Last Thursday April 15, the tests on the IBDM project being developed by SENER for the ESA were held at the facilities of the National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA) in Ajalvir (Madrid). The Associate Administrator for Space Operations of the NASA, William H. Gerstenmaier, flew in to watch the tests on this system, which is fundamental for the future of space exploration.

In his trip from Washington to Holland, where he had a meeting scheduled, William H. Gerstenmaier decided to stop off in Madrid to check out the progress on the berthing and docking system between spaceships known as IBDM (International Berthing and Docking Mechanism). The importance that the NASA associate administrator attaches to this project is due, among other reasons, to the fact that space exploration has become a matter of cooperation between the different world space agencies, which also requires installations and validations that can only be performed in orbit, and which are essential for the future of space exploration.

The IBDM mechanism developed by SENER since 2005 is the fruit of groundbreaking berthing activities undertaken in engineering more than 20 years ago. The ESA chose SENER to lead work on the IBDM, the universal berthing element, and to develop the dynamic simulation model. The element consists of a berthing system for spacecraft, which minimises impact by controlling the forces of contact and magnetic pick up. Its mechanism, called "soft-docking", compatible with NASA's, is precisely what attracted administrator Gerstenmaier's attention in his lightning visit to Spain. The development of the IBDM in general, and more particularly of this new “soft-docking” concept, has been possible thanks to the support provided by the Spanish Administration.

Gerstenmaier highlighted the privileged situation of the European space industry, ahead of other powers such as the United States and Canada. He also congratulated SENER for its work, and the INTA and GMV, as joint participants in the installation of the tests, for having developed a system of verification that is not currently available in his own country.