Global space players have chosen Cyprus as the base for the first international space innovation centre, which will build bridges of cooperation in humanity’s effort to return to the moon.
The first of its kind International Space Innovation Centre, which is poised to become a hub for groundbreaking research, technological development and international collaboration in space science, will be located in Nicosia.
It is a great honour that Cyprus was chosen by the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR), the world’s foremost space research organisation, as the first international space innovation centre, President of the Cyprus Space Exploration Organization (CSEO) George Danos told the Cyprus News Agency.
A dream is coming true after so many years and so many efforts, he said, adding that it is a unique feeling “seeing your country being chosen as the centre of international space collaboration.”
Danos said for humanity to be able to return to the moon, global cooperation is required. Cyprus, he said, has proven that it has the ability to build bridges of global cooperation as it is a country friendly to all nations.
“Through Cyprus, all countries can cooperate on space,” he said.
C-SpaRC, a multi-million-euro project co-funded by the European Union, the Research and Innovation Foundation, and contributions from NASA, is poised to revolutionise our understanding of space and its impact on humanity, Danos added.
The centre will focus on critical research areas such as space weather, human spaceflight, and the development of advanced space technologies, playing a vital role in supporting NASA’s Artemis programme, which aims to return humans to the Moon and establish a sustainable presence there.
A Protocol of Cooperation has been signed between CSEO and the NASA-funded Translational Research Institute for Space Health. This collaboration will focus on researching the health challenges of human deep space exploration, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of astronauts on future NASA missions to the Moon and Mars.
“We have signed in Cyprus an agreement with NASA which allows us to have NASA scientists collaborating here with Cypriot scientists and other scientists from other countries on unique projects, so a global infrastructure here in Cyprus,” Danos said.
He said the challenges that scientists are asked to solve to protect astronauts in space, are also applicable on Earth, in people’s daily lives.
“Some people ask why space when on Earth there are so many problems. It is because the solutions that come from space bring everything we need here on Earth,” he said.
He gave as an example the biological experiments that will be carried out with the microsatellites that will be built in Cyprus. They have the ability, he said, to see how each individual biology works and produce tailored medicines.
In addition, Danos said, microsatellites will monitor Earth from space and be able to protect the environment by detecting fires as soon as they break out. Also, from space, other problems in the environment will be identified, such as those in the sea, pollution on beaches, the illegal destruction of forests etc.
He also hoped the effort would bring Cypriot scientists working abroad back to their homeland as there are now opportunities for them to work on projects with NASA.
