The European Space Resources Innovation Centre (ESRIC) is celebrating its fifth anniversary, marking five years since its launch because the world’s first innovation centre devoted to space resources. ESRIC’s mission is to allow sustainable space exploration and lay the foundations for a future in-space economic system.
Founded in 2020 by the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA) and the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), with the European Space Agency (ESA) as strategic companion, ESRIC has turn into a key half of Luxembourg’s long-term technique to develop its space sector. Driven by the forward-looking SpaceResources.lu initiative, and backed by a common settlement signed final 12 months between the Luxembourg authorities and LIST, ESRIC was created to create a strategic nationwide functionality that helps space exploration, fuels financial diversification, and positions Luxembourg on the coronary heart of Europe’s future in-space economic system.
Based inside LIST, ESRIC has grown to a staff of thirty individuals main actions throughout three core pillars: research, commercialisation and neighborhood. ESRIC’s research programme, together with funding from the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) to the ESRIC director beneath the PEARL programme, focuses on the sustainable and accountable use of space resources and the staff is growing instruments, applied sciences and data that may allow the use of resources resembling oxygen, metals and water on the Moon. In this dynamic sector, ESRIC helps start-ups and early-stage ventures with its distinctive incubator and accelerator programmes, in partnership with Technoport and ESA. Collaborating with a broad community of nationwide and worldwide specialists, ESRIC has to date supported 32 corporations via these programmes, with six relocating to Luxembourg as a direct end result of their participation.
ESRIC additionally performs a important function in bringing individuals collectively via the most important devoted occasion for the neighborhood, the annual Space Resources Week convention. The 2025 version, held in May, welcomed over 450 contributors to Luxembourg from around the globe, together with delegates from space companies, business, start-ups, academia and research institutes, and many extra organisations. The occasion continues to place ESRIC and Luxembourg on the centre of the worldwide space resources neighborhood.
“As ESRIC turns five, we can be incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved as a team, together with the support of LSA, LIST and ESA,” said Kathryn Hadler, Director of ESRIC. “Space resources is an thrilling and difficult area that would rework space exploration and present tangible advantages for Earth. This anniversary is a second to have a good time the collaborations and assist which have made ESRIC’s achievements doable and to look ahead to the subsequent five years of continued progress.”
Looking forward, ESRIC is increasing its services in Luxembourg, together with the upcoming Dusty Thermal Vacuum Chamber developed with ESA funding, which is able to permit the neighborhood to check applied sciences beneath circumstances much like these on the Moon. The centre will proceed to advance research, assist entrepreneurs, and foster worldwide collaboration, reinforcing Luxembourg’s place as Europe’s hub for sustainable space resources innovation.
ESA, as strategic companion, contributes to the institution, operations and utilisation of ESRIC via its Terrae Novae exploration programme. Providing funds, gear and technical contributions, the European Space Agency works in shut coordination with the groups to assist the event of the nationwide space ecosystem.
About ESRIC
The European Space Resources Innovation Centre (ESRIC) is Europe’s hub for sustainable space-resources research and innovation. Founded in 2020 by the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA) and the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), and with the European Space Agency (ESA) as strategic companion, ESRIC has turn into a key half of Luxembourg’s long-term space imaginative and prescient; one constructed on innovation, sustainability, and worldwide cooperation.
About Terrae Novae
The Terrae Novae exploration programme teams ESA’s exploration campaigns to low Earth orbit, the Moon, and Mars right into a unified programme. The programme delivers the Explore2040 technique primarily based on a imaginative and prescient in which Europe will probably be on the forefront of a sustained, sustainable and accountable human and robotic space exploration by offering distinctive contributions and returning advantages to society. Space exploration is certainly an funding in future prosperity. It creates prime quality jobs and produces instant financial advantages. Exploration science and know-how boosts innovation and makes business extra aggressive.
Press launch by the Ministry of the Economy / Ministry of Research and Higher Education / Luxembourg Space Agency / Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology / Centre européen d’innovation en ressources spatiales