September 6, 2018
Luxembourg, (click here) one of the first countries to set its eyes on the possibility of mining asteroids, is officially launching its Space Agency (LSA) next week, which main goal will be boosting exploration and commercial utilization of resources from near Earth objects.
The tiny country, one of the euro zone's wealthiest, already has a long-standing space industry, which played a significant role in the development of satellite communications a generation ago, including setting up SES (Société Européenne des Satellites), one of the world’s largest satellite services company.
Now the nation want to become Europe’s centre for space mining. That is why, unlike US space agency NASA, LSA will not carry out research or launches. Its purpose is to accelerate collaborations between economic project leaders of the space sector, investors and other partners, Paul Zenners, government counsellor, said in an emailed statement.
The agency, he noted, will also manage all national space programs and the relations with the European Space Agency (ESA), from which the country is a member.
No time wasted
Since early 2016, when Luxembourg officially announced an initiative to promote the mining of asteroids for minerals, progress has been made almost at the speed of light....
