One-liner: the Valencian aerospace industry cluster association — coordinates sector representation, competitiveness, and test capacity, including real-environment drone/UAV validation (U-space tests at the Port of Valencia). Backed by a 2025 Generalitat collaboration agreement.
What a founder gets
- Sector representation and visibility — the cluster acts as the collective voice of the Valencian aerospace industry to public administrations, nationally and internationally.
- Test/validation access — coordinates real-environment drone/UAV testing under U-space rules at the Port of Valencia (via Valenciaport Sandbox partnership) — genuine physical/regulatory testbed access, not just networking.
- Peer network of aerospace companies, universities and research centres — members include public institutions, companies, airports, universities, and research labs; useful for supplier/partner discovery and technology transfer.
- Talent/training pipeline — one of the cluster's five strategic action areas is explicitly "fomento de la formación en el sector aeroespacial."
- Visibility/PR channel — the cluster's news page regularly covers member milestones (funding, records, contracts), a low-cost way for a small aerospace startup to get sector press.
Who it's for
- Aerospace, space, drone/UAV, and adjacent deep-tech companies (early to growth stage) based in or serving the Comunitat Valenciana.
- Best fit once a company has a product needing real-world flight/space validation or wants collective sector lobbying power — less relevant at pure idea stage.
How to engage
- Membership: espaiaerocv.es → "¿Quieres unirte?" / "Únete" (structured as an association — "socios").
- Contact: info@espaiaerocv.es · +34 688 733 466.
- U-space/drone testing access: engage through the cluster's coordination role with Valenciaport Sandbox and the Port Authority.
Key facts
- Legal form: industry association (CIF G-09796962), based in Valencia; formalized via a 2025 collaboration agreement with the Generalitat (Conselleria d'Innovació, Indústria, Comerç i Turisme) "para el fomento de la innovación en el sector aeroespacial en la Comunitat Valenciana."
- Governance/board (Junta Directiva): President Pepe Nieto (CEO, Comet Ingeniería); Vice-president Raúl Verdú (Co-Founder & CBDO, PLD Space); Secretary Francho García (Co-founder & CBDO, Arkadia Space); Treasurer Manuel Muñoz (CEO, Fentiss); Vocales: Aaron G. De Bernardis (CEO, NAX), Juan Peña Ibáñez (CEO, Orbital EOS), Antonio Bedmar (Founder, Abionica Solutions), Vicente Boria (UPV); Gerente: Angélica Robles.
- Five strategic action areas: (1) sector representation in the CV, (2) promoting competitiveness of the aerospace business fabric, (3) strengthening regional public-sector support for the sector, (4) fostering sector training, (5) environmental/socioeconomic impact of the aerospace sector.
- 2026 ecosystem milestones reported via the cluster: Faraday Rocketry (university rocketry team) set a Spanish apogee record of 10,843 m with its "Origin" rocket (previous record 7.8 km); Comet Aerospace completed the CDTI-funded FLEXWING morphing-wing project; Spirit Technologies (Beniparrell) is contributing to NASA's Artemis IV lunar mission; Orbital EOS performed satellite-based oil-spill tracking after the sinking of the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena.
- Member companies visible in cluster news span launch vehicles (PLD Space), satellites/space systems (Arkadia Space), engineering (Comet Ingeniería, FENTISS), and geospatial intelligence (Orbital EOS) — signals the cluster spans the full aerospace value chain, not just one niche.
- Full membership confirmed (2026-07-05 pass, "Socios" page): 28 socios principales — Abionica, Additium3D, Aerocas, AIDIMME, AIMPLAS, Arkadia Space, Calsens, CEVA Logistics, Comet Aerospace, EMXYS, Fentiss, FI Group, ICEYE, ITI, Lofith Composites, NAX Solutions, Nerva Technologies, Orbital EOS, Parque Científico UMH, PLD Space, Sigma Manufacturing, Spirit Technologies, UJI, UPV, UV, Urjato, VSC (Val Space Consortium), Weitec — plus 6 socios colaboradores (Stem Talent, Space Apps, Euroace, EQA, Space Camp Valencia, Invest in VLC). Confirms Aerocas is a full member, corroborating the existing partners:: edge with a primary-source citation (not just inference).
- Contact re-verified 2026-07-05: info@espaiaerocv.es · +34 688 733 466 · Twitter @aerocv_ · LinkedIn · Instagram @espai_cv_ — unchanged vs. prior capture. Board (Pepe Nieto presidente, etc.) and news feed also unchanged vs. the 2026-07-02 baseline — no new milestones since the "Orbital EOS oil-spill tracking" item (13 March 2026); site otherwise quiet this cycle.
Relations
- Funded by: IVACE+i Cluster Program
- See also: Testbeds (support)
- Runs: Espai Aero UAV Testing
- Partners with: Valenciaport Sandbox
- Partners with: Aerocas
- See also: ESA BIC Valencia Region
- See also: Aerospace-Drone (niche)