The i2CAT Foundation participates in the NewSpace Strategy of Catalonia, recently expanded financially by the Government

Both the i2CAT Foundation and the IEEC have received a financial contribution of €500,000 each. This value contributes to the deployment of activities in development framed in the  NewSpace Catalan Strategy

The Government is focused on promoting the NewSpace Strategy of Catalonia and the NewSpace sector. The i2CAT Foundation is working on various activities that can benefit from this investment:

• The creation of a ground station in the Montsec Observatory to track and download data received by the “Enxaneta” and future nanosatellites in orbit
• The production of a Catalonia NewSpaceLab to map and enhance laboratories and experimental test infrastructures for the NewSpace economy
• The launching of the Catalonia NewSpace Alliance, the international positioning of the NewSpace Strategy, and a startup acceleration program for the NewSpace economy
• The definition and execution of use cases with the information received from Enxaneta and the future nanosatellites of 2021, 2022, and 2023 missions

NewSpace Sector and NewSpace Strategy

The NewSpace economy constitutes a great opportunity due to the democratization of space. Thanks to technological development, a sharp reduction in costs, and a paradigm shift in the way space missions are developed, new satellite-based services and their data are easier to access, which will allow using space by different productive sectors of the country.

In this context, the Ministry for Digital Policy and Public Administration has promoted the NewSpace Strategy, designed so that Catalonia can consolidate and maximize its leadership in the field of nanosatellites, and thus position itself strongly in the field of the so-called NewSpace economy, an emerging high value-added sector generating opportunities, economic growth, and employment-based on the use of smaller, lower-cost satellites orbiting at low altitudes. It is estimated that it will generate 1,200 new jobs and a turnover of about 300 million euros by 2025.

Original source: Ministry for Digital Policy and Public Administration