OREANDA-NEWS. The government of Catalonia, autonomous community on the northeastern corner of Spain, plans to create its own space agency. This is stated in a press release published on the website of the regional authorities.

“The government will create an administrative structure… the new Catalan space agency,” the communique says. Thus, the Catalan authorities intend to launch two nanosatellites into orbit in the first half of next year. The project is designed until 2023, the regional leadership wants to invest 18 million euros in it and launch six satellites.

“Our goal is to turn Catalonia into a digital state, not only as a consumer, but also as a producer of digital technologies,” Jordi Puignero, head of the digital policy department, said. According to him, the launch of nanosatellites is aimed at improving communications, and they will also help to monitor the Earth surface.