Spanish company developing L-band radiometers, GNSS reflectometers, software-defined radio payloads and ground-based synthetic aperture radars for small satellite and nanosatellite missions.
MWSE Space Microwave Payloads (GASPER / FMPL-2 / GBSAR)
Spanish company developing L-band radiometers, GNSS reflectometers, software-defined radio payloads and ground-based synthetic aperture radars for small satellite and nanosatellite missions.
Description
MWSE (Microwave Sensors and Electronics S.L.), formerly Balamis, is a Spanish microwave technology company that designs and builds space payloads and ground-based radar systems for Earth observation and navigation applications. Their space product portfolio includes: GASPER (Galileo Space ReceivER), a low-cost NewSpace Galileo-enabled receiver designed for in-orbit demonstration and validation missions; FMPL-2 (Flexible Microwave Payload-2), a software-defined radio payload that simultaneously operates as an L-band radiometer and GNSS-Reflectometer, flown on the 3Cat-5/A nanosatellite; and an RF front-end developed for the FSSCat nanosatellite mission's L-band radiometer and GNSS-R reflectometer channels. On the ground segment side, MWSE offers the MFFP-GBSAR (Multi-Frequency Full-Polarization Ground-Based SAR), a compact radar system for monitoring ground surface deformation and displacements under dense vegetation using multi-frequency InSAR with full polarization capability — demonstrated at agricultural and geotechnical monitoring sites. The company also develops multi-frequency microwave radiometers and reflectometers for ground and airborne platforms.
Specifications
| Space payload: gasper | Galileo-enabled in-orbit receiver for IOD/IOV missions |
|---|---|
| Space payload: fmpl-2 | L-band radiometer + GNSS-Reflectometer SDR; flown on 3Cat-5/A nanosatellite |
| Space payload: fsscat RF front-end | L-band radiometer and GNSS-R reflectometer channels for FSSCat mission |
| Ground system: mffp-gbsar | Multi-frequency full-polarization ground-based SAR for InSAR deformation monitoring |
| Frequency bands | L-band (primary); multi-frequency radar |
| Technology | Software-defined radio (SDR), L-band radiometry, GNSS reflectometry, InSAR |