Sateliot launches the first European center to develop 5G satellites

BarcelonaA few years ago, when people talked about the space economy, it sounded like a distant concept. Not only because of the physical distance, but also because it was difficult to imagine what launching small satellites to send data or connect devices from space could possibly offer. Now, at a historical moment marked by investment in defense—or war, as the President of the United States likes to call it—it's all starting to make sense.

It is in this context that Sateliot's new 5G satellite development center is situated. Sateliot is one of the Catalan companies that, along with Open Cosmos, Pangea Aerospace, and Zero 2 Infinity, has been carving out a niche in this emerging sector for years. In the laboratory, located very close to the City of Justice, the company will design, develop, and test the hundreds of satellites it aims to put into orbit by 2030, becoming the first European facility of its kind. With the hiring of 50 employees, its launch has effectively doubled the company's workforce.

Since the first nanosatellite that Sateliot launched, the Enxaneta, developed With the support of the Catalan government, the company has been improving its technology. The devices can now perform more tasks, such as connecting to any mobile phone and sending voice messages or videos, aimed at providing services in areas like civil protection. "They have to work the same in the port of Rotterdam, in the Pyrenees, or in the middle of the Atlantic, and, very importantly, do so in real time," explained Jaume Sanpera, CEO of Sateliot. These small satellites, which orbit at a low altitude, 500 to 700 kilometers from Earth, function like the cell phone towers we see in cities, but from space. "It's a quantum leap and opens up a huge market for us, with new sectors like defense and security, which are closely linked to technological sovereignty and geostrategic independence. Europe is going through a complex time, and we can do our part," Sampere argued at the center's inauguration, alongside European Parliament Vice-President Javier López and Barcelona's Fourth Deputy Mayor for Economy, Jordi Valls. "It has a product that no one else has, and we've made it here. We just need to believe in it a bit more; it seems like everything has to come from the United States or China," Illa remarked. Currently, Sateliot has four devices in orbit and plans to launch five more next year. They are all monitored from a room at the Barcelona center, filled with screens that control aspects that could affect them, such as other nearby satellites or solar storms—the kind that create the aurora borealis but can complicate the life of these devices. Enxaneta was the company's first nanosatellite, and now it will be the turn of Tritó, more capable and also larger. Its launch is planned for the first quarter of 2027. When they reach the end of their useful life, between four and seven years, the satellites re-enter the atmosphere and are destroyed, avoiding becoming just another piece of space debris being generated by this new industry.

The first prototypes are made at the development center in Barcelona, ​​which has laboratories and a cleanroom, but production will have to take place in a factory. The company plans to open it nearby, in the Barcelona metropolitan area, though a date has not yet been set. "We have internalized manufacturing because otherwise it is very difficult to keep up with the pace of the industry," says Sampere. "From Catalonia, Spain, and Europe, we can lead with technology manufactured here and with global ambition," the executive added.

Working with mobile operators

With the new center, Sateliot begins its industrial phase. Next year it will start working for its first 500 clients, including mobile operators to whom it will offer services. roaming Satellite. So far, it has signed more than 700 contracts to connect 10 million devices. These contracts primarily serve sectors such as maritime, critical infrastructure, and industry. When they manage to put hundreds of satellites into orbit within five years, revenue will skyrocket to €1 billion. Founded in 2018, the company has raised approximately €100 million in various funding rounds, in addition to a €30 million loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB). Since its inception, it has invested €50 million in research and development (R&D) alone. Sateliot's core shareholders include the Spanish government—through Sepides and the Spanish Society for Technological Transformation (SETT)—Indra, Cellnex, Global Portfolio Investments, and Hyperion Fund.