On 9 and 10 November, the Palacio Fibes in Seville hosted the 2nd Space Congress, a leading event and new can’t-miss forum for analyzing the current state of the space sector and where it’s heading. Industry professionals, universities, public agencies, and other Spanish and European institutions gathered in Spain again for the second edition of the congress, organized by the Spanish Association of Defense, Security, Aeronautics, and Space Technology Companies (TEDAE) in collaboration with the Spanish Space Agency with the goal of creating a forum for conversations to explore the sector’s capabilities and share the challenges, goals, and opportunities anticipated for the coming years.

Amparo Valcarce, Spanish Secretary of State for Defense, opened the conference, while Teresa Riesgo, Secretary General of Innovation for Spain's Ministry of Science and Innovation, and Ricardo Martí Fluxá, President of TEDAE, led the closing event. The two days of the conference saw various talks and round-table discussions with renowned participants, addressing topics such as sustainability and Earth observation; the immediate future through navigation, launchers, science, and exploration; space connectivity and security; the conclusions of Space Week, and the Spanish Space Agency.

On the first day of the 2023 Space Congress, GMV’s General Manager of Satellite Navigation Systems, Miguel Romay, participated in the round-table discussion on “The Immediate Future: Navigation, Launchers, Science, and Exploration.” Romay shared his thoughts on what the near future holds in terms of satellite navigation systems, highlighting the progress made in the services offered by European global navigation satellite system Galileo, as well as the improvements in the accuracy, authentication, and implementation of its Public Regulated Service (PRS).

Romay also discussed the new Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations, particularly the European Union’s LEO-PNT initiative, addressed users’ growing demand for greater accuracy, integrity, and resistance, and highlighted the importance of expanding Satellite-Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS) worldwide, promoting the concept of SBAS Gobal as an essential service in this field.

Meanwhile, Jorge Potti, Corporate Manager of Strategy at GMV and Vice-President of Space at TEDAE, participated in the “Spanish Space Agency” round-table discussion, moderated by the president of the agency itself, Miguel Belló, and featuring leading representatives from the Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency (ALCE), Argentina’s National Space Activities Commission (CONAE), Spanish public engineering company INECO, and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).

The 2nd Space Congress was part of Seville Space Week, which took place from 6 to 10 November and included major European and international events related to outer space, such as the European Space Agency's (ESA) ministerial meetings and the Informal Meeting of Ministers (IMM) on Competitiveness (Space), as well as EU Space Week, organized by the European Commission and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) in collaboration with the Spanish presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Some of our colleagues at GMV had a leading role in EU Space Week activities, such as GMV’s Space Surveillance and Traffic Management Manager, Alberto Águeda, who was part of a round-table discussion on Space Traffic Management (STM). The session addressed challenges related to STM, an essential component when it comes to guaranteeing the sustainability of outer space, promoting the competitiveness of the industry, and strengthening strategic autonomy in this field.