The European Astronaut Centre in Cologne is actively preparing for a future mission to the earth's satellite. Luxembourg is contributing to the mission as preparations are underway to allow astronauts to train under practically real conditions. The ESA is in the process of reproducing a lunar landscape in Cologne, to which a Luxembourgish researcher is contributing.
The Grand Duchy hopes to continue innovating through researching spacial exploration. To that end, Luxembourg is keen to open its own Research and Innovation Centre dedicated to the space sector. Luxembourg's intentions were announced on Friday at a joint press conference held by Minister of the Economy Etienne Schneider and the ESA's director Jan Wörner. The latter confirmed the collaboration with Luxembourg and the creation of the research centre.
All that remains is the approval given by ESA member states, but at this stage this is a mere formality due to occur in November.
The last few days have seen several developments in terms of Luxembourg's budding involvement in the space sector. Notably, the Luxembourg Space Agency committed to collaborating with NASA and the German Aerospace Centre.
Space exploration: Luxembourg Space Agency signs joint statement outlining collaboration with NASA
