The sixth edition of Space Resources Week is taking place between 25 and 27 March 2024 as a 3-day hybrid event, hosted at the European Convention Center Luxembourg, as well as available online.
Since its inauguration in 2018, Space Resources Week has become the event of reference for the space resources community. For the 2024 edition, we will bring together space agencies, thought leaders, scientists, and business visionaries in a multidisciplinary forum, aiming to strengthen the foundation on which the field of space resources is built, align the scientific and commercial needs and capabilities, and collectively develop a sustainable space resources architecture for the future.
The event is organised by the European Space Resources Innovation Centre (ESRIC) together with the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA), European Space Agency (ESA), and the Luxembourg Institute of Science & Technology (LIST). For the sixth edition, we are privileged to have 520 people registered to join in person, while 600 more following the event online. An impressive number of 105 speakers will take to the stage and 52 posters will be presented.
"Space Resource Utilization is a dynamic, vibrant and truly multidisciplinary field, bringing together scientists, engineers, legal experts and established entrepreneurs with a common goal; to enable the sustainable exploration of space. Space Resources Week is a wonderful opportunity for Luxembourg to bring together the community, to facilitate discussion and to once again be the focal point for the community. I am immensely proud that ESRIC, together with its partners, LSA, LIST and ESA, is able to host such an important event in the annual calendar. This year we are particularly pleased to be also hosting the UN Expert Meeting in parallel to Space Resources Week", says Kathryn Hadler, Director of ESRIC.
Amongst the speakers, the Luxembourg Minister of the Economy, SME, Energy and Tourism, Lex Delles, Josef Aschbacher, Director General of ESA, Kathryn Hadler, Director of ESRIC, Daniel Neuenschwander, Director of Human and Robotic Exploration at ESA, Aarti Holla-Maini, Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), Hiroshi Yamakawa, President of JAXA: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and Matthias Maurer, ESA Astronaut and Materials Scientist, will give insights into the various institutional perspectives for space resources.
"In-Situ Resource Utilisation is a critical capability for Europe's journey towards greener and more sustainable space exploration. As exploration efforts accelerate, ESA plans to take a leading role in advancing related research and development and supporting European Industry in securing a position on the emerging value chain of Space Resources-enabled services and applications", emphasizes Daniel Neuenschwander, ESA Director of Human and Robotic Exploration.
With our exciting move to the European Convention Center, the audience will be able to discover the work of partner organisations and agencies, such as: Gradel, Catapult, Astrostrom, Algoryx, OffWorld, Polimak, Ispace, Sira Space, the UK Space Agency, EURO2MOON and the University of Luxembourg's SNT department.
UNOOSA Expert Meeting
In parallel to the Space Resources Week 2024, Luxembourg & Belgium will be co-hosting the UNOOSA Expert Meeting on 26 March, as part of COPUOS Legal Subcommittee's Working Group on Legal Aspects of Space Resource Activities.
This prestigious gathering is organized by the Luxembourg Space Agency in collaboration with the Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, BELSPO and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs.
The expert meeting will gather more than 120 participants, including more than 85 people present in person, who will also have the opportunity to attend the Space Resources Week in order to connect and exchange informally with the community.
Future lunar economy
The multidisciplinary forum of Space Resources Week cannot be complete without a focus on commercial activities and business. At the end of the first day of the event, Lari Cujko, Start-up Support Programme Lead at ESRIC, will announce the details behind the fifth thematic call of the ESRIC Start-up Support Programme (SSP). Additionally, he will reveal who are the ventures starting their pre-incubation journey in April, in the context of the fourth round of the programme.
About the ventures:
Neamine - France
Neamine is a young French start-up with the vision of producing and commercializing oxygen extracted from lunar regolith to refuel lunar landers, thus enhancing their capabilities at a lower cost and without relying on resupply from Earth.
Neurospace - Germany
Considering the moon as humanity's gateway to space, Neurospace aims to establish a network communication system for multiple purposes including mesh network for space exploration, as well as for earth application.
Space Engineer - Portugal
Space Engineer is a company specialized in developing impact absorption solutions. They come with a novel alternative product: the Impact2Space (I2S), an impact-protective solution that combines smart and light materials, using standard manufacturing processes.
Tumi Robotics - USA
The team behind Tumi Robotics is developing and validating proprietary autonomous mobile and aerial robots for the exploration, digitalization, and diagnosis of underground mining galleries and caves. With existing applications in the terrestrial mining industry, their solution aims to generate actionable data, reduce the operational cycle time, increase productivity, and increase safety and efficiency.
Finally, in the context of the third round of the SSP that concluded at the end of 2023, the venture starting their two-year incubation in Luxembourg will be revealed and celebrated on stage. A success of the programme so far has been the already establishment of FourPoint and Lightigo in Luxembourg, and we are excited to develop the ecosystem further.
Local and international collaborations
Fostering exchanges that can sustain the future lunar economy is key and thus Space Resources Week will also mark the opportunity to celebrate, on the second day, the partnership between the European Space Resources Innovation Centre and OffWorld Europe as well as, on the third day, the future collaboration with the Bocconi Space Economy Evolution Lab, with the signing of MOUs.
Press release by the Luxembourg Space Agency