On January 4, 2023, the Generalitat de Catalunya successfully launched 'Menut' , the second Catalan nanosatellite to be put into orbit. At around 4 pm the previous day, the launch of this device in Florida, manufactured by the Catalan company Open Cosmos , began. This project is part of the 'NewSpace' strategy of the Catalan government with the collaboration of the Institut d'Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC).
Several Catalan figures attended the follow-up of the take-off from the headquarters of Open Cosmos in Barcelona. Among them was the Minister of Business and Work, Roger Torrent , the CEO of Open Cosmos, Rafael Jordà , the Secretary of Digital Policies, Gina Tost and the director of the Institute of Special Studies of Catalonia, Ignasi Ribas .
Several Catalan figures attended the follow-up of the take-off from the headquarters of Open Cosmos in Barcelona. Among them was the Minister of Business and Work, Roger Torrent , the CEO of Open Cosmos, Rafael Jordà , the Secretary of Digital Policies, Gina Tost and the director of the Institute of Special Studies of Catalonia, Ignasi Ribas .
The Menut is a six-unit CubeSat weighing less than 10 kg
A CubeSat is a type of research microsatellite . Menut's mission is to observe the Earth to improve the management of the territory and help control and combat the effects of the climate crisis. He was baptized with this name by the boys and girls of Catalonia. It will orbit around 500 km from Earth at a speed of about 8 km/s, and will pass over Catalonia approximately every 5 days. On this web page you can get more information about the Menut and follow its launch live!