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Prague’s Space Ambitions Aim High
[email protected]
www.pragueconvention.cz
Prague and the Czech Republic are not
new to the science disciplines of space
exploration and research. Czechoslovak
citizen Vladimír Remek was the first
cosmonaut in space from a country other
than the Soviet Union or the United
States. He flew aboard Soyuz 28 in
March 1978. The same year, Magion 1,
the first Czechoslovak satellite was
launched into orbit.
Currently, there are around seventy
companies and research centers in the
Czech Republic that are involved in space
activities. In addition, there are many
technologies that only few people
commonly associate with the universe
such as satellite navigation or satellite
telecommunications, thanks to which we
can e.g. withdraw money from an ATM.
Since 2008, the Czech Republic has
been a member of the European Space
Agency. During the following 10 years,
Czech companies and universities have
been working on a total of 350 projects.
Eight years after the country joined the
agency, ESA Business Incubation Centre
(ESA BIC) was opened in Prague. When
launched in 2016, it was even the first
ever space incubator in the CEE region.
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The ESA BIC program aims to
support the use of space technologies in
everyday life and thus ensure the support
of research, development, innovation and
monetization of their results. During the
five years of its operation, up to 25 Czech
start-ups have been able to look for
opportunities to apply space technology
to everyday life. The package which
includes consulting and advisory services
in the technological and business areas,
financial support of up to 50,000 EUR,
marketing support and help with finding
partners and potential investors is
available to the start-ups accepted to the
program.
Prague has been also home for The
European Global Navigation Satellite
Systems Agency (GNSS), and Galileo,
global satellite-based navigation system
created by the European Union, since
2010. In 2021, the new European Space
Agency will be created by extending the
existing European GNSS Agency, which
employs around 100 people. The new
European Union Agency for the Space
Program (EUSPA) will employ
approximately 700 people. Apart from
developing satellite telecommunications
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it will monitor the nearby surroundings
of the Earth and manage Copernicus -
European Union’s Earth Observation
Programme.
Thanks to the long tradition of space
research and several institutions,
companies and start-ups headquartered
in Prague, the city also attracts many
events focusing on this field. Czech Space
Week was launched in 2018 presenting
several events across the Czech Republic
dedicated to experts as well as general
public and children. Within the Czech
Space Week, the conference of ESA BIC
was held in Prague in 2019 together with
Space for Women discussion with
successful women working in space
industry. All technology experts and
enthusiasts shouldn’t miss the Future
Port Prague, annual festival of latest and
future technologies, products, and ideas
which focuses on space technologies as
well. The conference and expo are
integral parts of the Future Port
presenting VIP
speakers.