Czech businesses can reach funds for their own space project

"Czech companies have established themselves as equipment contractors for foreign space missions. The next logical step is to build capacities for the development of entire space missions. They are more costly but also bring significantly higher added value and return on investment," says the head of ITS and Space Activities of the Ministry of Transport Václav Kobera.

Unlike with recent projects, these so-called Ambitious ESA projects aim at independent space flights by Czech stakeholders, either as independent missions or a significant autonomous element of a bigger international missions. The thing is that the Czech Republic has been only involved in missions organised and operated from abroad (except for small experimental cubesat-type nano-satellites). But now, the call for proposal of the European Space Agency targets Czech businesses as well as academic stakeholders with the aim of bringing together their know-how in the Czech space industry. Dozens of tech companies will take part in the project, because this will help them overcome the current economic situation and impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. A number of these businesses work in the aviation industry which has suffered a heavy blow this year.