GMV and the Real Betis pro soccer team have installed unique infrastructure in Seville for satellite tracking and space sustainability

 GMV and the Real Betis pro soccer team’s Forever Green sustainability platform inaugurated a satellite surveillance, tracking, and collision prediction station developed by GMV. Located at the Rafael Gordillo Sports Complex near Seville, it will now be providing key data for Europe’s space monitoring system.

Installation of this infrastructure is the result of a groundbreaking collaboration that brings together GMV’s technological leadership and Forever Green’s capacity for raising environmental awareness and encouraging action, with the shared aim of promoting responsible use of space and our planet.

After the President of the Real Betis pro soccer club, Ángel Haro, had presented some opening remarks to welcome those in attendance, the manager of the Real Betis Balompié Foundation, Rafa Muela, explained that “this antenna is a symbol of innovation and commitment to our planet, and it represents further progress with our club’s strategy to contribute to our shared desire of creating a more sustainable future. With everything from green mobility to recycling to energy efficiency, we want Real Betis to continue with its ongoing efforts to become an international role model for sustainability in sports, and today we’re taking another step forward with this commitment to an alliance that is literally out of this world.”

With more than four decades of experience working in the space industry, GMV is now playing a key role in Europe’s space situational awareness (SSA) and space surveillance and tracking (SST) systems, which are essential for ensuring the safety and operability of the orbital environment. These capabilities, which allow detection and classification of objects in orbit and prediction of collision risks, are the basis for the technology used in the Focusear system.

In this context, GMV was looking for a secure and stable place in southern Spain to install a new satellite dish as part of its space debris monitoring activities. To be suitable, the location would need to have good visibility of the sky, electrical connectivity, and accessibility. Since 2005, the company has maintained a presence in the city of Seville, and it has been an active participant in projects related to the space and technology industries in the surrounding region of Andalusia. Fortunately, GMV was able to find an ideal partner with Real Betis and its Forever Green platform, to bring together technology, sustainability, and community outreach.
The new satellite dish in Seville is part of GMV’s nationwide network of Focusear stations, joining those already in operation in Madrid, Valladolid, and Barcelona. Thanks to this technology, millions of people around the world will be able to enjoy reliable, uninterrupted sports broadcasts and communication services, based on satellite systems that are better protected and more sustainable.

Technical details of the infrastructure

The infrastructure installed at the Rafael Gordillo Sports Complex consists of a passive parabolic antenna, better known as a satellite dish, which is 2.7 meters in diameter. It has been designed to receive signals transmitted by the corresponding satellites without generating any emissions or electromagnetic interference, which ensures the full security of its operation.

The Focusear system has been developed entirely by GMV, and it allows automated tracking of all satellites transmitting signals to Europe from geostationary orbit (about 36,000 km above Earth) on the Ku band, which is the same band used for satellite TV and communication systems. That data is used not only by the satellite operators, but also by Europe’s space surveillance systems.

GMV is currently working on expanding its system, which will soon be providing service to other longitudes covered by the geostationary orbit, as well as to low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, which are used for applications that include Earth observation and communications, among others. With addition of this new antenna in Seville, GMV’s network will now have four active stations in Spain (Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, and Seville), operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The Rafael Gordillo Sports Complex: a model for sustainability in the world of sports

Inaugurated in October of 2023, the Rafael Gordillo Sports Complex is located in the city of Dos Hermanas, just 10 kilometers from the Benito Villamarín Stadium in Seville where Real Betis plays its home matches. Conceived as a training space for the team’s up‑and‑coming young talents, the facilities represent a combination of sporting excellence and environmental responsibility, all in a modern, functional setting.

With a surface area of 209,000 square meters, the complex includes five sports fields with natural grass, four more with artificial turf, and two specialized fields exclusively for goalkeepers. It also has 36 locker rooms, seating for spectators, accessible viewing platforms for people with disabilities, and a multi‑purpose building that houses medical services, offices, and a gymnasium. All of this makes it an outstanding example of a training and development complex for young athletes, backed by the fundamental commitment that Real Betis has made to sustainability.

Energy efficiency has been prioritized at this new sports complex, and it is achieved through the use of renewable energies, climate control systems that use heat pump technology and natural ventilation, and a rainwater collection and reuse system for irrigation. In line with the European Union’s goals for 2030, the complex uses cork instead of rubber on the artificial turf fields, as well as an automated system that controls the lighting, irrigation, and climate control, along with the security system that includes more than 75 cameras distributed throughout the facilities. Thanks to this environmental commitment, Real Betis has become the first Spanish soccer team, and the second in all of Europe, to be registered as compliant with the strict standards of the European Union’s Eco‑Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS), a prestigious recognition based on the club’s management system and environmental audits, with a focus on continual improvement and transparency.