On 17 September 2013 the Secretary of State for Defense, Pedro Argüelles, accompanied by the Secretary General for Industry, Luis Valero, chaired in Madrid the event to celebrate termination of the integration of the Spanish earth observation satellite Paz. Both Argüelles and Valero stressed the strategic character of this program in terms of investment, skills training and support for the international position of Spain’s space sector. These words were echoed by Miguel Angel Panduro, CEO of Hispasat who highlighted the program’s success as a model of public/private collaboration and also expressed his appreciation and recognition of the firms that have collaborated in the program, including GMV. 

The Spanish satellite PAZ, scheduled for launch in 2014, has been supplied by GMV with its mission control center, including all platform-planning and image-capturing aspects, orbital control and antenna pointing plus management and monitoring of communications and onboard equipment. GMV will also provide the user-management and radarimage- distribution system, designed for applications of supervision, highresolution cartography, border control, tactical support for missions abroad, crisis- and risk-management, assessment of natural catastrophes, environmental control and on-sea surveillance.

PAZ comes under the National Earth Observation Program (Programa Nacional de Observación de la Tierra: PNOT) created by the Ministry of Defense and Industry and the Ministryof Tourism and Trade back in 2007 and comprising another, optical technology satellite called INGENIO, for which GMV is also developing the control center. PAZ and INGENIO will facilitate global observation of the national territory, making Spain Europe’s first country with a dual observation system (optical and radar) with a twofold use, civil and military. Once operative, these satellites will lend themselves to a whole host of applications. The role played by GMV in both satellites reinforces the company’s leadership in the design and implementation of satellite ground control systems.