UPC NanoSat Lab

What UPC NanoSat Lab does

UPC NanoSat Lab is a university research laboratory within the Barcelona School of Telecommunications Engineering (ETSETB) at the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC BarcelonaTech), founded in 2016 and based at Campus Nord in Barcelona. The lab designs, manufactures, tests, and operates nano-satellite and picosatellite missions — primarily CubeSat and PocketQube platforms — for Earth Observation and educational purposes. Its technology stack centers on GNSS-Reflectometry, L-band microwave radiometry, multispectral imaging, and Software Defined Radio integration, materialized in payloads such as FMPL-1 (integrating GNSS-R, L-band radiometer, and AIS receiver into a single 1U CubeSat subsystem) and FMPL-2, alongside novel hardware including deployable Fresnel Zone Plate Antennas and the ³Cat-Gea polarimetric aurora imager. The lab has produced nine missions in the ³Cat series since 2016, including FSSCat (the first Federated Satellite System) and RITA/³Cat-6 integrated into a UAE-hosted satellite.

The lab operates an ISO-8 cleanroom (26 m²), TVAC chamber, vibration table, and ground station network including the Montsec facility. It employs approximately 20 people (17 current members and three faculty) under Director Adriano Camps, with funding sourced entirely from public institutional grants and co-sponsorships — ESA, IEEC, ICGC, NSSTC (UAE), IEEE GRSS, and UPC. No commercial revenue is generated; outputs are mission deliverables, open-source hardware/software (via GitHub and wiki), and educational programs such as the Barcelona International Young Science Challenge (BIYSC) and the IEEE Open PocketQube Kit. The lab's business model is therefore grant-funded academic research with embedded STEM education rather than commercial product sales.

Name

UPC NanoSat Lab

Legal name

NanoSat Lab - Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya

Website

https://nanosatlab.upc.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

UPC NanoSat Lab is a Barcelona-based university research laboratory at UPC BarcelonaTech that designs, builds, and operates CubeSat and PocketQube missions for Earth Observation, serving engineering students, space agencies (ESA, IEEC, NSSTC), and academic partners through grant-funded educational and research programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nano-satellite and Earth Observation Systems

NAICS

Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414), Testing Laboratories and Services (54138), Satellite Telecommunications (5174)

SIC

Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760), Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Spacecraft & Satellites (Civil/Commercial) (IMABACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Space Payloads & Instruments (Sensors, Comms, EO/IR) (IMABACAD), Spacecraft Integration, Assembly & Test (IAT) (IMABACAK), Satellite Imagery & Remote Sensing Geospatial Platforms (BPAMANAM), Space & Astronomy Programs (EDAMABAE)

Keywords

• Nano-satellite design
• CubeSat missions
• Earth observation payloads
• Space technology education
• PocketQube development

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona, Catalonia

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Institutional Funding: Funded by public institutions including ESA, IEEC, ICGC, and UPC. No commercial revenue generation - all activities are educational and research-focused.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

UPC NanoSat Lab designs, manufactures, tests, and launches CubeSat and PocketQube nano-satellites for Earth Observation and educational purposes. The lab develops remote sensing payloads including GNSS-Reflectometry, L-band microwave radiometry, and multispectral imaging instruments integrated via Software Defined Radio. It also offers open-source educational resources and hands-on training programs for students.

Product overview

The UPC NanoSat Lab develops a series of CubeSat and PocketQube nanosatellites for Earth Observation, educational, and technology demonstration purposes. The CubeCat series (³Cat-1 through ³Cat-8) progresses from 1U to 6U form factors, featuring payloads for GNSS-Reflectometry (GNSS-R), L-band radiometry, multispectral imaging, and ionospheric monitoring. The lab also offers the IEEE Open PocketQube Kit as an open-source educational initiative. Key payloads include FMPL-1 and FMPL-2 (Flexible Microwave Payloads) integrating multiple instruments via Software Defined Radio. Educational programs include the NOAA Satellites Project and the Barcelona International Young Student Challenge. All designs are made available through GitHub repositories for community use.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CubeCat Series: Series of CubeSat missions developed by the lab (³Cat-1 through ³Cat-8)
• IEEE Open PocketQube Kit
• Montsec Ground Station

Products and services

• ³Cat-1 First satellite developed in Catalonia, a 1U CubeSat integrating seven payloads including GNSS-Reflectometry, experimental solar cells, Geiger counter, and VGA camera for educational and technology demonstration purposes.
• ³Cat-2 Second satellite in the CubeCat series, a 6U CubeSat validating GNSS-Reflectometry (GNSS-R) for Earth observation with dual-band dual-polarization PYCARO payload.
• ³Cat-3 Third satellite in the CubeCat series, a 6U CubeSat feasibility study for multispectral imaging with five spectral bands for the Cartographic and Geologic Institute of Catalonia.
• ³Cat-4 Fourth satellite in the CubeCat series, a 1U CubeSat demonstrating GNSS-R, L-band microwave radiometry, and Automatic Identification Services (AIS) for Earth Observation as part of ESA Academy's Fly Your Satellite! program.
• FSSCat (³Cat-5/A and ³Cat-5/B) Two federated 6-Unit CubeSats supporting Copernicus Land and Marine Environment services, featuring FMPL-2 dual microwave payload (GNSS-R and L-band radiometer) and Optical Inter-Satellite Link technology demonstrator.
• RITA/3Cat-6 Earth observation payload integrated into ALainSat-1 nanosatellite, collecting data on sea salinity, soil moisture, vegetation status using microwave radiometry and hyperspectral camera, with LoRa technology demonstration.
• ³Cat-8 Sixth satellite in the CubeCat series, a 6U CubeSat for ionospheric scintillation monitoring using polarimetric GNSS-Radio Occultation, with deployable Fresnel Zone Plate Antenna and multi-spectral polarimetric aurora emission imaging.
• IEEE Open PocketQube Kit Open-source educational initiative led by IEEE GRSS society providing resources to build and operate a 1P PocketQube satellite, including structure, subsystems, schematics, and documentation. Includes PoCat 1, 2, and 3 variants.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• Fundació la PedreramajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Fundació la Pedrera conceived and organized the Barcelona International Youth Science Challenge (BIYSC) 2025. UPC NanoSat Lab served as the technical implementation partner for the space technology program where students developed PocketQube satellites.
• ARANEM Radio ClubminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Collaboration on BIYSC 2025 program. ARANEM Radio Club worked with UPC NanoSat Lab on satellite development activities and contributed to NOAA Satellites Project for receiving weather satellite images.
• IEEE GRSS (Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024IEEE GRSS leads the Open PocketQube Kit project - an open-source educational initiative designed to lower entry barriers for institutions developing PocketQube satellites. The NanoSat Lab serves as the primary development partner for this initiative.
• Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya (ICGC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020ICGC sponsored the ³Cat-3 mission feasibility study for multispectral imaging payload, conducted for the Cartographic and Geologic Institute of Catalonia. Partnership supports Earth Observation applications for cartographic purposes.
• National Space Science and Technology Center (NSSTC), UAE UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019NSSTC at UAE University developed ALainSat-1, which hosts the RITA/³Cat-6 payload. UPC NanoSat Lab engineers traveled to NSSTC in Al-Ain to complete payload integration. Partnership enables joint Earth Observation mission capabilities.
• Institut d'Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018IEEC is a key institutional partner providing co-sponsorship for multiple CubeCat missions (³Cat-1, ³Cat-2, ³Cat-3). The NanoSat Lab collaborates with IEEC for ground station operations at Montsec Observatory and is associated with the institute's space research activities. Juan Ramos serves as IEEC Associate Professor and member of board of directors.
• European Space Agency (ESA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017ESA sponsors multiple missions including FSSCat (winner of Copernicus Master challenge) and ³Cat-4 (ESA Academy Fly Your Satellite! program second edition). ESA provides technical guidance and flight opportunities for student-developed satellites.
• CommSensLab-UPCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommSensLab is a Specific Research Center at UPC that the NanoSat Lab is associated with. The lab is also affiliated with the Department of Signal Theory and Communications at UPC.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AAC Clyde Space: Scottish/Swedish smallsat manufacturer offering complete CubeSat platforms and constellation services. Comparable as a supplier of small-satellite bus and payload solutions for Earth Observation and scientific missions, with overlap in mission complexity and customer profile.
• TU Delft (Delfi Space): Delft University of Technology's small-satellite program that pioneered several CubeSat missions (Delfi-C3, Delfi-n3Xt). Closely mirrors UPC NanoSat Lab in mission cadence, payload focus, and European institutional funding model.
• Innovative Solutions In Space (ISIS): Dutch CubeSat subsystem and launch services provider with strong academic and institutional customer base. Highly comparable given its dual commercial-academic focus, broad range of CubeSat structures, and partnership model with university programs.
• GomSpace: Danish commercial manufacturer of CubeSat and small-satellite platforms and subsystems. Directly comparable as a nano-satellite developer serving both scientific and commercial Earth Observation customers, though operating at significantly larger commercial scale than the UPC academic lab.
• Cal Poly PolySat: California Polytechnic State University's CubeSat laboratory — one of the founding university CubeSat programs and co-author of the CubeSat standard. The closest peer in operating model (university-based, student-driven, multi-mission flight heritage) to UPC NanoSat Lab.
• MIT Space Systems Laboratory: MIT's space engineering research lab developing small spacecraft and space systems. Comparable academic small-satellite development environment with strong faculty, flight heritage, and government partnerships (NASA, DARPA), albeit with a broader systems engineering scope.
• NanoAvionics: Lithuanian smallsat bus manufacturer and mission integrator for CubeSat and microsatellite missions. Similar product positioning in modular nano-satellite buses and EO payloads, though commercially focused versus UPC's academic model.

Others

• ESA Education / Fly Your Satellite!: European Space Agency's educational program that has sponsored UPC's ³Cat-4 mission. Included as an ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor — it is both a sponsor and an adjacent program serving the same student satellite development community.

Broad incumbents

• Planet Labs: US commercial operator of the largest fleet of Earth Observation satellites. Comparable in the EO small-satellite mission space, but Planet is a commercial constellation operator rather than an academic platform/payload developer.
• Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL): UK-based pioneer of small satellite manufacturing now part of Airbus Defence and Space. Overlaps with UPC in small-satellite EO missions and GNSS-related payloads but operates at much larger scale with full industrial prime-contractor capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/nanosatlab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/upc-nanosat-lab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about UPC NanoSat Lab