This Saturday, March 20, at 07:07:12 h (Catalan time), the first of the nanosatellites that the Government of the Generalitat will put into orbit will be launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan, as part of its commitment to the new space economy as a sector of opportunities and future for the Catalan economy.
The nanosatellite, which will be launched aboard a Soyuz 2 rocket, is a three-unit CubeSat that will deploy global Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity services throughout the Catalan territory. It will enable communication and data acquisition throughout the territory, especially in areas that currently do not have coverage from conventional terrestrial telecommunications networks.
The nanosatellite has been developed by the Catalan companies Open Cosmos and Sateliot in a commitment by the Government to a growing sector that is expected to generate 1,200 jobs in the next 4 years and 280 million euros in turnover.
The 'Enxaneta' touches the sky live
The launch of the nanosatellite can be followed live through the website ensposemenorbita.cat, where the countdown has already been activated and from which the live signal will be broadcast 40 minutes before takeoff time.
The nanosatellite has been named Enxaneta by the children of Catalonia, thanks to a contest organized by the children's news program of channel Super3, InfoK. More than 10,000 boys and girls have participated in this contest, promoted by the Department of Digital Policies and Public Administration, with the aim of fostering scientific-technical vocations among the youngest. This initiative seeks to increase young people's interest in this new sector of job opportunities and future, which is the new space economy.
Catalonia goes into orbit
The launch of this nanosatellite marks the starting gun for the satellite missions of Catalonia's NewSpace Strategy, designed to leverage and maximize the opportunities of a new economic field, NewSpace, based on the use of small satellites orbiting at low altitude and the exploitation of their data, with the aim of improving the services of the Generalitat and different productive sectors.
Currently, the NewSpace ecosystem in Catalonia is made up of more than 30 startups, some of them world leaders, 13 research and innovation centers, and a business incubator of the European Space Agency (ESA BIC Barcelona).
Precisely to publicize the opportunities that this sector represents in Catalonia, the Government has activated the campaign Catalunya, ens posem en òrbita to learn firsthand the testimony of a new generation of young Catalans who, either have been trained in Catalonia, or develop research and investigation projects or work in the aerospace sector from here.
Catalunya, ens posem en òrbita wants to publicize the talent of those engineers and entrepreneurs from Catalonia who are fulfilling their dream and are doing it in Catalonia.