Luxembourg and NorthStar to cooperate on a common Clean Space initiative

Étienne Schneider, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy of Luxembourg stated: "The proposed cooperation with NorthStar is in line with Luxembourg's efforts in developing high-fidelity space situational awareness to protect the space environment beyond our planet and in promoting earth observation to better understand the complexity of our planet and monitor its health. Both fit perfectly into our national data-based innovation strategy that aims at building a sustainable and reliable digital economy."

Étienne Schneider, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy of Luxembourg stated: "The proposed cooperation with NorthStar is in line with Luxembourg's efforts in developing high-fidelity space situational awareness to protect the space environment beyond our planet and in promoting earth observation to better understand the complexity of our planet and monitor its health. Both fit perfectly into our national data-based innovation strategy that aims at building a sustainable and reliable digital economy."

NorthStar's mission is to empower humanity to preserve our planet by putting into place a unique Space and Earth information platform dedicated to space-based Space Situational Awareness ("SSA") and Earth Intelligence. Starting in 2021 and based on a satellite constellation equipped with Hyperspectral, Infrared and Optical sensors, the platform will operate continuously from space, imaging, digitizing and analyzing the details of Earth's ecosystems and surrounding orbit on a daily basis. It will transform the way governments, industry and NGOs assess risk, enforce regulations and make decisions to foster the sustainable development of our planet and deliver a safe and secure near-space environment for the global satellite community.

For more than three decades, Luxembourg has been at the forefront of commercial and co-operative initiatives that have shaped a vibrant space economy. Luxembourg's first foray into space came in 1985, with the creation of the Société Européenne des Satellites (SES), a landmark for satellite telecommunications and a global leader in this sector today. Further space-related services and businesses have developed alongside SES, giving birth to an entire space industry in Luxembourg. Today, the space sector's contribution to national GDP is among the highest in Europe. Luxembourg launched SpaceResources.lu in 2016 as the next step in its drive to develop a cutting-edge space industry by positioning the Grand Duchy as a centre for the exploration and utilisation of space resources.

NorthStar: media@northstar-data.com; Luxembourg: Paul Zenners, Luxembourg Ministry of the Economy, Phone: +352 621 409 141