GMV has taken the lead on ARGUS, a European mission concept designed to improve radio-frequency interference detection and strengthen spectrum and space domain awareness. The initiative was formally launched and signed at ESA’s European Space Astronomy Centre in Villanueva de la Cañada, near Madrid, as part of the IRIS² Low-LEO pre-operational and de-risk activities under the European Space Agency’s secure connectivity programme.
ARGUS brings together GMV, Alén Space and arcsec in a distributed small-satellite architecture built around up to five 16U CubeSats. The system is intended to detect and characterise interference, geolocate emitters and track satellites and debris, while also helping protect the constellation itself. GMV signed the agreement through its Space Systems general manager, Enrique Fraga.
The project sits within the consolidation phase of IRIS², the European Union’s secure connectivity framework, where future services are being validated before operational deployment. By combining spectrum monitoring with optical observation capabilities and advanced data processing, ARGUS is positioned as a sovereign European service concept with relevance for secure communications, defence and space situational awareness markets.