Today, the Government kicked off the fourth satellite mission of Catalonia’s NewSpace Strategy, and the second Earth Observation mission, with the awarding of the contract to the company Open Cosmos for the execution of the mission and for the design, construction, and launch of the satellite that will provide the contracted service.

According to Business and Labour minister RogerTorrent, “we are witnessing the largest and most ambitious mission undertaken thus far, one that will continue, complement, expand, and improve the capabilities of the first Earth observation mission, Menut”. In this regard, Torrent recalled that “from 2020 until the end of 2024, the Government will have invested a total of €23 million in the NewSpace Strategy, which has not only enabled the launch of four satellite missions, one of the main cornerstones, but also propelled many other actions framed within the various areas of action of the strategy:ecosystem, talent and society, infrastructure, use cases...”.

Finally, the minister thanked the sector for its dedication: “like all the strategies in advanced digital technologies that the Government promotes, the NewSpace strategy is not just the Government’s, it belongs to everyone:it is thanks to the complicity of the whole ecosystem that we have managed to make an impact that benefits the Catalan economy and society”.

Satellite missions, a cornerstone of Catalonia’s NewSpace strategy

Promoted by the Government and with the participation of the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC), the i2CAT Foundation, and the Cartographic and Geological Institute of Catalonia (ICGC), Catalonia’s NewSpace Strategy is designed to exploit and maximise the opportunities offered by this new area of economic growth based on the use of small, low-altitude satellites and the exploitation of their data.

As such, the strategy promotes a series of specific actions, such as satellite missions, with the aim of evaluating the adoption of NewSpace technology in the services of the Government of Catalonia and driving its development in the different productive sectors. At the same time, it aims to place the Catalan space ecosystem on the international playing field in this new emerging area and promote the generation, attraction and retention of talent in Catalonia.