Catalonia to launch second nanosatellite into space on December 6

Photo: CatalanNews

Catalonia is set to launch its second nanosatellite into space on Tuesday, December 6 from Florida, on board a rocket owned by American company SpaceX.

‘Menut’ will focus on climate change, as opposed to its predecessor ‘Enxaneta,’ which aims to improve IoT (Internet of Things) connectivity and collect data from about 100 sensors spread across Catalonia, monitoring water levels in rivers, pollution, and wildlife.

‘Enxaneta,’ named for the small child who climbs to the top of Catalonia’s traditional ‘castellers’ human towers, was the first of six nanosatellites put into orbit on March 2021 as part of the government’s new space strategy.

Last year, the government launched the nanosatellite from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, thanks to the collaboration with a Russian company.

This time, the war in Ukraine forced authorities to look for another launchpad.

Catalonia’s second nanosatellite ‘Menut’ in display at Open Cosmos’ offices in Barcelona on October 11, 2022
Catalonia’s second nanosatellite ‘Menut’ in display at Open Cosmos’ offices in Barcelona on October 11, 2022 / Miquel Vera
Catalonia’s second nanosatellite was named ‘Menut’, which means ‘small’ in Catalan after almost 20,000 children voted on what it should be called. The vote was organized by the Catalan public broadcaster’s InfoK news program for children on the Super3 channel.

The new nanosatellite, which alongside the first nanosatellite ‘Enxaneta’ cost €1.7m, will be used to focus on the fight against climate change.

Catalonia’s second nanosatellite has been manufactured by Open Cosmos and here in Catalonia, the space industry employs around 7,500 people.

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