The Catalan aerospace ecosystem, presented in Brussels to the leading actors of the sector

The conference was jointly organised by the Delegation of the Government of Catalonia to the European Union, the NEREUS network (Network of European Regions Using Space Technologies) and the Institute of the Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC – Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya). It aimed to highlight the potential of the aerospace Catalan sector, while giving visibility to the contribution of this sector at the European level.

The day brought together many actors from the European regions that also have a space sector strategy. It was opened by the general director of Innovation, Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Lluís Juncà, and the president of NEREUS, Thierry Cotelle.

In addition, the event featured a multidisciplinary panel that explored a variety of initiatives and vanguard exploration experiments. The director of the IEEC, Dr Ignasi Ribas, debated about regional contributions to the European space strategy at a round table moderated by the NEREUS general secretary, Roya Ayazi. It is also worth mentioning  the presentation ‘Live in Space for a Sustainable Earth: MELiSSA (Micro Ecological Life Support System Alternative)’ by Dr Francesc Gòdia, overall manager of this infrastructure of the European Space Agency (ESA), professor at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and IEEC member.

The event also highlighted the Hypatia I mission, an initiative boosted by a Catalan female crew that, next April, will be sent to the 'Mars Desert Research Station', located in the Utah desert (United States) that replicates the conditions of a manned space mission to Mars.

"Regions as Key Players in European Space Policy" was part of a series of events organised in Europe and the United States to commemorate the centenary of the birth of Dr Joan Oró (1923 – 2004), Catalan biochemist who participated in several NASA missions.