OPERANT Consortium Meets in Madrid for Technical Progress Meeting

OPERANT-project team in Madrid

In early May 2026, partners of the OPERANT Consortium gathered in Madrid for a two-day technical working session. Hosted by UTEK, the meeting brought together representatives from all active work packages for in-depth technical discussions, close coordination, and productive collaboration.

A Strong Start Through Personal Exchange

The meeting began on May 6 with a joint dinner, providing an excellent opportunity for consortium members to strengthen personal connections and prepare for the intensive working sessions ahead. The following day was dedicated to a full-day technical meeting, during which representatives from each work package presented their latest progress, reviewed upcoming milestones, and discussed current challenges.

Zippermast at the Center – Coordinator and Technology Partner

For Zippermast, the meeting held particular significance. As coordinator of the OPERANT project, the event provided a valuable opportunity to gain a comprehensive overview of project progress across all work packages and to align the next steps with consortium partners.

At the same time, Zippermast’s engineering team presented the latest developments within Work Package 6 (WP6), which focuses on mechanical integration and the design and construction of the project prototype—one of the key building blocks of the overall system.

Technical Progress Across the Work Packages

Overall, the consortium reported strong progress and a positive outlook. Key topics discussed during the meeting included:

WP1 – Project Coordination: Review of submitted deliverables, collaboration with the Advisory Board, and planning of upcoming coordination activities.

WP4 – System Concepts and Operations: Further development of the system architecture, planning of final demonstration scenarios, and discussion of regulatory and safety requirements.

WP5 – Sensor and Communication Design: Progress in sensor integration and communication systems, software architecture development, and alignment of requirements and testing strategies.

WP6 – Mechanical Integration and Landing Concepts: Current status of hardware design, landing gear development, simulation results, and the next steps towards prototype construction and testing.

WP7 – System Testing and Validation: Preparatory activities for simulations and test campaigns, validation methodologies, and planning for integrated system assessment.

In addition to the work package presentations, participants engaged in open discussions on cross-cutting topics such as system interfaces, data integration, energy consumption, and demonstration configurations. These exchanges played an important role in ensuring a consistent and well-aligned overall system design.

Looking Ahead

The meeting concluded with an agreed action plan outlining the next project activities, upcoming deliverables, and the scheduling of future work package and consortium meetings.

The collaborative spirit, openness, and commitment demonstrated throughout the two days once again highlighted the importance of face-to-face meetings for the successful delivery of a complex and technically ambitious project such as OPERANT.

A special thank you goes to UTEK for its excellent organization and hospitality, and to all consortium partners for their valuable contributions and continued dedication to the project.

Follow the progress of the project also on the website: https://operant-project.eu/