On December 17th, the Hypatia I crew participated in the first New Space meeting, the aerospace community driven by the Catalan government, in the context of the Digital Catalonia Alliance.
Mariona Badenas-Agustí, Crew Commander & Astronomer of Hypatia I, presented the mission to the audience, composed by professionals and institutions of the public and the private Catalan aerospace sector.
“We want Hypatia I to become the first of many female-led Catalan mission to the Mars Desert Research Station”, stated Badenas-Agustí, who highlighted the importance of having role models to inspire girls to become passionate about space exploration.
In Catalonia, around 7.700 people are employed in the new space sector, which generated more than 800 million euros in 2020, according to a recent study, led by the Catalan Government and other institutions. This sector is expected to grow four times more in the next years.