On 10 May, the United States Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross will be in Luxembourg for an official visit.

Following the US Embassy's announcement of Ross's visit, the Luxembourgish government has provided further insight on the what lies behind it.

The two countries plan to increase their collaboration in the space industry by signing a memorandum of understanding. The government has scheduled a press conference for the same day to present the details of the agreement.

Press release

The Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg are pleased to announce an international press conference to present the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will serve to catalyze and significantly deepen cooperation between the two countries in the field of space. The MoU will serve as the vehicle for the two countries to support the continued growth of their respective space industries through new commercial and investment opportunities, strengthen policy coordination and share expertise on space exploration and science.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy Étienne Schneider declared: “The cooperation agreement with the US is yet another important step forward in enhancing international cooperation through our SpaceResources.lu initiative that supports the development of a global commercial space resources utilization industry.”

Secretary Ross said: “Luxembourg is an important world player in many sectors including finance and space.  As such, they are a place where we want to strengthen and expand our ties - ties built on a long history of shared values and sacrifice.”

U.S. Ambassador Randy Evans stated: “We feel that this Luxembourg-U.S. MoU on space is a fitting tribute to HRH late Grand Duke Jean, given that he was Luxembourg’s monarch when the country took its first bold steps in the space sector with the launch of SES as Europe's first private satellite operator in March of 1985.”

The press conference is scheduled for 12:00 noon on Friday, May 10, 2019 (Note : Times are in Luxembourg Time GMT+2) and will take place at the Hôtel St. Augustin, 6, rue de la Congrégation, L-1352 Luxembourg. The press conference is preceded at 11:45am by the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding that will take place in the same building.