Space technologies are a great challenge for the Czech economy and also for BUT

At the end of January, a mission of representatives of the Czech business and academic community focused on space technologies and smart mobility accompanied the Czech Minister of Transport to the United States. The mission, organised by the Ministry of Transport and the Czech Chamber of Commerce with the support of the Czech Embassy in the USA, aimed, in addition to presenting the technological potential of the Czech Republic, to connect and establish business and academic cooperation with local industrial enterprises as well as academic and government institutions in the field. BUT was represented on the mission by rector Ladislav Janíček, who participated in the programme and meetings in the field of space technologies in major centers of the US aerospace industry in Washington, Houston and Orlando. He shared his unique experience in the following text.

The opportunity to get a glimpse into the ecosystem of the space industry in its aerospace technology hubs such as Houston and Orlando was an inspiration and shows the unique interplay between the industrial and academic sectors in the US context, as well as the interplay between small and medium-sized businesses with the large ones. Among the major companies that belong to the technological leaders and producers in the US aerospace industry the mission participants visited were:

• Lockheed Martin (Washington, D.C.), – a company that, in addition to the aviation section, currently interesting for the Czech Republic through a programme of technological cooperation in connection with the expected purchase of F-35 aircraft, also dominates the supply chain in the field of space technologies,
• Sierra Space (Washington, D.C.) – a company where there was an opportunity to learn about the Dream Chaser automated supply spacecraft project and the concept of a modular space station in orbit built on the principle of interconnected space habitats for different purposes,
• Intuitive Machines (Houston, Texas) – a company that develops and manufactures a variety of space technology equipment including vehicles and communications solutions for planned missions to the Moon and soon to Mars,
• Axiom Space (Houston, Texas) – a company that provides space expeditions, including commercial ones, to the International Space Station (ISS), is developing its own space base project or is involved in a unique spacesuit design for future planetary missions, among other things.

However, there were other inspirational meetings during the business mission with government agencies and companies involved in brokering and connecting entities to aerospace supply chains across the U.S. aerospace ecosystem. One of the government agencies was the Information Technology Industry Council (Washington, D.C.), whose work reflects on and addresses the "critical technology workforce shortage," as the initiative's program documents state, facing the United States. In this sense, the situation is very similar to that of the Czech Republic, which is also facing a shortage of capacity in technical fields and stagnation or decline in interest in technical education in a number of fields. The ITI Agency facilitates technology partnerships, talent searches and connects industry and educational institutions, including universities, to deliver technical education.

Another such agency is Space Florida (Orlando, Florida), whose mission is to strengthen Florida's position as a global leader in aerospace research, development, investment and commerce. In addition to connecting industry, universities, and research organizations within Florida's aerospace ecosystem, it also serves as an innovation hub that facilitates contacts, investment, and venture capital to promote business development and help build Florida's competitive leadership in the space industry.

From the beginning of the mission it was obvious that it is not easy to get into supply chains and to cooperate with leading American companies in the field of space technology, or to cooperate with NASA, but many of the mission participants have already succeeded in the past and for this they deserve great appreciation and admiration. After all, the effort to establish themselves with their products and technologies, to find a place and a way to enter this prestigious technological field, actually fulfilled the purpose of the whole mission. And indeed, some of the products and technologies developed by Czech entities are, due to their uniqueness, a testimony to the enormous intellectual potential of our Czech people, as well as those from Slovakia who participated in the mission.

Czech Republic is a respected partner for the aerospace industry

In any case, the Czech Republic has a lot to offer and certainly has not said its last word in the field of space technology as well as in the aerospace industry. It is surprising how many great technologies and products in this field could be seen during the mission and how much more our "small country" can offer. This trip was all the more interesting for Czech universities, which were represented in the mission by Brno University of Technology and also the partner Czech Technical University in Prague through the Dean of the Faculty of Transportation at CTU. During the mission it was possible to discuss or at least raise interest in technological research and development cooperation with a number of entities. It turns out that in the aerospace segment in the Czech Republic, in addition to its academic role of training specialists for the aerospace industry, CTU is undoubtedly one of the leading research organisations in this field and is a respected partner for the industry in the Czech Republic.

Traditional cooperation in the development of small satellites at BUT dates back to the 1980s and more recently the production of nano (cube) satellites and related technologies places BUT among the leading Czech entities in this field. Among other things, we can mention here the student initiative dealing with the development of cube satellites, the Yspace association, which, we believe, will soon be able to send its own student nanosatellite into orbit with the support of our university and some sponsors from among business entities in this field. Other areas where BUT has a respected track record are the development of sensors, satellite communication systems and instruments for space applications, including the development of technologies and applications in the field of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence or in satellite data processing, including image and space photography. An unforgettable area in which BUT is not only at the cutting edge, but already has real space applications, is space tribology. It deals with technical solutions to ensure the reliable functioning of moving parts of space equipment on spacecraft, satellites or space stations, for example, in terms of reliable ejection of solar panels, antennas, movement of robotic arms, etc., including their lubrication. Their mechanical failure in space, e.g. due to overloading or vibration, can wipe out huge investments and efforts by many people. The BUT has recently implemented or is currently implementing seven projects supported by the European Space Agency. A successful collaboration in the field of image processing is also being developed with NASA. The cooperation with the industrial sector in the form of contract research, for example with Honeywell, which has one of its research and development bases in Brno, among others in the field of aerospace technologies, is important for BUT. We can proudly say that among Czech products and technologies in the field of space activities, these results are among the technological leaders. And pride in them is fully justified.

It is pleasing to see how many ongoing and completed successful collaborations between the mission's corporate participants and BUT have been highlighted and how many other potential future collaborations and consultations have been negotiated. It was also gratifying to find out how many of the mission participants turned out to be graduates of BUT or have been working closely and long term with BUT in the field of aerospace, as well as in other related fields such as semiconductor technology. In this sense, the mission allowed to map the aerospace segment in the Czech Republic and brought a number of very interesting contacts, which we believe will create a prerequisite and especially an opportunity for further and closer involvement of BUT in the space programme not only in the Czech Republic.

Space Education and Research at BUT

The need to build an economy based on knowledge and innovation, an economy with added value, is the Czech Republic's path to competitiveness. The intellectual potential that our country has in the skills of our people and the results achieved in the field of space technology testifies to this. Space technology is a great, but certainly not unattainable, challenge for us. Technical solutions for space inspire and motivate us at the same time and can undoubtedly be an important attractor for applicants for technical studies. Today BUT offers and gives the opportunity for such studies in the Space Applications engineering programme at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication Technology, which is conducted in cooperation with the Aerospace Institute of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in English. This programme, also known as the Master of Space Applications, is BUT’s flagship in the field of space engineering and is currently the only study programme of its kind in the Czech Republic.

Another option for studying space technology is the Aerospace Engineering programme at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. In the Aircraft Design specialisation, it offers subjects such as space technology design, space flight mechanics and space technology. This programme is available in both English and Czech under the name Aerospace Technology. The programme also has the option of a follow-up at the Ph.D. level. Within the Aerospace Technology programme, aerospace engineering design and space flight mechanics are also taught in the Airtransport and Airport Technology specialisation. Together with the Bachelor's degree programme Professional Pilot, BUT is therefore one of the leading European universities providing prestigious higher technical education in the field of aerospace technology.

More information about space education and research at BUT can be found in this presentation.

It is necessary to appreciate the role, personal commitment, interest and efforts to find ways to help things on the part of the political representation, especially the Minister of Transport Martin Kupka and his team. The team was represented by Václav Kobera, Director of the Department of Intelligent Transport Systems, Space Activities and Research, Development and Innovation at the Ministry of Transport who is also the Chairman of the Board of the European Union Space Programme Agency (EUSPA) based in Prague, and Ondřej Šváb, the Head of the Space Activities Division at the Ministry of Transport. Thanks are also due to the representatives of the Chamber of Commerce, its Vice President, Radek Jakubský and the entire organizing team, and last but not least to the Embassy of the Czech Republic headed by Ambassador Miloslav Stasek, who perfectly prepared and organized the mission and the trip.

I would like to express my gratitude for the opportunity to participate in this mission. At the same time, I would like to thank all the mission participants for the opportunity to see, learn and talk about the great technological results of their work and solutions for space applications. I also appreciate the opportunity to strengthen cooperation and, in particular, to find a way of mutual support that will enable us, as the Czech Republic, to succeed together in the prestigious field of aerospace technology.