Compiled with the help of artificial intelligence, based on Spanish-language information. Source below the article.
Tenerife’s own ‘Houston’: a new space hub for the Atlantic
No rockets will be blasting off towards the Moon, and no astronauts will be awaiting instructions. But Tenerife is aiming to build its very own version of Houston: a permanent ground link between Earth and space. The island’s Cabildo (insular government), through the Institute of Technology and Renewable Energy (ITER), together with CanarySat – a company belonging to Spanish tech group ARQUIMEA – is driving forward the construction of a satellite communications teleport and mission control centre. The goal is to turn Tenerife into a strategic hub for space telecommunications.
The project carries an official budget of €18.2 million, of which around €12 million will come from the European Union. The remaining €6 million will be split equally between CanarySat and ITER, with each contributing close to €3 million. Work is scheduled to take 36 months, running until November 2028, and the scheme has been selected under the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility-Digital programme.
Why Houston?
The nod to Houston is no accident. That is where NASA’s historic Johnson Space Center is located, which for decades has been one of the world’s leading centres for controlling crewed space missions. It is also the source of the famous phrase “Houston, we’ve had a problem”, popularised by the Apollo 13 mission. The Tenerife project operates on a different scale and with a different purpose, but shares a fundamental idea: having ground infrastructure capable of maintaining the link with what is happening in space.
What is a teleport and how will it work?
The aim is to launch a satellite telecommunications port, commonly known as a teleport. This is a ground station fitted with large parabolic antennas that acts as a bridge between Earth’s communication networks and satellites. Its mission will be to receive digital signals from terrestrial networks, send them into space and, in the opposite direction, capture information coming down from satellites and distribute it across local networks.
But Tenerife’s teleport will be far more than a collection of big antennas. The project envisages a full-blown technology platform, capable of controlling and tracking satellites, transmitting and receiving information, downloading, processing and storing space data, and providing telemetry, tracking, command and antenna hosting services. It will also make it possible to manage satellite networks and missions from Tenerife, serving telecom operators, Earth observation programmes and other aerospace activities.
The infrastructure will incorporate a Satellite Operations Centre (SOC) and a Network Operations Centre (NOC). It will be ready to work with low, medium and geostationary Earth orbit satellites – LEO, MEO and GEO – belonging both to CanarySat and to third parties. That last feature is especially significant: the facility will be open and multi-operator, capable of providing services to different companies, missions and constellations. The aim is to broaden the potential market and attract international technological activity to Tenerife.
The heart of the operation: antennas and data
The core of the facility will be its large parabolic antennas, designed to guarantee the power and precision needed to establish communications over vast distances. Around them, however, will sit far more complex infrastructure, ready to convert signals travelling between Earth and space into useful information for businesses, institutions and users. The possibilities are numerous. A teleport can facilitate communications with isolated territories and maintain links with ships, aircraft and Earth observation networks.
In Tenerife’s case, the infrastructure will be particularly geared towards space sector services, from satellite tracking and control to the reception, processing and distribution of data generated by their instruments. The location is one of its main advantages. The teleport will be installed at ITER, where it will integrate with the D-ALiX data centre, the Teide supercomputer and future advanced computing capabilities, as well as the terrestrial networks and submarine cables managed by Canalink. This combination will allow space information to be received, processed, stored and distributed from a single technological ecosystem.
Part of a wider strategy: Tenerife Space Horizon
The infrastructure is a key piece in the Cabildo’s strategy to transform Tenerife into a technology hub for the Atlantic. The island’s geographical position, between Europe, Africa and the Americas, combined with existing scientific and technological capabilities, is being used to attract new companies, investment and projects linked to space and telecommunications. The teleport is, in fact, one of the central infrastructures of Tenerife Space Horizon, the aerospace strategy promoted by the Cabildo. It will act as a gateway between satellites and Earth, complementing the Canary Islands Constellation, Earth observation programmes, space instrument development, and training, research and business support initiatives.
The project aims to ensure Tenerife is no longer merely a consumer of space technology, but also an operator of infrastructure and a provider of services. “We don’t want to be just users of space technology; we want to operate infrastructure, provide international services and generate employment, knowledge and new companies from Tenerife,” says Juan José Martínez, the Cabildo’s councillor for Innovation, Research and Development. The president of the Cabildo, Rosa Dávila, frames the initiative within a broader strategy of economic diversification. The European investment also serves as a vote of confidence in the project and in Tenerife’s ability to compete for major EU funding. The stated objective is to attract investment, create skilled employment and ensure a significant share of the economic and technological value generated stays on the island.
Public-private partnership at the helm
Management and operation of the infrastructure will be channelled through the company CanarySat Teleport, in which ITER is expected to hold a 45% stake. This presence will enable Tenerife to be involved not just in construction but also in the management, operation and future growth of the teleport. ITER will contribute infrastructure, public capabilities and technological expertise, while CanarySat and ARQUIMEA will bring specialist experience, access to the space market and the ability to attract international operators and clients. The model reflects a public-private collaboration formula that the Cabildo intends to use to develop strategic sectors. Public involvement is not limited to funding projects; it also participates in business ventures aimed at mobilising private investment, incorporating specialised knowledge and creating skilled jobs.
Beyond satellites: jobs, innovation and economic impact
The impact the project seeks to achieve goes well beyond satellite communications. The strategy covers diversifying the island’s economy, attracting technological investment, creating highly skilled jobs in engineering, telecommunications, data and cybersecurity, and consolidating ITER as an Atlantic technology hub. It also aims to position Tenerife as a node between Europe, Africa and the Americas, while strengthening European capabilities in secure, resilient and sovereign satellite communications.
The island has become a genuine launchpad for innovation and technology, to the point that 41 companies are currently on the waiting list to move into facilities managed by the Cabildo through the Tenerife Science and Technology Park (PCTT). Demand has outstripped available capacity, forcing the island’s corporation to look for new spaces to keep fuelling one of the economy’s most promising engines. The tech network that has grown up in Tenerife is no longer measured only by the number of companies based there, but also by the economic impact it generates. The ecosystem formed by the Science Park, ITER and associated initiatives alone moves more than €300 million a year, while the island’s broader technology sector supports around 15,000 direct and indirect jobs. These figures place innovation among the main levers of economic diversification on the island.
Look ahead: a working teleport by 2028
The infrastructure will also allow satellites to be operated from Tenerife, with space information received and processed and services provided to international operators. This marks a significant difference from other sky-watching initiatives: here, the island is not just looking upwards but aiming to become an active part of the technological chain connecting satellites to Earth. Tenerife’s ‘Houston’ is still under construction, but the project already has European funding, a budget, partners and a defined timetable. If deadlines are met, by 2028 Tenerife will have new infrastructure capable of maintaining communications with satellites in different orbits and serving companies and space missions. The idea is ambitious: to harness Tenerife’s Atlantic position and the technological capabilities accumulated over the years, turning them into an economic and strategic advantage. The teleport’s large antennas will act as a gateway for information flowing between the island and space.
What’s happening in the Canaries – straight to your phone
News, weather alerts and practical updates – direct from the islands, in English. We live here and know what’s going on – before the international media catch up. Everything lands on our WhatsApp channel – no middlemen, no algorithm. Curated for families, expats and travelers.
The giant Tenerife sandwiches that are breaking the internet
Candelaria’s new auditorium takes shape in Tenerife
Canary Islands hotels defy slowdown with record July
Canary Islands tourism tops one million visitors again in July
Tenerife’s guachinches: A taste of tradition
Where Spanish travellers are booking this summer
Hotel fire in Adeje leaves two injured
Green light for Arona solar plant despite protection concerns
Tourists fined for bathing in Santa Cruz square
