Czech Space Week 2024 lifts off!

November 4th is the start of seven days of exciting events that make up this year’s Czech Space Week. Designed to promote the space industry in Czechia and inspire the next generation of galactic enthusiasts, Czech Space Week is happening across the country, and has something for everyone. I spoke to Marie Němečková, director of Space Hub and member of the Czech Space Team, about what the week has in store:

Could you introduce for us the whole world of the Czech Space Week? How long has it been going on for, and what organisations are involved in putting it together?

“The Czech Space Week has been going on since 2018, so this year we’re looking at the seventh edition of this festival. It actually is a celebration of the Czech Republic’s ten-year membership of the European Space Agency. It’s been growing and growing ever since. It started with just a few small events, and now it's grown into a much larger and much widely-encompassing festival.

“There are many events throughout the week and we are trying to target all the different possible audiences, from an academic audience, to the professional audience, like businesses and start-ups, to children, families and young students.”

So it starts today, I believe that the first event is happening as we speak, so could you tell us a little bit about what people can expect? What sort of events are there – something for everybody?

“Yes, that’s right. The first event of Czech Space Week, the official beginning, was today, and we were very glad and lucky to have the president of the Czech Republic here, starting the programme. Then, right now, we have the Czech Copernicus User Forum and Remote Sensing, which is an event for a professional and academic audience, focused on Earth observation data. Tomorrow, we have the Space2Business, which is more focused on doing business in space and having companies meet. We have some guests from abroad coming, such as from the US.

“Then there is also a showcase of start-ups with ESA BIC, the ESA Business Incubation Centre in the Czech Republic, which is on Wednesday. We have the motivational debate of Space4Women on Thursday, and there is also a workshop between academia and industry. That's organised by the Czech Academy of Sciences. On Friday there is something called Next Stop Space, which is a job fair for students and an event for students that are interested in going for a space career in various fields.

“During the weekend, there is a workshop for analogue missions, for analogue astronauts. That is organized by the CHASM community and Hydronaut, which is an analogue mission company. Throughout the whole week there is a programme devised by Pevnost Poznání and by iQLANDIA. These are two different programmes that are focused on children, families and young people, for having fun and meeting space in the setting of science and a family-friendly environment."

And do I understand it right that this is not just happening in Prague?

“Yes, we are trying to have the event all over the Czech Republic. So, for example, the Space4Women debate is taking place in Brno. The Space2Business event this year is in Prague, but the job fair is in again in Brno. Pevnost Poznání is in Olomouc, iQLANDIA is in Liberec. We have different events all over the Czech Republic in different planetariums. There's also a space movie screening, which is very much open to the general public. That's on Sunday and it's in Prague again.”

Are there any events that you are looking forward to personally?

“I always look forward to the whole Czech Space Week, and I try to attend as many events as possible, but my personal favourite would be the Space4Women debate. It actually started my own journey in space when I first attended it in 2019. I was so inspired by the amazing women that I decided I want to pursue a career in space, so that's a personal love for me.”