Space cadets gather in Vilnius

VILNIUS - On Sept. 18-20, the international conference Space Economy in a Multi-polar World (SEMWO) will take place in Vilnius for the fourth time in a row, reports ELTA. SEMWO is one of the largest events in the Baltics, focusing on space science, technologies and their commercial application, each year bringing together space scientists, businesspeople, and leaders of national space programs to discuss the latest developments in the space economy.

The event has become a meeting point for global space actors and partners from small countries or countries that are new in space activities, enabling them to discuss and evaluate current developments in the commercial aerospace market, its future trends, innovative ideas and technologies, investment possibilities, as well as to form closer cooperation.

As in previous years, this conference will feature, among its speakers, high-profile space professionals from the established space superpowers: the U.S., Japan, the European Union, Russia and China.

The first day of the conference will focus on European space innovation, international collaboration, emerging opportunities for space tourism, and efforts in exploring the solar system and the universe.

The second day of the conference will involve technical presentations on earth observation and space situational awareness, key enabling technologies, remotely operated vehicles and nano-satellite technologies.

The third day of the conference will be devoted to space funding under the future EU Framework Program for Research and Innovation Program Horizon 2020. This information and the partnership event is supported by EU FP7 national contact points’ collaboration project COSMOS+, funded under FP7. Information about EU space research funding prospects will be given by DG Enterprise and Industry Space research unit; EU 7BP-funded space research projects will be presented, a partnership event will be held with presentations of institutions interested in space research from Lithuania and abroad.

The conference is organized by the Lithuanian Space Association, the Space Science and Technology Institute, the Agency for Science, Innovation and Technology, Vilnius University, under the auspices of the Ministry of Economy.