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Luxembourg Space Agency

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Luxembourg Space Agency
LSA
Agency overview
Formed12 September 2018 (2018-09-12)
JurisdictionGovernment of Luxembourg
HeadquartersLuxembourg City
Luxembourg Luxembourg
49°36′48.6″N 06°07′37″E / 49.613500°N 6.12694°E / 49.613500; 6.12694
Agency executive
Parent departmentLuxembourg Ministry of Economy
Websitespace-agency.public.lu

The Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA) is the national space agency of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It was founded on September 12, 2018, by Luxembourg's Economy Minister Étienne Schneider.[1][2]

Goal

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The goal of the Luxembourg Space Agency is to use Luxembourg's state funds to provide private companies, start-ups and organizations in the field of space exploration with financial support, especially those working on asteroid mining.[3][4][5][6][7] In a 2021 Financial Times interview, LSA CEO Marc Serres stated that “there was perhaps a little misconception about asteroid mining at the beginning,” and that the primary goal of the LSA is not asteroid mining, but rather In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU).[8]

One of Luxembourg's key contributions to global space exploration is not probes or launch vehicles, but rather the legal framework and bureaucracy required to govern space activities, both by governments and private firms. As of 2023 there are approximately 70 private space companies, with a combined workforce of 1,400 individuals and accounting for 2% of Luxembourg's GDP, headquartered in Luxembourg due to its status as a corporate haven, with Luxembourg passing the first regulatory act for private spaceflight in the world in 2020.[9][8][10] Unlike most other government run public space agencies, the LSA is modeled after a private firm, with a CEO instead of a director or president, and with the primary goal of the agency to "to diversify our economy through space activities,” and turn a profit.[8][11] In late 2023 LSA outlined a 4-year plan to double the space industry's contribution to the Luxembourger GDP from 2% to 4% by 2027.[12]

History

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International cooperation

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The LSA was one of the founding members of the Artemis Accords, a treaty of international cooperation led by the United States for its Artemis Program which will see international technology used to help send American, and international, astronauts to the moon.[8]

At the 70th International Astronautical Congress on October 22, 2019, LSA and NASA signed a memorandum of understanding to work together to further cooperation in lunar exploration, with a particular emphasis on advancing commercial opportunities.[13] Specifically, the memorandum focused on the LSA acting as a regulatory agency for the numerous private firms based in Luxembourg, to make sure that they were still following NASA guidelines for future Artemis missions.[14]

ISRU specialization

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In 2019 LSA signed a partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA) to promote and develop the research, economic and legal aspects of In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) as a way to reduce costs for future space missions, by having spacecraft produce resources such as fuel in the field. The scope of the cooperation agreement will include research, private firm incubation, and specialization concentration.[15]

Since 2020 Luxamburg has hosted the annual "Luxembourg Space Resources Week", a conference in conjunction with the European Space Resources Innovation Centre, open to any member of the ESA to discuss the development of ISRU programs and their implementation. At the third meeting in 2023 LSA announced the "Lunar Space Resources Accelerator", a fund for private start-up companies to begin developing ISRU programs in Luxembourg.[16]

In April 2023, LSA and a private firm, OffWorld Europe, announced a partnership to develop an ISRU process to extract, process, store and use water collected from the surface of the moon in the form of ice. The project, which is under the oversight of the ESA, will use OffWorld's technical expertise in robotics with a technology demonstration mission slated for launch to the moon in 2027 on SpaceX's Starship HLS.[17]

Cellular services

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Luxembourg subsidizes the use of Luxembourger companies to act as mission control centers for various European cellular services and satellites, developing controls for large satellite constellations in partnership with the LSA and ESA.[18]

In 2022 the LSA funded the MACSAT mission, a technology demonstration satellite launched on board a Vega rideshare designed, produced, and run by a private firm, OQ Technology, to demonstrate global satellite 5G.[19]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Jeff Foust (2018-09-13). "Luxembourg establishes space agency and new fund". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
  2. ^ "Luxembourg Launches Business-Focused National Space Agency". businesswire.com. 12 September 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  3. ^ Cecilia Jamasmie (18 November 2020). "Luxembourg to set up Europe space mining centre". mining.com. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  4. ^ Peter B. de Selding (3 February 2016). "Luxembourg to invest in space-based asteroid mining". SpaceNews. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  5. ^ Michael Hardy (29 August 2019). "Luxembourg's Bold Plan to Mine Asteroids for Rare Minerals". wired.com. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  6. ^ Clive Cookson (7 May 2016). "Luxembourg Boldly Goes Into Asteroid Mining". National Geographic. Archived from the original on January 26, 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  7. ^ David Z. Morris (5 June 2016). "Luxembourg to Invest $227 Million in Asteroid Mining". Fortune.com. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d Cooksen, Clive. "Luxembourg space programme to work with Nasa on moon mining". Financial Times. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  9. ^ Schnuer, Cordula. "Space sector looking for profitability as LSA turns five". delano.lu. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  10. ^ Brennan, Louis (16 July 2019). "How Luxembourg is positioning itself to be the centre of space business". The Conversation. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  11. ^ Dhande, Meenal (19 December 2023). "Space Integral to Luxembourg's Economic Diversification: Marc Serres, CEO, Luxembourg Space Agency". geospatialworld.net. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  12. ^ Charlier, Isabelle (26 February 2024). "Luxembourg's space industry tipped to grow". Pinsent Masons. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  13. ^ "Joint Statement Signing Between NASA and the Luxembourg Space Agency". NASA. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  14. ^ Foust, Jeff. "Luxembourg extends space resources work through new agreements with NASA and ESA". Space News. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  15. ^ "ESA and Luxembourg Space Agency confirm partnership on space resources". ESA. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  16. ^ Schumann, Tristan. "Officials Talk In-Space Resources in Luxembourg". payloadspace.com. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  17. ^ "OffWorld Europe and Luxembourg Space Agency Collaborate in New Lunar ISRU Exploration Program". Business Wire. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  18. ^ "ESA + GomSpace sign contract for continued mission control system development". satnews.com. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  19. ^ Cowing, Keith. "OQ Technology announces launch date for the 5G IoT Luxembourg Space Agency "MACSAT" mission". spaceref.com. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
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