The astrophysicist of the Institute of Cosmos Sciences and the Institute of Spatial Studies of Catalonia, Mercè Romero-Gómez, will give today, Monday October 25, a talk about Enxaneta, the first Catalan nanosatellite. In this presentation, she will make a brief introduction to nanosatellites in general, focusing in their evolution since their formation. Particularly, she will describe the main features of the nanosatellite Enxaneta, focusing on what its effective load is and what its main uses are as well. She will then proceed to explain how this mission is framed in the NewSpace strategy of the Government of Catalonia which presents new use of space, a new technology, a new range of services and as a result, a new economy based on the democratisation of space and the aerospace industry. One of the catalysts for this change is the emergence of the CubeSat nanosatellite standard, which applies to satellites weighing less than 10 kilograms.
NewSpace is based on the use of smaller satellites, which have lower costs and development time than current satellites. They have low Earth orbits (LEO) and use standard technologies. These specifications represent a paradigm shift in the way space missions take place, and will encourage many more agents to use their services, in both vertical and broad-based applications in various productive sectors.