North Rhine-Westphalia's space conference: Innovations for the future!

North Rhine-Westphalia's space conference: Innovations for the future!

North Rhine-Westphalia is increasingly establishing itself as a significant space in Germany. The state government actively promotes space travel as an essential research and business factor. On April 30, 2025, the first “Spacetech.NRW” space conference will take place in Cologne, which deals with the potential of space technology in various industries. Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst and his deputy prime minister Mona Neubaur are the organizers of the event together with the European Space Organization (ESA) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR).

The conference takes place in the DLR site in Cologne-Lind, on the premises of the ESA and the DLR. With a broad program, the event is intended to create synergies and drive innovations. The topics include central areas such as communication, earth observation and artificial intelligence. North Rhine-Westphalia in particular is positioned as a promising location for space applications. The importance of space travel for economy and society cannot be assessed highly enough, since technologies such as navigation and internet did not exist without the space sector.

congress program and accreditation

On April 30, 2025, the conference begins at 10.30 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m. A press conference takes place in advance at 9.45 a.m., for which accreditation is necessary. Journalists have to register by April 25, 2025, and check-in is possible between 8 a.m. and 9.15 a.m. The event is also broadcast live on the YouTube channel of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The program of the conference is ambitious and complex. It includes:

• 10.30 a.m.: Welcome by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla (DLR).
• 10.40 a.m.: Keynote by Hendrik Wüst about "Innovations from the space".
• 11.00 a.m.: Lecture by Mona Neubaur about "Spacetech location NRW".
• 11.15 p.m.: Speech by Prof. Dr. Reinhold Ewald (space ambassador).
• 11.30 p.m.: Speech by Dr. Josef Aschbacher (ESA General Director).
• 1.30 p.m.: Greetings from Dr.-Ing. Walther Pelzer (DLR).
• 1:40 p.m.: Impulse by Manlio di Stefano (Axiom Space).
• 1:50 p.m.: Panel discussion about space travel and classic industries.
• 3 p.m.: Impulse by Manfred Jaumann (Starlab Space Europe).

In addition, there will be workshops on key technologies, Govsatcom Hub and astronautical space travel, rounded off by a closing word from Silke Krebs (State Secretary).

space travel as a key technology

The importance of space travel is also evident in another context. Germany is a founding member of the European Space Organization (ESA) and plays a key role in European space research. In 2024, Germany provided a share of around 22 percent of the total budget of the ESA. Technologies that have emerged from space travel are now indispensable for our everyday life.

North Rhine-Westphalia is one of the regions with strong industrial clusters in IT, mobility, logistics, energy and materials science. A central component of further developments in this sector is the Govsatcom Hub in Cologne, which serves as a European platform for safe satellite communication. This opens up new opportunities for authorities, armed forces and the economy - especially with regard to resilient communication networks and cyber security.

The upcoming "Spacetech.nrw" conference will not only be a forum for exchange about space technologies, but also a platform for strengthening the position of North Rhine -Westphalia and Germany in the global space landscape. Further information and registration options for the conference are at https://url.nrw/spacetech.nrw2025