New space strategy for Malta
Malta is sending a space balloon into the stratosphere in mid-August this year. This was announced by the Director of the Institute of Space Sciences and Astronomy at the University of Malta, Prof. Kristian Zarb Adami. The space balloon will be launched at night from either Malta International Airport or Gozo Heliport. During the event held at the Archaeological Museum in Valletta, the institute received a grant of €75.000 for a number of projects, including the latter. Professor Zarb Adami stated that the space race has begun and Malta does not want to be left out. The government will also launch an updated space strategy by the end of this year, following extensive consultation with all stakeholders in the sector. The Minister for Research, Innovation and Coordination of Post-Covid-19 Strategy, Owen Bonnici, also addressed the press gathered at the Museum in Valletta. Minister Bonnici focused his speech on a central fund that will be set up to support locally based space companies. He added that the government wants to tap into the ever-growing satellite business and has been working diligently to give a detailed brief to the Malta Space Taskforce, chaired by Omar Cutajar. Interestingly, in July 2017, there was a lot of hype about a British company called Orbital Access, which wanted to set up a space business in the Mediterranean archipelago. The company was looking at a variety of options, including a Boeing 747 in Luqa, which would be used to launch commercial satellites. Although not much has been heard about the Prestwick-based company over the past four years, Minister Bonnici reiterated that the Space Taskforce
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