Panduro (Indra), on space activity: "We have gone from being a public expense to being a source of business"

SantanderThe space industry claims its economic impact, beyond the mysticism and symbolic weight that have traditionally surrounded it. "We have gone from planting flags to building markets, this is the great change," said the general director of Indra Space, Miguel Ángel Panduro, this Tuesday in Santander. The executive defended that "space has become a critical infrastructure for the economy" because it facilitates the operation of many other sectors, among which he highlighted the energy, logistics, and financial sectors.

This context has meant a change in government financial support, which the industry "has always needed": "We have gone from being a public expense to being a source of business and profitability," he stressed. In fact, he stated that the space industry continues to require public support, even though the private sector is "very relevant".

Indra's willingness to be "the leading company".

Consolidations and regulation

CEO of Hispasat until Indra acquired the companyOn the other hand, Panduro warned of a "certain militarization" of space, in parallel to the "growing privatization" of the sector. Faced with this trend, he called for Europe to regulate: "It is an issue that we must monitor and that we should take seriously".

The former CEO of Hispasat until Indra acquired the companyassured that SpaceX "is a great company" and that "no one doubts its future", although he added: "I have my doubts about its value". Elon Musk's space rocket and artificial intelligence company starred a couple of weeks agothe biggest IPO in history, and its valuation exceeded 2 trillion dollars.