The president of the Gran Canaria Island Council, Antonio Morales, defended the need to place the island within the national and European space development strategy, highlighting the historical and current role of the National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA) in the south of the island. Morales recalled that Gran Canaria "has been looking to the sky for centuries," first through the astronomical observations of ancient Canarians in sites like Risco Caído, and today with cutting-edge technological complexes that make it an international benchmark.
“The half-century of Spanish management of the Canary Islands Space Center coincides with a key moment: the need to preserve, disseminate, and multiply a legacy that risks fading into memory,” stated the island president. The island leader reviewed the modern history of the Maspalomas complex, which began with the arrival of NASA in 1959. From there, support was provided for the Mercury and Gemini missions, and the historic Apollo 11. Following the transfer of the station to Spain in 1975, INTA has managed the center for almost 50 years, participating in ESA and JAXA missions, as well as telecommunications and global rescue projects.
Currently, the Canary Islands Space Center has more than 40 antennas and a staff made up mostly of Canarian professionals. "It is an example of how a vocation for space also translates into skilled employment, local talent, and technological development," Morales emphasized. The island president also highlighted the construction of the Atlantic Network of Geodynamic and Space Stations (RAEGE) station in Temisas, Agüimes, which will feature a state-of-the-art radio telescope, an atomic clock, and high-precision systems for geodynamic studies and planetary observation. With an investment of nearly six million euros, it will be integrated into a cutting-edge international network.
Morales insisted that Gran Canaria cannot be excluded from the programs of the Spanish Space Agency (AEE), the Aerospace PERTE (Perte Aeroespacial), and the European funds allocated to this strategic sector. "INTA's experience cannot be ignored. Defense and Science cannot turn their backs on each other, but rather join forces and coordinate objectives," he stated. "The legacy of Maspalomas and Montaña Blanca is not a mere memory, but a platform for the future. Recognizing the role the island played in the lunar landing or in subsequent missions is also a way to inspire new generations and place the archipelago in its rightful place in space exploration," he concluded.
