The first nanosatellites of the Government will take off this Saturday, 20 March, at 07:07:12 h (CET) in the framework of the New Space Strategy of Catalonia, its commitment to the new space economy as a sector of opportunities and the future for the Catalan economy.

The launch of the Soyuz 2 rocket will carry the nanosatellite and it can be followed live via the website  www.ensposemenorbita.cat; the countdown is already activated, and the live signal will be emitted 40 minutes before the take-off time.

The first nanosatellite of the Government will enable the communication and data obtention throughout the territory, especially in areas that today do not have coverage of conventional terrestrial telecommunications networks. The nanosatellite has been developed by Open Cosmos and Sateliot —through a contract tendered by the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC)—, in a commitment by the Catalan Government to a growing sector that is expected to generate 1,200 jobs in the next 4 years and €280 million in turnover.

NewSpace Strategy

The NewSpace ecosystem in Catalonia is made up of more than 30 emerging companies, 13 research and innovation centres and a business incubator of the European Space Agency (ESA BIC Barcelona).

The launch of this nanosatellite means the launch of the satellite missions of the NewSpace Strategy of Catalonia, designed to maximize the opportunities of a new economic field, the NewSpace, based on the use of small satellites orbiting at low altitudes and data exploitation with the aim of improving the services of the Government and various productive sectors.