in bringing the Internet to Italy, met with Telespazio engineers and technicians at the Fucino Space Centre, through which the first Internet link between Italy and the United States passed 40 years ago.

09.10.2026
Telespazio Benelux to build the ground infrastructure for ESA’s lunar ice-hunting mission

Telespazio Benelux will lead a European consortium, with EarthLab Luxembourg and Astro42, to deliver and operate the control centre for PROSPECT, ESA’s mission to drill for water ice and other volatile chemicals at the lunar south pole, with a drill developed and built by Leonardo.

08.10.2026
e-GEOS: Board of Directors appoints Cristina Sgubin as Chief Executive Officer

The Board of Directors of e-GEOS, a joint venture between Telespazio (80%) and the Italian Space Agency (20%), has unanimously appointed Attorney Cristina Sgubin as Chief Executive Officer of the company. Sgubin will also be responsible for Telespazio’s Geo Information Line of Business.

06.10.2026
ispace, Leonardo and Telespazio Sign Memorandum of Understanding to Collaborate on Lunar Exploration
  • The MoU builds on existing cooperation between ispace and Telespazio further expanding the areas of potential cooperation also leveraging on Leonardo space capabilities in robotics and AI applied to space exploration, strengthening Europe’s and Japan roles in the emerging cislunar economy.

  • The partnership will advance interoperability of lunar infrastructure and services to support global lunar exploration and explore ispace’s lunar transportation capabilities, with the European Space Agency’s Moonlight programme led by Telespazio, part of Leonardo Group, being the first opportunity to implement it.

25.09.2026
Fucino Space Centre: from the first "ping" to the future of the Internet

Prof. Luciano Lenzini, a pioneer in bringing the Internet to Italy, met with Telespazio engineers and technicians at the Fucino Space Centre, through which the first Internet link between Italy and the United States passed 40 years ago.