Estonia: back to Space

Paper number

IAC-08.E3.1.9

Author

Dr. Mart Noorma, University of Tartu, Estonia

Coauthor

Dr. Hillar Tork, Estonia

Coauthor

Dr. Anu Reinart, Tartu Observatory, Estonia

Coauthor

Dr. Uno Veisman, Tartu Observatory, Estonia

Coauthor

Prof. Ene Ergma, Estonian Parliament (Riigikogu), Estonia

Coauthor

Mr. Alar Kolk, Helsinki University of Technology, Finland

Coauthor

Mr. Silver Lätt, Tartu University, Estonia

Coauthor

Mr. Madis Võõras, Enterprise Estonia, Estonia

Coauthor

Dr. Laurits Leedjärv, Tartu Observatory, Estonia

Coauthor

Mr. Kristo Reinsalu, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, Estonia

Year

2008

Abstract

On June 20th, 2007, an Agreement between the Republic of Estonia and the European Space Agency (ESA) concerning space cooperation for peaceful purposes was signed in Tallinn, Estonia. The purpose of the Agreement is to establish a legal framework for cooperation and the conditions for implementing projects of mutual interest until 2012 with the goal of concluding a European Cooperating State (PECS) Agreement.

The signing of the Agreement marked an historic moment as the first step for Estonia on the road to fully contribute along with the present ESA member and cooperating states to realization of the European space dreams. The newcomer has what to offer – Estonia has over twenty years of experience in the Soviet Union space programs along with one of the fastest developing economies in Europe. Through participation in initiatives of ESA and the European Union, Estonia can fully contribute towards achievement of the objectives of the European Space Policy and the Lisbon Agenda. The space-related activities are expected to support the innovation and technology transfer in various fields of industry and science, for example in information technology, remote sensing, positioning services, communications etc. Estonian enterprises and research groups are already actively participating in various cooperation projects, co-funded by the EU FP7 Space and Environment thematic areas.

This paper describes the vision for the space efforts in Estonia along with a detailed analysis of the present capabilities of the Estonian industry and scientific institutions related to the space technologies and applications. An overview of the measures taken to support enterprises and scientific institutions with the highest potential in space cooperation will be presented. The long-term success of these measures is argued to depend mainly on the efficiency of coordination and the resulting synergy with the regular support activities for the country’s most innovative enterprises. In order to use the limited resources effectively, Estonia has to focus on a set of selected fields of interest, which will also be discussed in this paper.

Abstract document

IAC-08.E3.1.9.pdf

Manuscript document

(absent)