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“Intelligence and innovation are decisive” – Interview with the Ministerial Commissioner for Space Research
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For those down to Earth, it was breaking news that a new Ministerial Commissioner Responsible for Space Research paves Hungary’s way to space. Orsolya Ferencz is a senior research fellow at ELTE Space Research Group. In addition to being a well-known expert, she is well qualified in politics, since she is representative in the local government of the 8thdistrict. She is currently working to establish a National Space Strategy together with professionals. This concept identifies the goals of our country in this area and the tools necessary for their realization.
The interview is brought to you by GLOBS Magazine.
Why does Hungary have to pay special attention to space research? What role can such a small country play in space discovery?
Hungary is not a top player, but has its own role. We should not forget the fact that our country has serious achievements in international space activities. The country’s tools and innovations are present not only in research, but in services as well. It is very important for the public to understand that the world uses space activities in everyday life through the techno-sphere developed by mankind. It is enough to consider only the various services in the fields of news casting, long-distance communication, navigation, telecommunications and meteorology. In addition, the added value of various economic and industrial services related to space is growing sharply in the world economy. Today space is not an exotic notion but a part of our everyday life. Furthermore, Hungary must preserve its 70 years of space activity and strengthen its position so that the country can advance in this race. It is important to see that ingenuity, creativity and innovation are decisive, not the economic size of a country. For example, Nigeria, Pakistan and Bangladesh have their own telecommunications satellites. In 2017, Bulgaria joined the satellite club. This is a regional country comparable to our size.
In which space sectors are we present, and where should we make our way?
At the moment, we are mainly present in the areas of on-board electronics, development of communication devices, material technology, radiation measurement and power supply units.
With the utilization of our existing competence base, it is worth joining large international projects by which we can gain additional opportunities for the Hungarian space industry and research sites. We have been a member of the European Space Agency (ESA) since 2015. Equally important is the Russian-Hungarian space co-operation based on decades of “Interkosmos” initiative, which provides programs we can also connect to.
How many Hungarian companies are currently interested in space activity?
