During the Transfiere 2025 Forum held in Malaga, our colleague Gracia Catalina Piñero (manager of ESA BIC Andalusia) moderated the round table entitled ‘New Startups for the New Space’, within the Andalusia Knowledge Transfer space promoted by the Regional Ministry of University, Research and Innovation of the Regional Government of Andalusia.
At this meeting, five Andalusian startups told attendees how they are revolutionising the space economy with solutions ranging from photonics, remote sensing and orbital simulation to constellation coordination and comprehensive satellite operations management.
Víctor Moreno Campos (YNSAT), José Antonio Rebollo (Hisperion), Juan Andres Gomez Ortiz (Keeplerkoord), Jose Dario Sarmiento, PhD (AGPhotonics) and Carlos Javier Martín Esteban (Orbital Boost Aerospace) addressed important challenges such as barriers to entry into the sector (certifications, initial investment, technological validation) and the importance of collaboration between companies, public bodies and research centres such as ours. There was also time to discuss the growing concern about space debris, the relationship with the defence sector and opportunities for internationalisation.
The audience participated actively, commenting on issues such as how start-ups can finance themselves in this competitive sector and how current regulations can either promote or hinder this growth. The conclusion was unanimous: New Space is not only a growing sector, but a true ‘sector of sectors’ full of possibilities for start-ups, leading companies and institutions.
At CATEC, we continue to promote aerospace innovation in Andalusia, working to strengthen our ecosystem and generate new opportunities in the exciting field of space.
