The Catalan company Celestia Aerospace announced an ambitious project to manufacture and send nanosatellites into space from airplanes, instead of using rockets.
This innovative system involves an investment of 100 million euros, has the participation of the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona and will be installed in a production hall and a mission control and monitoring room in Sabadell.
The project will enable Celestia to be the first facility in Europe to manufacture and send nanosatellites into space from aircraft, which represents a significant improvement in the launch process for these devices.
Currently, rockets take an average of two years to put them into orbit, whereas with this method the process will be significantly accelerated.
Low orbit and access to it is no longer just a research scenario. Now, the goal is to become a commercially oriented space.
Celestia Aerospace: the future of nanosatellite manufacturing and delivery
A couple of months ago and in order to finance this project, the Catalan company closed a financing wave of 100 million euros with the British group Invema.
Celestia Aerospace’s production facility will be located on a 10,000 square meter plot of land near Sabadell Airport, in the Sant Pau de Riu-sec industrial park.
The land where the works are being carried out was owned by the Sabadell City Council. It has a building of 6,700 m² and the goal is to build the building where Celestia Aerospace will operate within the next three years.
This project will not only have a significant impact on the aerospace industry, but also on the Catalan and Spanish economy.
The initiative will certainly give a boost to the Aeronautical Innovation Hub, thanks to the support of Aena, Sabadell City Council, CZFB and the Universitat Politécnica de Catalunya (UPC).
An Aeronautical Innovation Hub
In addition, this new technology will allow a substantial improvement in the research and development of solutions for the aerospace sector, as well as the creation of specialized employment in this field.
Celestia Aerospace’s goal is to manufacture and send nanosatellites into space from airplanes, rather than rockets. This revolutionary system makes it possible to reduce the time required to launch nanosatellites, which can currently take an average of two years.
This pioneering project, which also involves the Lleida-Alguaire Airport, will allow access to low orbit, turning it into a space for commercial use and not only for research.
The production capacity of Celestia’s Sabadell facility will be up to 100 units per year, which will be a breakthrough for the aerospace industry.
In addition, the company plans to initially hire a team of 40 scientists, engineers and technicians, with a view to gradually expanding its activities.
