His Royal Highness, Prince Guillaume and Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg’s deputy prime minister and minister of foreign and external trade, took part in a working visit to the US from 22-25 April aimed at advancing collaborations in the space sector.
Bettel’s visit to the United States, which spanned Detroit, Cleveland, New York, and Delaware from the 22nd to 25th of April, showcased Luxembourg’s strategic approach to fostering international partnerships in space innovation. A series of engagements with prominent American companies, including Guardian, BorgWarner, Avery Dennison, and Goodyear, showcased the importance of transatlantic cooperation in driving economic growth and technological advancement.
Luxembourg’s longstanding commitment to space commerce was highlighted during discussions with industry leaders, including Redwire and AIAC (American Industrial Acquisition Corporation), which owns Eurofoil Luxembourg.
These interactions displayed Luxembourg’s position as a global leader in leveraging space for commercial and cooperative endeavours.
“This combination of government backing, strategic focus, and regular and transparent dialogue positions us as a very special partner for discerning stakeholders seeking international collaborations and partnerships.”
Paul Steinmetz, consul general executive director of Luxembourg trade and investment office in New York.
Redwire wins LACC award
The delegation’s visit culminated in the prestigious Luxembourg-American business award ceremony, where Redwire was honoured for its contributions to the space industry, with CFO Jonathan Baliff. H.R.H. Prince Guillaume commended Redwire’s achievements, noting the significance of the award as a recognition of the company’s forward-looking vision and its role in strengthening commercial ties between the United States and Luxembourg. “The following day after the event, our Space Agency engaged in productive meetings with companies, investors, and researchers in the space sector,” said Paul Steinmetz, consul general executive director of Luxembourg trade and investment office in New York.
Luxembourg’s foreign offices mission
Luxembourg’s strategic positioning and policies, particularly in space resource utilization, have been instrumental in fostering innovation and attracting international partnerships. The country’s unique focus on promoting private sector involvement in space endeavours, coupled with government support and strategic direction, has created an attractive environment for businesses and investors seeking stability in the inherently risky space industry.
Present at the seminar also were Paul Binsfeld, honorary consul of Luxembourg to Arizona and New Mexico, and Daniel Da Cruz, consul general of Luxembourg in San Francisco and executive director at the Luxembourg trade and investment office of San Francisco. “Luxembourg is continually proactive in exploring new opportunities for innovation and growth, fostering stronger U.S.-Luxembourg ties and powering its thriving space ecosystem through united efforts from its government, businesses, and investors,” said Mr. Da Cruz.
Building on success
Luxembourg has come a long way since its 2016 Space Resources Initiative positioning the Grand Duchy to be a world leader in commercialization of space for peaceful purposes. “Today, Luxembourg is quite active in supporting future lunar and orbital economies. Not only did we hear from H.R.H. Prince Guillaume and his excellency minister Bettel regarding recent developments in the Luxembourg space ecosystem, we were treated to a round table of experts from Redwire, Promus Ventures NASA, Blue Origin and others discussing real-world commercial initiatives that literally are now off the ground,” said Binsfeld.
Keynote speakers and panellists of the seminar and round table discussions included Louis Zacharilla, Managing Director & Co-Founder of the Intelligent Communities Group; Mike Collett, Founder and Managing Partner of Promus Ventures; Hubert Moser, Senior Director of Engineering at Flawless Photonics; Justin Cyrus, Chief Executive Officer of Lunar Outpost; AC Charania, Chief Technologist at NASA; Jonathan Baliff, CFO of Redwire; and Vlada Stamenković, Senior Director of the Space Resources Program at Blue Origin.
