"We are announcing the creation of a Catalan space agency to bolster the economy and the first two satellites will be launched into orbit in the first half of 2021," Jordi Puignero, the Catalan digital policy minister, said at a press conference.
The Catalan government intends to invest 18 million euros ($21.3 million) into NewSpace projects by 2023, with the goal of launching nanosatellites, which operate in low orbit and are used for research, telecommunications, and environmental monitoring.
Plans are currently in the works to launch six satellites over the coming two years, and Puignero said that the Catalan authorities hope the Spanish government would not intervene to limit the activities of the agency.
The Catalan government views the space industry as one that can provide significant economic returns, approaching 300 million euros over the next five years, as well as one that can create approximately 1,000 jobs.
