Maspalomas isn't just about sun, dunes, and tourists. It also looks to space. From a discreet plot of land between El Tablero and Montaña Blanca, the National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA) operates one of the most sensitive nodes of Spanish defense. And now, with the creation of the Spanish Air Force and Space Force, its strategic role is increasing.
"We're entering a new dimension of the conflict, and Maspalomas has a lot to offer," military sources explained to Maspalomas24H. What began more than 60 years ago as a NASA auxiliary station during Apollo XI has now become a critical infrastructure for surveillance, tracking, and sovereignty in orbit.
A key military enclave on the southern border
From its antennas, some measuring up to 15 meters in diameter, Maspalomas manages data from Spanish, European, and allied satellites. The station has supported recent launches such as SpainSat NG 1 and regularly collaborates with ESA. But its immediate future looks even higher—and more tense.
The challenge is clear: Maspalomas must become a military center fully integrated into the aerospace defense architecture, with NATO protocols, enhanced security, and qualified military-technical personnel. In other words: go from being "useful" to being strategic.
The plans include everything from new cyberattack protection systems to the ability to detect suspicious maneuvers in low and geosynchronous orbit. The center will be able to alert if a hostile satellite approaches a Spanish satellite, or if a collision occurs that jeopardizes communications.
Maspalomas will also be key for the deployment and control of dual-use satellites (civil and military), which are increasingly crucial for tasks such as maritime traffic surveillance, natural disaster response, and border control from space.
Training and exercises with the Air Force and Space Force
INTA's technical staff works closely with military personnel specializing in space operations. The goal is to train the first "space operators" in the Canary Islands, capable of managing orbital emergencies, interference, and even conflict simulations in cyberspace.
In addition, joint exercises are being prepared with bases such as Gando and Torrejón, as well as real-time simulations with European partners.
The Canary Islands on the map of European defense
Its geographic location makes Maspalomas a unique asset: clean coverage of the orbital equator, proximity to the African continent, low electromagnetic pollution, and an ideal climate for uninterrupted monitoring of critical missions.
In an international context where space is already a contested domain—like the air, the sea, or cyberspace—having a base like this one in the south of Gran Canaria is much more than a scientific curiosity: it is technological and strategic sovereignty.
From NASA to the orbital shield
Maspalomas was the first place in Spain to receive signals from the Moon in 1969. Today, it is preparing to become part of the Spanish orbital shield.
While thousands of tourists stroll through Meloneras or the Dunes without realizing it, just a few kilometers away, operators and military personnel are working connected to space. From here, our country's critical infrastructure is protected, threats are monitored, and satellites that guarantee our communications and security are controlled.
And they do it from Maspalomas. Because the future—including that of defense—is at stake up there.
