From left: Brazil science and technology minister Gilberto Kassab with Luxembourg economy minister Etienne Schneider Luxembourg economy ministry

From left: Brazil science and technology minister Gilberto Kassab with Luxembourg economy minister Etienne Schneider Luxembourg economy ministry

During the working visit to Brazil, economy and defence minister Etienne Schneider met with Brazilian science and technology minister Gilberto Kassab on 5 April.

According to a government press release, Kassab and his delegation expressed a willingness to collaborate with Luxembourg in the field of space activities, in particular through the Brazilian space agency (AEB) and national institute for space research.

“The Brazilian authorities have also discussed future satellite projects worth several hundred million euros of investment of real interest to Luxembourg companies such as SES, the world's leading satellite operator based in Betzdorf,” the statement read.

As a result of discussions, Brazil could also acquire satellite capabilities from GovSat-1, the first satellite from Luxembourg’s public-private venture, which has been operational since March 2018.

Diversification strategy

The Luxembourg economy has been active in the space sector since the creation of public-private satellite operator SES in the 1980s. More recently, its strategy has been to blaze a trail in the area of the peaceful exploration and exploitation of space resources. As a result, the government is actively trying to attract operators in the space sector to Luxembourg.

In November 2017, Étienne Schneider was quoted by CNBC, a financial TV channel, as saying that the country’s space programme generates nearly 2% of GDP. The minister was quoted as saying that he had a further 70 space companies in the pipeline, though he stressed the sector was some way off overtaking the importance of the financial sector.