Space resources week 2022

03 May 2022

The Space Resources Week 2022, organized in Luxembourg, is a 3-day conference connecting thought leaders from the terrestrial resources sector, aerospace industry, financial institutions, research institutes

For the fourth time, Space Resources Week is being held in Luxembourg from 3 to 5 May 2022: the world’s largest conference exclusively dedicated to the exploration and use of space resources. Organised by the European Space Resources Innovation Centre (ESRIC), in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA), the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA) and the Luxembourg Institute for Science and Technology (LIST), it brings together around 100 international speakers who will take stock of the space resources utilisation sector development.

Within the national priorities of Luxembourg since 2016 thanks to the Spaceresources.lu initiative, the field of space resources is now covered by the programmes of many national space agencies and has a prominent place in the European Space Agency (ESA) agenda.

This event is recognized worldwide and key in bringing the international community together. It underlines the central role of Luxembourg in this field. While space resources offer a means of exploring the Moon and the solar system in a sustainable way, the space resources field can also be a way of stimulating innovation on Earth and finding new ways to address global challenges.

Minister of the Economy, Franz Fayot

More than 1,000 people from all over the world have registered for the various seminars, which cover, among other things, the latest discoveries and new concrete uses of space resources, the international legal framework and funding methods for research and development of new technologies. This year’s programme places special emphasis on the topics of sustainability, circular economy, environmental preservation and waste treatment.

ESRIC unveils its Knowledge Sharing Platform

Dr Kathryn Hadler, an internationally renowned scientist in the field of mineral processing and recovery and Director of ESRIC since April 2022, announced during her keynote speech the launch of a knowledge sharing platform for the space resources community.

This data visualisation tool integrates about 1,000 scientific publications and will be further complemented by news, patents, books, press articles, legislative documents, or social media posts. It is freely accessible to the space resources community, on a registration basis.

The knowledge-sharing platform responds to the motivations and expectations of the community and follows a survey conducted between April and July 2021 which revealed the great diversity of the space sector as well as its economic potential, linked to terrestrial sectors such as mining, energy or construction.

One of the main expectations of the space resource community is to have access to a centralised and easily exploitable knowledge base. ESRIC’s knowledge-sharing platform is of great interest to researchers, but it can also highlight business opportunities.

Kathryn Hadler, Director of ESRIC

Based on technology developed at LIST, this platform is applicable in the field of space resources but could be transposed to other research areas. It is a fantastic tool to link the business vision with the scientific vision.

Thomas Kallstenius, CEO of the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST)

Presentation of the 5 start-ups selected in the framework of the Start-up Support Programme

Space Resources Week is also the occasion to present the first start-ups that have begun their pre-incubation in the framework of ESRIC’s Start-up Support Programme (SSP): Astroport Space Technologies, Anisoprint, Adventus Interstellar, Four Point, and Orbit Recycling will take the stage on 4 May to present their ambitious projects. The SSP programme aims to support early-stage start-ups in the space resources sector, develop their business models, attract their first customers, and secure their first investments.

 

Similar articles