On May 14–15, 2025, the European Space Agency (ESA) hosted the "New Capabilities and Countries in European Space Sector Conference" at ESA/ESRIN in Frascati, Italy. The event brought together emerging and established players in the space industry to foster new partnerships and promote international cooperation across Europe.
Latvia took an active role in the first edition of this ESA-organised conference, with a national delegation led by Kaspars Karolis, Head of the Latvian delegation to ESA, and Davids Stebelis, ESA Industrial Coordinator in Latvia.
The Head of the Latvian delegation to ESA, Kaspars Karolis, emphasised: "This conference offered Latvian organisations an excellent opportunity to network with companies and research institutes from other new ESA member states, as well as to engage with major system integrators. In the space sector, building mutual contacts and trust is essential, and this conference provided a valuable platform for that."
Six Latvian research institutions and companies participated, delivering nine presentations across a wide range of thematic sessions. Latvian contributions were presented in the following key areas:
Organised for the first time by ESA’s Capability and Country Support Division within the Directorate of Commercialization, Industry and Competitiveness, the conference aimed to support the integration of new Member States and partners into the European space landscape. Participants benefited from a dynamic program that included:
Latvia’s active engagement and broad representation at this high-level event reflect the country’s growing capacity and ambition within the European space ecosystem.
In the photo: from the left: Andrejs Grišanovs (Baltic Satellite Service), Jānis Šate (SIA Bitlake Technologies), Kaspars Karolis (Head of the Latvian delegation to the ESA), Dainis Jakovels (Institutes for Environmental Solutions), Dāvids Štēbelis (ESA Industrial Coordinator in Latvia), K. Nagainis (Institute of Astronomy, University of Latvia).
