Catalonia Puts Europe’s First 6G Research Satellite Into Orbit

Catalonia has launched Europe’s first open 6G research satellite, marking a major step in the region’s bid to position itself at the forefront of next-generation communications. The 6GStarLab satellite, designed, built and integrated entirely in Catalonia, reached low Earth orbit last Friday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg, and has now begun its initial commissioning phase.

Led by the i2CAT Research Centre, under the Catalan Government’s Presidency Department, the mission establishes the first European in-orbit laboratory for 6G experimentation, offering researchers and industry an open, flexible testbed to trial future communication technologies in real-world conditions. The platform is designed to accelerate innovation in non-terrestrial networks (NTN) and support the convergence of terrestrial and satellite systems expected in next-decade 6G architectures.

The satellite was developed under a €1.65 million contract awarded to Open Cosmos, whose Barcelona cleanroom hosted the end-to-end build. It carries payloads from i2CAT and Catalan SME MWSE, an antenna suite from UPC’s NanoSat Lab, and an optical terminal from Singapore’s Transcelestial—making it both a regional showcase and an example of international collaboration.

6GStarLab’s core mission is to experimentally validate technologies that integrate terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks, enabling hybrid architectures that boost coverage, resiliency, and throughput. These capabilities are increasingly central to reducing the digital divide, improving emergency communications, and supporting new applications from smart mobility to secure government services.

The mission also includes a ground segment in Móra la Nova, featuring Catalonia’s first optical ground station for space-to-Earth laser links which enable high-speed data returns and paving the way for future quantum communications.

The project sits within Spain’s UNICO I+D 6G programme, funded by NextGenerationEU, and aligns with the European Space Agency’s emerging 6G strategy. For Catalonia, 6GStarLab cements a growing space-tech cluster and signals the region’s ambition to play a leading role in Europe’s next wave of connectivity innovation.

SOURCE: https://i2cat.net/catalonia-launches-europes-first-6g-research-satellite-into-low-earth-orbit/