Monaco is now home to a new Space Affairs Office, created as a single point of contact for all things space related. It is also a hub for companies in the industry looking to base themselves in the Principality.

After extensive talks with players in the industry, the government of Monaco has created the Space Affairs Office (Le Bureau des Affaires Spatiales) to help facilitate the business development of those whose activities include manufacturing telecommunications and earth observation equipment, and ‘astromobiles’, or rover, gear.

The office is intended to be a one-stop-shop for space undertakings, reporting to the Interministerial Delegation for the Digital Transition. This opening is a milestone event for the country, paving the way for the development of space-focused businesses that wish to use the Principality as a home base under a simple administrative framework.

At an international level, the Office of Space Affairs will ensure the Principality is represented with foreign counterparts, thus promoting partnership opportunities for the benefit of the participating specialised Monegasque companies. This will be undertaken in conjunction with the Department of External Relations and Cooperation.

“The development of the space sector in the Principality of Monaco reinforces the attractiveness of our Sovereign State in a new area,” said Frédéric Genta, Interministerial Delegate in Charge of Digital Transition. “With the creation of this entity, we will be called upon to participate in discussions on the subject alongside global and emerging space powers.”

Private aerospace, once the sole domain of public institutions, is increasingly going private. This booming industry is creating a world where there is a better understanding of climatic occurrences and Earth observation as well as closing the digital divide giving once remote places access to internet and WiFi.

The Space Affairs Office is expected to hold a meeting of the stakeholders in mid-October to define an action plan that meets their expectations.

For more information on the office, contact them directly at bas@gouv.mc.