A promising first year for ESA's ECSECO space community
Still in its first year of operations, ESA’s European Centre for Space Economy and Commerce (ECSECO) has developed into a unique European community focused on space economy and commerce. Two more events are planned for the end of 2023.
ECSECO will host two exclusive networking sessions with speakers from the Executive Office of the President of the United States and from the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency.
Members will have a voice at the ECSECO General Meeting in Vienna in December. ECSECO will also organise the Space Economy Days at ESA Headquarters in January 2024.
What is ECSECO?
Drawing on the experience of the European Centre for Space Law (ECSL), ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher established ECSECO in June 2022. ECSECO is hosted at the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI) in Vienna, Austria. Its main objective is to provide a European platform for interdisciplinary discussions and collaborative research on the space economy and commerce.
Achievements so far
ECSECO has become a vibrant community with about 200 individual members from all over Europe. Members are from different backgrounds such as economists, scientists, lawyers, engineers; and from various organisations such as academia, public organisations, private companies and investors.
ECSECO activities so far in 2023 have included:
- A Spring School on Commercialisation and Start-ups in Bari, Italy;
- Workshops and conferences, such as the Commercial Space Days in Luzern, Switzerland;
- Monthly networking sessions, held online with high-level speakers;
- Competitions for students, such as the first ECSECO paper competition on space economy and commercialisation.
Upcoming events
26 October 2023: Online networking session with Diane Howard
Diane Howard, Director of Commercial Space Policy at the National Space Council in the Executive Office of the President of the United States, will be the keynote speaker of the November online networking session on ‘Multiple Aspects of Commercial Space in the United States’.
6 November 2023: Online networking session with Stela Tkatchova
The keynote speaker in November will be Stela Tkatchova, Programme Manager for Space at the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency.
1 December 2023: ECSECO General Meeting | Vienna
At the General Meeting, ECSECO members will examine the orientation of the centre’s activities and questions related to the future of the centre and will elect the new board. The meeting will also offer plenty of opportunity for networking and engagement with the community.
16–17 January 2024: Annual Space Economy Days | ESA Headquarters, Paris
This event is an exclusive opportunity for members to engage in a reflective exploration of space economy trends and research areas, marking the commencement of an annual tradition to foster learning and discourse within the ECSECO community.
Follow activities on the European Centre for Space Economy and Commerce website, on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter) or, for further information, please email ecseco@esa.int.
Become a member
ECSECO membership is open to individuals from ESA Member States, Associate States, and other cooperating European States interested in space commerce and economy.
To become a member of ECSECO, please register on the website or express your interest through an email to: ecseco@esa.int