Students, startups and SMEs represent NL Space at Space Tech Expo Bremen
The global space community will gather at the annual Space Tech Expo in Bremen from 14-16 November. Dutch companies meet up to strengthen old ties, make new contacts and learn about the latest trends and innovations. Enough reason to be there due to the plenty of International opportunities for NL Space.
The orange NL Space pavilion has become a well-known fixture at Europe's largest trade fair for the space industry. It is a 'display window' in which Dutch companies show what they have to offer in terms of space ingenuity. And it is a base from which exhibitors explore and discover what is going on in the rest of the space world.
The pavilion is powered by the Netherlands Space Office (NSO) which is itself present at the exhibition. Jasper van Loon, from the NSO management team, says: "We are there to assist Dutch companies to find valuable contacts. In addition, we inform and advise foreign companies who are considering establishing themselves in Europe about the space tech ecosystem in the Netherlands. And off course the Space Tech Expo keeps up updated and aware of the latest developments and trends.'
Small satellites
The exhibition will probably focus a lot of attention on the world's security situation, says Jeroen Rotteveel, the President of the Industry Association SpaceNed. 'Every day on the news one sees images of the situation in Ukraine and Gaza. Some of those images were taken by satellites in space. This underlines the importance of autonomous, strategic satellite systems, such as the constellation Iris2, which Europe is currently working on.'
In recent years, the Netherlands has accumulated considerable experience and expertise in New Space, the domain of smaller, cheaper satellites. 'We are looking at where the opportunities for the Netherlands lie,' says Van Loon. 'Constellations of smaller satellites have boomed. This means that companies must move to series production of dozens, sometimes hundreds, of satellites and satellite components. Series production requires new skills and you can already see those emerging in the Netherlands right now.'
NL Space Connects
Participants during the Space Tech Expo come together and exhibit under the flag of NL Space. This is wise to do, thinks Rotteveel: "The Dutch space community consists mainly of startups and smaller companies. It can be a disadvantage if you only focus on yourself. Working together has many advantages. We are also used to worki together with academics and startups on one side and the "big boys" like Airbus, Ariane and DLR on the other. This leads to an agile community that is good at connecting and attractive to work with.'
And then there are the students and start-up entrepreneurs. These are two key target groups that NL Space Campus focuses on during Space Tech Expo. 'The exhibition is free of charge to visit, so it is extra attractive to the public. We see many students and people from ESA BIC incubators from all over Europe coming to Bremen," Maaike Smelter from NL Space Campus explains.
Like last year, NL Space Campus is organizing the networking event 'Connecting the Curious' on Wednesday evening at the Biergarten Lugger, around the corner from the expo site. Here, young talent can get in touch with each other and with established space parties. There is plenty of time for networking and room to pitch ideas to a large audience. Smelter: "During this event, we connect students and startups within the space world, which benefits the ecosystem as a whole.
More information:
Space Tech Expo Bremen
NL Space Campus: Connecting the Curious
