Telespazio Ibérica wins a 22 million geo-information innovation contract in the Canary Islands to fight fires with drones and satellites

14 February 2024

Telespazio Ibérica, in a joint venture led by the company Pegasus Aero Group, has won a 22-million-euro contract tendered by the Canary Islands Government, and financed with European Funds, for the development of innovative solutions.

The company will develop these new technologies from start to finish with the use of aeronautical and aerospace vehicles such as drones, pseudo-satellites (HAPs and MALE) and satellites in a project that will last almost two years, create quality jobs and contribute to the diversification of the area's economy.

 

Fernando Clavijo, President of the Canary Islands Government, Dolores Garcià Martinez, President of the Cabildo Insular of Fuertevenura, Carlos Fernández de la Peña, CEO of Telespazio Ibèrica.

 

This is the most important project currently being developed at a national level and will use this type of aircraft to generate information, which has become a decisive tool for the prevention and extinguishing of forest fires.

The Government of the Canary Islands needs this technology in order to combat the fires that hit the islands particularly hard in 2023 with more and better resources. Tenerife suffered the worst fire of the year in Spain, with almost 15,000 hectares burnt, representing 37% of the forested area and 19% of all the forest area burnt in the country.

"This contract connects perfectly with our company strategy to develop geo-information applications and solutions that benefit people and are directly related to sustainability. It also confirms that the commitment we have made to technological innovation with drones and satellites makes us a solid technological partner of the Public Administrations, adding Fuerteventura and the Canary Islands to an increasingly extensive presence in other autonomous communities."

Carlos Fernández de la Peña, CEO of Telespazio Ibérica

Through this contract, Telespazio Ibérica has becomes a strategic partner of the Government of the Canary Islands when there is strong commitment to the aerospace industry from the Fuerteventura Technology Park. Its contribution as a technology driver will foster the development in this sector of an ecosystem of companies, especially SMEs, which can benefit from these innovations.

This programme is part of the Canary Islands 2030 Geo Innovation Programme promoted by the Government of the Canary Islands and the Fuerteventura Island Government. It is a programme for Earth observation, intelligent environmental management and communications.

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