Hungary Signs Agreement With European Space Agency
Photo by T. Schneider / Shutterstock.com
Hungary signed an agreement yesterday with the European Space Agency on access to EUR 10 million in support for local SMEs' participation in the European space industry over five years, according to hirado.hu.
"We are thankful to the European Space Agency to sign the requesting party agreement today, in the framework of which, Hungarian SMEs will have [...] access to EUR 2 mln continuously for five years on an annual basis to enhance and improve their role in the European space industry," Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said at a ministerial-level meeting of the agency in Paris this week.
"We also take advantage of the industrial policy taskforce we have established together with ESA in order to enhance Hungarian participation in the programs of the space agency," he added.
Szijjártó noted that Hungary is preparing to send the second Hungarian astronaut to space under a EUR 100 mln program in cooperation with the U.S. company Axiom Space. The astronaut will go on a 30-day research trip in orbit at the end of 2024 or the beginning of 2025, he said. Some 12 Hungarian devices will be tested on the trip.
The minister noted that a call to become the next Hungarian astronaut had drawn 244 applicants, including 39 women. He added that that number has been narrowed down to eight and will be cut to four by year-end.
SUPPORT THE BUDAPEST BUSINESS JOURNAL
Producing journalism that is worthy of the name is a costly business. For 27 years, the publishers, editors and reporters of the Budapest Business Journal have striven to bring you business news that works, information that you can trust, that is factual, accurate and presented without fear or favor.
Newspaper organizations across the globe have struggled to find a business model that allows them to continue to excel, without compromising their ability to perform. Most recently, some have experimented with the idea of involving their most important stakeholders, their readers.
We would like to offer that same opportunity to our readers. We would like to invite you to help us deliver the quality business journalism you require. Hit our Support the BBJ button and you can choose the how much and how often you send us your contributions.
