First use case of Enxaneta nanosatellite in a real environment

The first use case consists of measuring physical and environmental parameters of the soil in vineyards via Internet of Things (IoT) connection with the nanosatellite.

The pilot test has been developed by the Catalan Ministry of the Vice-presidency and Digital Policies and Territory in collaboration with IEEC, the Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya (ICGC), the i2CAT Foundation and Sateliot.

The results of the first use case in a real environment obtained by Enxaneta, the first nanosatellite that the Catalan Government put into orbit in March 2021 in the framework of the NewSpace Strategy for Catalonia, were presented today in Tremp. The event was chaired by the Vice President of the Catalan Government and Minister of the Ministry of the Vice-presidency and Digital Policies and Territory, Jordi Puigneró, and was attended by the director of the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC — Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya), Ignasi Ribas; the CIO of the i2CAT Foundation, Sergi Figuerola; the director of the Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya (ICGC), Jaume Massó; and the CEO and co-founder of Sateliot, Jaume Sanpera.

IEEC's director, Ignasi Ribas, during the presentation. / IEEC.

During today's presentation, the first year of the nanosatellite in space was reviewed, the use case of the data provided by Enxaneta to measure different physical parameters of the soil was explained, and the next pilot tests that will be carried out linked to the nanosatellite mission were announced.

Enxaneta's objective is to deploy global Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity services to enable communication and data collection from sensors located throughout Catalonia, especially in areas that are not covered by conventional terrestrial telecommunication networks. All data collected by Enxaneta are transmitted to the Satellite Ground Station of the Montsec Observatory, located in Sant Esteve de la Sarga (Pallars Jussà), and managed by IEEC. The station is composed of several antennas for communication with low orbit satellites, developed and installed by the NanoSat Lab of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya · Barcelona Tech (UPC).
 

Evolution of the first year and first use case

Enxaneta was launched into orbit on 22 March 2021, at 7:07 a.m. (CET), from the Baikonur Cosmodrome (Kazakhstan), aboard a Soyuz 2 rocket. After its launch and throughout 2021, calibration and commissioning tests of the systems on board the nanosatellite have been carried out.

Meanwhile, in parallel, the main actors of the NewSpace Strategy have been working on the definition of use cases for the data provided by the nanosatellite and on the implementation of the first of them, which is the one presented today.

The project for the first use case of the nanosatellite in a real environment began in vineyards in the Conca de Tremp, using the ICGC's network of stations for measuring the physical parameters of the soil. These stations continuously record data on soil temperature and humidity, as well as environmental parameters—such as rainfall, air temperature and relative humidity, and solar radiation—. These physical parameters are important for determining the climatic regime of the soil, establishing relationships between climate data and soil moisture to support farmers, or carrying out environmental studies on climate change and hydrological studies, among others.
 

ICGC physical soil parameter measuring station with 4
underground multi-parametric sensors at 5, 20, 50 and
100 cm depth. / ICGC.

Climate change is forcing vineyards to move to higher altitudes, which meant that the first use case had to be extended to other crops of this type in the Pre-Pyrenees and Pyrenees. This led to the location of the stations in places where the terrain is more abrupt and, therefore, where it is also more difficult to find terrestrial mobile phone network coverage. This is where the coverage provided thanks to Enxaneta plays a key role, in order to be able to install these stations and put them into operation.
 
The data collected by the sensors are sent to Enxaneta by means of satellite connection modems designed by i2CAT, which has also contributed, together with Sateliot, to the implementation of the communication protocols between the sensors and the nanosatellite. These modems allow narrowband data (sensor readings) from IoT sensors such as those of ICGC to be sent to Enxaneta.

A first modem installed on the Camí de Nerets (Tremp) has made it possible to demonstrate that the connection of this with the nanosatellite is possible and to compare the data received from it with the data received via the usual 4G connection. Data has been received since December.

From today, the data obtained thanks to Enxaneta will be available for public consultation through the ICGC's web viewer. Subsequently, new locations will be analysed, especially in places without coverage, in order to expand the stations connected through Enxaneta.

New  use cases will be carried out in the near future and will be deployed throughout 2022. These new cases will be applied to various fields such as agriculture, livestock, forestry, climate, emergencies, road safety and land management, among many others. The use of the data generated by the pilot tests that are expected to be deployed in the experimental satellite infrastructure of the NewSpace Strategy of Catalonia—and around the entire ecosystem that integrates the Catalan NewSpace community—, will provide essential information to influence the fight against climate change and will offer direct and indirect benefits to citizens and to the productive and social fabric of the country.

Enxaneta is a nanosatellite whose service was tendered and is managed by IEEC. It is a three-unit CubeSat and the first satellite of the 5G-IoT Constellation of Sateliot, the company awarded the tender.

Press release made in collaboration with the Ministry of the Vice-presidency and Digital Policies and Territory of the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya, the i2CAT Foundation and Sateliot.

Main Image

Presentation of the first use case of the Enxaneta nanosatellite
Caption: Participants in the presentation hold at Tremp of the first use case in a real environment of the nanosatellite Enxaneta.
Credits: IEEC.

Links

– IEEC
– ICGC
– Fundación i2CAT
– Sateliot
– NewSpace Estrategy for Catalonia

More information

The Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC  — Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya) promotes and coordinates space research and technology development in Catalonia for the benefit of society. IEEC fosters collaborations both locally and worldwide and is an efficient agent of knowledge, innovation and technology transfer. As a result of 25 years of high-quality research, done in collaboration with major international organisations, IEEC ranks among the best international research centers, focusing on areas such as: astrophysics, cosmology, planetary science, and Earth Observation. IEEC’s engineering division develops instrumentation for ground- and space-based projects, and has extensive experience in working with private or public organisations from the aerospace and other innovation sectors. 
 
IEEC is a private non-profit foundation, governed by a Board of Trustees composed of Generalitat de Catalunya and four other institutions that each have a research unit, which together constitute the core of IEEC R&D activity: the Universitat de Barcelona (UB) with the research unit ICCUB — Institute of Cosmos Sciences; the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) with the research unit CERES — Center of Space Studies and Research; the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya · BarcelonaTech (UPC) with the research unit CTE — Research Group in Space Sciences and Technologies; the Spanish Research Council (CSIC) with the research unit ICE — Institute of Space Sciences. IEEC is a CERCA (Centres de Recerca de Catalunya) center.

Contacts

IEEC Communication Office
Barcelona, Spain
Ana Montaner and Rosa Rodríguez
E-mail: comunicacio@ieec.cat