Speech by the President of the Government of Spain at the closing ceremony of the Space Congress 'One Country, One Space'

Mutua Madrileña Auditorium, Madrid

SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE GOVERNMENT OF SPAIN, PEDRO SÁNCHEZ

Thank you very much, Minister for Science, Innovation and Universities, dear Diana; Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Universities, Chief of Staff of the Spanish Air and Space Force, Director of the Spanish Space Agency, Director of the European Space Agency, authorities, ladies and gentlemen, good morning.

Dear Joseph, thank you for joining us for the Third edition of the Spanish Space Congress, held under the theme 'One country, One space'. Having you here allows us to recognize your leadership at the helm of ESA. So let me add: One country, One continent, One space'.

Switching to Spanish, I would like to thank all the speakers, including the participants in this forum, for their attendance and also sharing a story. 91 years ago, a Spanish military man and engineer designed a very unique invention. It was a pressure suit with an airtight helmet. It was made of wool, rubber and steel and could climb to an altitude of up to 25 kilometres and therefore solved problems of mobility, radio communication and also thermal regulation. The engineer's name was, as representatives of the Armed Forces will know, Emilio Herrera Linares, and his device was called the stratospheric space suit.

The first test flight was planned for the summer of 1936. It was never carried out for obvious reasons, but in any case, the design, which fell into oblivion, like its exiled and equally forgotten creator, leaves us with important lessons. Because I believe that Emilio Herrera's life embodies many paradoxes of our country, but also an important lesson, as I mentioned before, which is that we have never lacked talent or inventiveness in Spain. There was never a shortage of dreaming spirits and daring minds. The only thing we lacked was the courage to answer affirmatively a question that we have always asked ourselves as a society: Why can't we do it in Spain? Why shouldn't we be able to be leaders in sectors that seemed reserved exclusively for other countries?

Today, if you'll allow me to address you informally, I feel deeply honoured to participate in this event with all of you, with those who answer these questions with a resounding yes and a clear affirmation that Spain can be a European leader in the space sector as well. Because we are already beginning to be so, and I believe the director's words have been sufficiently eloquent to demonstrate this. But these are words backed by data, data that proves it. For example, investment in R&D grew at a rate of over 17% in sales. In terms of turnover for the space sector, we reached around €1.5 billion last year, in 2025. With regard to employment, while figures were previously provided for the entire European Union, nearly 8,000 highly skilled jobs have been created in this sector. In 2024, we were the second-largest European country in space venture capital, second only to a major economy like Germany, and in just two funding rounds, two Spanish companies jointly raised €300 million in investment.

I believe this, if anything, points to a promising future for a sector that continues to grow, as you have surely already discussed. With companies offering solutions using satellite data, fundamental for European strategic autonomy, and others dedicated to observation with increasingly better capabilities-which is also very important for public administrations, for example, in civil protection emergencies resulting from climate emergencies. There are also companies designing equipment to reduce space debris, one of the biggest challenges facing the aerospace industry, as you know.

In short, what I want to emphasise is that all these companies, and many others that shape this ecosystem, demonstrate the success of this bold commitment we-the private sector and the public sector as a whole-have made together. A commitment in which the Government of Spain has evidently invested resources, means, intelligence and political will. In short, never before has such a partnership been achieved between the public and private sector.

And I also think it is important to underline that we have done so by overcoming resistance, prejudices and inertia that are always difficult to overcome or resolve. The same inertia that feeds the same old attitudes, those who believe that our country has little or nothing to contribute to innovative sectors like yours or theirs. Those who hold the opinion that Spain must base its economic growth on low value-added activities. Of course, these are important, but it is also clear that the world is undergoing a transformation, that we are laying the foundations for a different kind of competitiveness, and Spain also has capabilities to contribute to this. Those who ultimately ignore the fact that for every euro invested in the European Space Agency, there is a guaranteed 100% return in contracts for Spanish companies.

Some people think that space is the preserve of a handful of eccentric millionaires, and I think there is some risk in that too. This is why this public-private partnership is important. Eccentric billionaires playing at being gods and founding private colonies on Mars or beyond. I think that's very different from what Spain does, and certainly from what Europe does, because we can obviously leave megalomania and delusion to them. For us, I believe that common sense, the responsibility of knowing that the only space race worthwhile is the one that improves the lives of ordinary people here on Earth, is the one that truly matters and can give us all a future of security and prosperity.

That's why I think it's important to always remember that the space race is not a race of egos; it is a race full of opportunities, and there are many reasons to approach it with ambition. And in this speech, I'd like to highlight three in particular.

The first, as mentioned before, is the real impact that this investment, your sector, has on our daily lives. One example is the Sentinel satellites of the European Copernicus programme, which monitor our fields, measure soil moisture, detect water stress and warn of pests. This allows farmers, in particular, to irrigate only where needed and harvest at the optimal time. In short, a resource as scarce as water, as we know in our country, instead of being wasted, can be a quality product that efficiently allows us to improve the extraordinary raw materials we have in our country.

These same satellites tell us where a forest fire is spreading in real time. It is something that I have had the honour of witnessing first-hand. Or they warn us when a river might overflow, as we all know, and particularly the Minister for Science, Diana Morant, who comes from the Valencian Community. In short, it also allows us to save lives. So clearly the investment is positive because there is a direct positive impact on the daily lives of our fellow citizens.

Secondly, the space industry, in the view of the Government of Spain, is crucial for Europe's strategic autonomy. The Director General mentioned this earlier, and I believe it is fundamental, especially considering the very difficult situations we have witnessed in recent years, particularly during the war in Ukraine.

Let's think about it. For years, Ukraine has been defending its territory with military communications dependent on a private company, a system owned by one person, just one person, the same person who has repeatedly threatened to cut off the service and, incidentally, unilaterally decided which areas of the front line would or would not have coverage. This is not, you see, it's not even dependence anymore, it's servitude or even worse, slavery, and therefore I believe that Europe cannot be a servant or slave of anyone. Europe must be master of its own destiny. I say this in these coarse words precisely so that we are aware of how much is at stake: secure military communications, the navigation of our aircraft and ships, the management of our emergencies, the integrity of our critical infrastructures.

And what's at stake here is precisely space. Therefore, all this requires strong European companies, able to compete with the giants of other powers. And that is why Spain, of course, supports the efforts. I have always said this, whenever I have had the opportunity, to industry representatives. Spain supports efforts to consolidate European businesses in the space sector, with the intention of participating significantly, as a major economy within the European context.

That's why we invest in national capabilities like SpainSat NG-I, which is part of our own secure military communications system. We are also committed to companies that are already established, and I have had the opportunity to visit their projects, such as PLD Space and the Miura 5 launcher. This is a significant milestone that I believe will position Spain as a leader thanks to its future large reusable launcher. Furthermore, I find the words of the ESA Director General regarding this project and its importance to the European strategic autonomy I mentioned earlier very gratifying and insightful.

That is why we are also firmly committed to the Iris Square programme. And in this regard, I would like to make an announcement: the government, through the Ministries of Defence and Industry, will launch the Special Modernisation Programme this year to finance the development of Iris Square, which will provide Spain with its own satellite capabilities, with national coverage and secure communications for deployments of interest to national defence. What will this mean? First and foremost, a great opportunity for the development and consolidation of the national industrial value chain, both in satellite manufacturing and in its ground segment. In short, in the government's eyes, it is a question of Europe making real and effective progress in this space sovereignty, consistent with the ambition to be just that, sovereign in the strategic domains of the future. That is what we aspire to no more and no less.

And thirdly, we embrace the space race with ambition because it helps us grow, and above all, grow better. Why? Because it forces us to invest in what we call innovation, training and talent, which are levers of development and competitiveness present in the 21st century and in the year 2026. This, by the way, is already happening. Today we are creating jobs in science and technology, double the EU average, and making progress in industrial employment with double-digit growth rates, in contrast to widespread declines in neighbouring countries.

In other words, I believe that not only are we moving forward as a country, but I believe we are moving in the right direction, embracing sectors of very high potential. So, Spain not only can, but wants to be a true space power, and in that sense, we are very aware of our commitment and that our framework must be Europe. I believe that path has already been partially paved because we have made decisions, and I also believe that we have made the right decisions at the right time. I think we got it right. Allow me to speak in support of the government on this issue. I think we were right when we created this strategic project that has this ugly acronym, PERTE Aerospace, which has mobilised no less than 2.3 billion euros thanks to the Next Generation funds.

We were right when we invested more than ever before in scholarships: more than 2.5 billion euros. And we were also right-and I think it's very important to emphasise this-in elevating vocational training, in investing in it with qualifications linked to the future, not to the past, as was the case until 2018, before we began this modernisation process that culminated in the new Vocational Training Law, or when we obviously promoted a record investment of 24 billion euros-a staggering sum-in R&D. I believe we have collectively got it right by making Spain the fourth largest contributor to the European Space Agency.

And I say collectively because the Government has also achieved this thanks to the support of industry; support, applause, recognition and collaboration, and I also want to express my gratitude for this, because they have made our work much easier. 455 million euros annually, more than triple the amount in 2017.

And I also believe-as the minister reminded me earlier, when referring to the Director General of the Agency in Spain-that the creation of the Spanish Space Agency was a wise decision, and that it is no coincidence that we chose a city other than Madrid, because from the perspective of territorial cohesion, it is also important to bring state administrations closer to the citizens. I believe that Seville hosting this Spanish Space Agency is also a commitment to territorial diversity and to the potential of many of our country's capital cities.

Ultimately, the opportunities in this sector must reach every corner of the country. This is how seemingly impossible milestones are reached, such as the director of our space agency now being the president of the Council of the European Space Agency. So, what immense pride it is for all of us to have Juan Carlos here, for what he represents to you, of course, but above all for what he represents to Spain: that we are entering the space race in grand style, as we deserve, with our own voice, and with the capacity, why not, to co-lead it alongside other nations. And I also believe, and with this I conclude, that this door has immediate returns.

That is why today I would like to announce that the European Space Astronomy Centre is going to significantly expand its capabilities in our country, in Spain, and it is also going to do so by incorporating a Space Science Education and Outreach Centre to bring space closer to the public in order to inspire young people. We want more Saras, we want more Pablos, we want more Pedros Duque... Of course we do. A centre tasked with operating the Digital Library of the Universe, reinforcing AESA's role as an international scientific benchmark. And a centre of excellence in space sustainability, which I believe is also important, a pioneer in something relevant: the comprehensive life cycle assessment of space systems.

I conclude, now, by referring again to Emilio Herrera, to his stratospheric spacesuit, a forgotten endeavour by a compatriot that I believe is important to remember on occasions like this. I should say almost forgotten, because decades later someone rescued his memory and did so with honours. And it was none other than NASA. And it did so by publicly acknowledging that his work had inspired the design of modern spacesuits; suits like the one worn by the first man to walk on the moon. This is what Neil Armstrong said when he presented a piece of lunar rock to one of the disciples of that visionary engineer from Granada.

Well, a few weeks ago four astronauts went further into space than any human being has ever gone before. And Spanish companies participated in this great milestone: They contributed software, electronics, component validation and the development of critical systems for the Orion module. And here in our country, a tracking station operated by the University of Seville monitored the mission's signals and trajectory in real time.

I believe that if this says anything, it's about Spain's presence in space, a legacy rooted in the memory of pioneers, like Emilio Herrera, of course, in a present marked by companies brimming with talent, innovation and immense courage, and in a future that I believe is brilliant-it undoubtedly is-and which is embodied by our astronauts, Sara and Pablo. I had the opportunity to meet them personally, and they struck me as not only highly qualified but also genuinely good people, genuine individuals who want to contribute, to build, and ultimately, to add something positive from their experience in this wonderful journey of being an astronaut.

I believe that this is the essence of the shared vision of those of us here today: the belief that Europe, and Spain in particular, can be courageous and dare to take on anything. Also when we talk about space.

That's all. So, thank you very much.

(Transcript edited by the State Secretariat for Communication)