LINCE: Industrialization Line for Payloads and Space Platforms

Description of the project

The LINCE project aims to develop a modular satellite platform for low Earth orbits, oriented toward mass production, combining high performance with reliability and low cost. Its demonstrator application is the STARTICAL constellation, which will serve to validate critical technologies in communications and new industrial processes. With this, LINCE seeks to position the Spanish space sector as a benchmark in comprehensive low-orbit solutions and advance toward strategic autonomy in the microsatellite segment.

Industrial partners

Indra's rol

Indra Espacio SLU is the coordinator of the LINCE project, leading the preliminary design of the modular platform and the definition of mission, system, and subsystem requirements. Its key responsibilities include system-level activities, such as the development of the CONOPS and the selection of architectures through trade-off studies. In addition, Indra will develop Flat Spacecraft and Flat Payload demonstrators composed of prototypes of the identified critical technologies, integrating digital twins and advanced automated design techniques to optimize constellation deployment and maintenance operations. It is also promoting the definition and validation of digital production processes aimed at mass production of satellites, key to enabling high-speed constellations.

Universities and technology centers subcontracted

Technologies employed

Hardware and software that will enable the constellation, such as aeronautical Space-VHF, Space ADS-B, inter-satellite communications, design process optimization, artificial intelligence for data management, machine learning, industrialization of the production line, interface with the launcher for configuration optimization during launch, and automation of mission control and communications management.

More information

This Project, with file number PTEG-20241001, has been financed by Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico y la Innovación (CDTI) within the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan (Aerospace PERTE) Order (CNU/462/2024, of May 10).