In September, we had the opportunity to participate in the Výťah Space Industry Conference, which revealed to us where the space business is heading in Central and Eastern Europe. The big names from the space industry met in Bratislava, and we were there.
When you think of the space business, the first thing that probably comes to mind is space flights. On May 30, 2021, the American company SpaceX successfully launched the first Crew Dragon spacecraft commercial flight. Since then, space has become increasingly accessible to private companies. However, this industry covers a much larger spectrum than rockets or satellites.
Satellite data is already improving life on Earth in many areas. It can be helpful in the fight against climate change – control of deforestation, detection of fires, and other threats. Materials developed for use in space are becoming available to humans on Earth. Cell phones supported by satellite signals from space enable global communication and navigation. At the Lift Conf., we realized how far the space industry’s potential extends.
What should not be missed?
The event attracted more than a dozen world-class speakers from the space business to Bratislava. We heard several success stories that could be written in our region in the future. Our tech lead, Števo, was most interested in the performance of Shimon Sarid, CEO of the Israeli non-profit organization SpaceIL. He is behind the development of the space program Beresheet and Beresheet 2. “The budget for the entire mission, which was 100 million USD, was covered mainly by contributions from philanthropists. This project shows that even a small country like Israel can achieve a bigger goal – landing on the Moon. For me, this was very inspiring,” says Števo.
The space industry in Slovakia
Connecting business with space may sound like science fiction, but the Výťah Conf. proves that the space business in Slovakia is rising. In the future, it could bring new opportunities for companies to join the supply chains of top technology companies and move Slovakia’s innovative performance and technological know-how to a higher level. You can read more about our space industry on the website of the Slovak Space Office.
