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n a major leap for European space innovation, two pioneering satellites have been successfully launched today, which will pave the way for both secure connectivity solutions, and Earth observation missions from space.
Leading space company Open Cosmos, which designs, manufactures and operates satellites to understand and connect the world, has achieved a major breakthrough with the successful deployment into orbit of two key platforms: 6GStarLab, the first in-orbit telecommunications laboratory, and a new satellite of the Open Constellation contributed by a Fortune 100 company.
The satellites, 6GStarLab, commissioned by i2CAT with support from the Spanish and Catalan governments, and the new Open Constellation satellite, were launched aboard Space X’s Falcon 9 (Transporter 15) on Friday 28 November 2025 from Vandenberg, California.
The Open Constellation is a mutualised satellite infrastructure designed by Open Cosmos to enable organisations to access better quality, more frequent data generated out of the satellites they contribute. Having pioneering companies involved in this initiative highlights its significance and growth in the commercial world - beyond the tenths of satellites already contributed to it in countries like Greece, Spain, Portugal and the UK. By investing in Open Cosmos’ shared constellation, forward-thinking organisations are helping to build a truly integrated, cross-sector space ecosystem, where satellite infrastructure serves as a common digital backbone, driving innovation and enabling new services across industries. This was one of the key objectives of the ESA’s commercialisation directorate program SCALEUP that has supported this project.
Open Cosmos is responsible for the satellite development, design, manufacturing, and orbital operations for both missions.
Rafel Jordà Siquier, Founder and CEO of Open Cosmos, said: “This double launch reflects the breadth and ambition of what Open Cosmos now delivers; enabling research, innovation and commercial value through a shared, connected infrastructure in space. 6GStarLab and the new Open Constellation satellite embody the future of our sector: collaboration between governments, industry and technology leaders to make space data more accessible and more powerful.”
The 6GStarLab First In-Orbit Laboratory
The 6GStarLab mission, procured by Catalonia’s i2CAT Research Centre, is Europe’s first Low Earth Orbit (LEO) laboratory for experimentation in 6G non-terrestrial networks (NTN). Built to be an open, flexible testbed, it gives researchers a platform to test new communication technologies and allows for experiments to be deployed and executed in a real space environment, as well as promoting innovation in an emerging ecosystem, working on the interconnection between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks.
It will allow experiments in real conditions to be carried out in space, advancing the development of new technological applications such as remote communications, telemedicine, distance education, prevention and mitigation of fires and natural disasters, as well as autonomous mobility. It will do this by testing optical and radio-frequency links, AI-driven 6G network systems, orchestration, and autonomy.
Sergi Figuerola, PhD, Director of i2CAT, commented: “6GStarLab is a milestone for Europe’s digital ecosystem. By establishing an open, collaborative testbed for 6G and non-terrestrial networks, it will help researchers and innovators bridge the gap between lab research and real-space validation. With Open Cosmos’s expertise, speed and the maturity of its satellite platforms, we were able to make this a reality.”
The satellite will carry payloads designed by i2CAT and Microwave Sensors and Electronics (MWSE), as well as a laser terminal for space-to-ground optical communications and its corresponding ground station developed by Transcelestial. Finally, the antenna system for radio-frequency communications has been developed by the NanoSatLab group at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC). The mission is part of Spain’s UNICO I+D 6G programme and is backed by the European Union’s NextGenerationEU initiative.
The new Open Constellation Commercial Satellite
This revolutionary satellite hosts an hyperspectral payload, an IoT payload, on-board AI to fuse and process the sensing data and intersatellite link enabling near real-time delivery of AI insights to the users in an extremely compact form factor. The satellite will be able to identify and quantify specific materials, chemical compositions, and subtle environmental changes (e.g. crop health, mineral deposits, or pollution types) using its Hyperspectral Imager, gathering the raw, rich data that drives the mission.
An AI-enabled onboard processing board then allows complex machine learning algorithms to be executed directly on the satellite - this processes the large, raw hyperspectral data IN SPACE, extracting only actionable intelligence and discarding unnecessary data before transmission, thus drastically reducing data latency and ground processing costs.
A Narrowband-IoT payload tests low-power, wide-area connectivity, allowing the satellite to talk to simple, battery-powered sensors in remote areas far beyond the reach of cellular networks. Paired with the Intersatellite Link, it can relay small packets of AI-processed data and sensor readings to customers in near real time - and at a fraction of the cost of traditional high-bandwidth satellite downlinks.
The mission will enable clients across agriculture, energy, insurance, and environmental monitoring to make faster, data-driven decisions, without the cost or complexity typically associated with satellite systems.
This satellite incorporates technology developed by the team at Connected, a company acquired by Open Cosmos earlier this year. Its expertise in space-based telecommunications and in-orbit advanced data processing has been integrated directly into the satellite’s architecture, strengthening its ability to combine and analyse Earth Observation data in orbit and deliver real-time, decision-ready insights. This mission marks the first in-orbit demonstration of Connected’s innovations, showcasing how the acquisition is already enhancing Open Cosmos’s capabilities and accelerating the rollout of next-generation space technologies.
The launch also marks the opening of the Open Constellation to private companies that will be able, from now on, to contribute to the largest shared earth observation constellation - benefiting from the capabilities of the entire system alongside governments. It is this shared satellite network that brings public, private and research missions together in a bid to make space more connected, collaborative and accessible.
This launch follows a series of major milestones for Open Cosmos in 2025. It was recently selected by the UK Space Agency to lead a new international satellite collaboration with Panasonic Operational Excellence Co. in Japan, named QUIVER. In June, Open Cosmos was awarded the eight satellites of the Atlantic Constellation from Spain. Earlier in the year it was also awarded a £5.15 million contract by the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory to deliver a pair of satellites designed to improve space situational awareness and monitor space weather.
