The firm was awarded at a prizegiving in the framework of the European Space Agency’s space for inspiration conference on 30 October.

The Luxembourg Space Agency awarded the €500,000 Spaceresources challenge prize in what was its second contest.

Odysseus Space was founded in 2016 to provide innovative technologies for deep space and swarm small satellite missions. According to a government statement, it has participated in 15 small satellite missions from seven different countries. In particular their work focuses on autonomous operations and optical communications.

LSA chief Marc Serres said it had been “inspiring” to see the different backgrounds and projects of the various people who entered the contest. Odysseus will received the support for a development phase under the Luxembourg national space programme. The government said the firm had already begun the process of relocating its headquarters from Taiwan to Luxembourg where it will join an eco-system of over 50 firms working in newspace-related technologies.

The sector began in Luxembourg in 1985 with the creation of satellite operator SES in Betzdorf. In 2016, the economy ministry launched the Spaceresources initiative aimed at creating a legal, regulatory and business environment for private investors and companies to explore and use space resources. Today, the sector generates close to 2% of the country’s GDP.