Sateliot, PLD Space to launch two 5G satellites in first Spanish mission
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FILE PHOTO: Jaume Sanpera, CEO of Sateliot, looks on during a guided tour for the press at the Aerospace Technology building in Nigran, Spain, March 6, 2024. REUTERS/Miguel Vidal/File Photo
Feb 17 (Reuters) - Satellite startup Sateliot and space engineering firm PLD Space have signed a deal to launch two 5G satellites in what will be the first such private mission carried out solely by Spanish companies, they said on Tuesday.
Private rocket companies around the world are planning to deploy thousands of internet-beaming satellites in the next few years, targeting what some analysts expect will be a trillion-dollar space market by 2030. In the European Union, governments are pushing to reduce reliance on Elon Musk's SpaceX by boosting the bloc's own aerospace industry.
Under the contract, PLD Space will launch two Sateliot satellites weighing 160 kg (353 lb) each into low Earth orbit by 2027, the two companies said in a joint statement.
To do so, PLD will use the Miura-5, its newest two-stage orbital rocket launcher, which is partially reusable and named after a breed of fighting bull.
The partnership supports Barcelona-based Sateliot's effort to establish itself as a key player in Europe's satellite telecommunications market. Partly state-owned defence company Indra holds a 4% stake in the startup.
Selecting a Spanish partner helped safeguard European technological sovereignty and strengthen global 5G connectivity while improving security and defence capabilities, Sateliot CEO Jaume Sanpera said in the two companies' joint statement.
In May 2025, Sateliot outlined plans to deploy 100 satellites by 2028, with an estimated revenue of 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) by 2030.
PLD Space carried out Europe's first fully-private rocket launch in 2023. It aims to one day be able to carry any type of cargo and ultimately humans into space, rivalling big players such as SpaceX.
($1 = 0.8445 euros)
(Reporting by Mireia Merino and Gemma Guasch in Gdansk; Editing by David Latona and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
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