Current Challenges of the Czech Space Sector

Abstract

On Wednesday May 3, 2023, Czechia signed the Artemis Accords. With this signature, this Central European country joins an ever-growing list of ambitious and prominent state actors in the NewSpace era. This milestone for the Czech space industry is a clear display of intent to actively participate in the new era of space exploration. Czechia has admirable STEM capacities which continue to grow, and is involved in many international space projects. Despite the general practice of legislation following technical progress, based on documents available to the public the state’s focus does not seem to extend beyond the scientific and business aspects of space. The National Space Strategy – published in 2019 with plans for the 2020-2025 period – makes no mention of national space legislation. This paper maps out the current state of the Czech Space Sector, and focuses on its associated challenges. It covers Czechia’s participation in the international space industry, and its membership and activities in space-relevant international organisations. It also aims to summarise Czech history with space law, and elaborate on possible future challenges and developments in national space law and policy.