Industry Space Days is an event where, every two years, key players in the space market meet – service and product providers, as well as institutional entities, including national agencies, in roles such as investors or business environment institutions or R&D support. The event also attracts representatives of decision-makers, industry organizations, and the academic community. Participants of this year’s edition, held on September 18-19 at ESA/ESTEC in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, had the opportunity to discover the growing potential and ambitions of the space sector in our country at the Polish Space Agency’s booth, as well as explore the diverse portfolio of our companies.

The event was opened by Dietmar Pilz (ESA, Director of Technology, Engineering & Quality + ESTEC Head of Establishment), who spoke about the future of the European sector and the development and expansion of ESTEC, the European Space Research and Technology Centre. ESA’s plans, key successes, and goals were further elaborated by ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher and Géraldine Naja (Director of Commercialisation, Industry and Competitiveness).

As they presented, the current priorities of the sector in Europe are competitiveness and commercialization. This is to be achieved by opening the market to new companies specializing in various fields, startups, and working on the commercialization of their products through business incubation centers (ESA BIC – currently in Warsaw and Rzeszów in Poland).

An important goal of ESA is also to support development not only within the space sector but also in related industries that use space solutions in everyday life and address urgent social needs. ESA’s activities are also aimed at strongly supporting the development of commercial applications now and in the future.

A significant function performed by ESA is the introduction of regulations, analyses, reports, and audits (including audits of the so-called georeturn, i.e., the return rate of contributions made by individual countries to ESA). The development of appropriate regulations will also serve to prepare future ESA members in terms of competence and competitiveness.

In this context, the opening to new markets, including non-European ones, is also significant. This year’s ISD edition hosted representatives from South America and the Caribbean for the first time. Carmen Moreno Toscano, Ambassador of Mexico to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, presented the cooperation opportunities and potential of the local market, discussing both investment opportunities and chances for joint international projects.

Director Aschbacher emphasized that ESA’s strength lies in its role as the organization generating 60% of Europe’s space budget. Through a series of changes and regulatory improvements, ESA aims to become more flexible, significantly accelerating the contract implementation path (around 1500 contracts have been signed this year). ESA aims not only to create and develop products but also to be a significant support for the space sector.

The technological aspects of individual programs, missions, priorities of the European Space Agency and the European Commission, and their broader economic, social, and ecological context dominated the rest of the plenary program with its numerous presentations and panels.

However, ISD is also – if not primarily – about talks at B2B meeting zones and exploring an exhibition area with a total of 150 stands. During the two intensive days, hundreds of visitors passed through the POLSA booth, receiving comprehensive information about Poland’s plans for activities as a country preparing for a technological mission and manned flight to the International Space Station, building its own orbital and ground infrastructure for satellite data access, space security, and communication needs. Dozens of guests seeking more detailed insights into the capabilities of the Polish sector and profiles of specific companies could gain such knowledge thanks to in-depth conversations with POLSA employees or representatives of Polish entities present at the event, including AGH, ILOT Łukasiewicz, Spacive, Wiran, AROBS Polska, Scanway, Creotech Instruments, Astronika, Eyecore, SemiCon, SENER Polska, EXTREMO Technologies, KP Labs, N7, CloudFerro, ITTI (the last four had their own space).

ISD was also an opportunity for better mutual acquaintance, discussions about potential joint initiatives between the space industry environment working on a daily basis in Poland and the growing group of Poles employed or interning at the European Space Agency (including the first group of beneficiaries of the Polish National Trainee Programme).

A strong Polish accent was noted during the awards ceremony. Among the prestigious group of only three honored companies was KP Labs, which received ESA’s Innovation Award (Airbus Defence and Space from France received the Excellence Award as a prime contractor, and ASP Systems from Germany as a subcontractor).