ROMANIAN PUBLIC-FUNDED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES IN THE SPACE SECTOR

Romania achieved full membership within ESA (European Space Agency) in 2011 and is actually involved in several European flagship space programmes. The "National Strategy for Space and Related Fields" is a strategic project funded through the Romanian Space Technology and Advanced Research Program (STAR), which is implemented by a consortium coordinated by IAROM S.A. One of the project goals is to identify national space- related technological capabilities and possible niches for Romania within the European space industry, as well as to identify cooperation opportunities within the mandatory and optional ESA programs. This paper presents an overview of the areas of expertise covered by projects contracted in 2012 and 2013 in the framework of the national space research and development programme. The paper does not cover industrial space contracts since they contain sensitive information.