LIST JOINS US SPACE MINING ECONOMIC MISSION

On the 9 – 13 April 2017, LIST joined a Luxembourg delegation led by Mr. Etienne Schneider, deputy Prime Minister, the Grand Duchy’s prince and princess on the Luxembourg Economic Mission to the US.

The economic mission started in Seattle at Planetary Resources, a space mining company that has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Luxembourgish government to be among the first to launch the commercial exploitation of asteroids. Two days later the delegation landed in California to visit SSL, a company that produces satellite systems, followed by a visit to the NASA Ames Research Center where Luxembourg’s ambition to harvest valuable materials from asteroids, moons and planetoids was further discussed.

The Space Mining Initiative

Luxembourg’s space mining endeavour started back in February 2016, with the launch of the SpaceResources.lu initiative. The goal is to ensure that space resources explored under its jurisdiction serve a peaceful purpose, are gathered and used in a sustainable manner compatible with international law and for the benefit of humankind.

“We are looking to extend and to build new, strong and mutually beneficial ties,” stated Prince Guillaume.“ Last year, Luxembourg announced plans to establish SpaceResources.lu with 200 million Euros. As a next step, the country is preparing for the establishment of a space agency that pairs government with private capital to invest another 70 million to 100 million euros in promising ventures” Deputy PM Etienne Schneider said.

LIST’s research expertise for space mining

LIST, as a Research and Technology Organization (RTO), is a key partner for the Space Mining initiative. Substantial research goals need to be achieved to meet with the project’s ambitions. 

In the last months, LIST partnered up with NASA thanks to its expertise on mass spectrometers, valued in space to identify the elemental composition of matter. In collaboration with the japanese start-up ispace, LIST prepares to send a first space-ready mass spectrometer to the moon to identify the age and composition of different materials that are of interest in the context of future space missions. 

To know more about LIST’s role in the context of the Spaceresources.lu initiative, we asked LIST representative to Luxembourg’s US delegation and Head of External Communication, Thomas Schoos, about the details of the visit:

In short, LIST communication had three core objectives on this trip: First, to oversee the distribution of a special report, published by Scientific American Magazine, orchestrated by LIST and co-financed by FNR and MECO on Luxembourg as a new research and innovation player, most notably in the field of space. The special report will be polywrapped and distributed globally with the May issue of Scientific American. 

Second, the mission provided LIST with a unique opportunity to talk to a great number of national and international press, such as the Guardian, the New York times and TV 5 that were actively travelling with the official delegation. 

Third, in terms of business development, the various receptions organized by the Ministry of Economy, in Palo Alto and at NASA, allowed to make contact with companies interested in LIST technologies or more generally, in moving their activities to the Grand Duchy.

The Spaceresources.lu initiative launched by the Luxembourg Government has opened up promising perspectives specifically for LIST but more generally for research in Luxembourg. The considerable international media attention generated by the topic of space mining has made it easier to make people aware of LIST and perceive it as the “Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) wing” of an attractive package deal that Luxembourg can offer in this field.