Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy Georgios Komodromos and representatives of the Department of Electronic Communications’ Cyprus Space Office recently met with Axiom Space Ecosystem Manager Simon Jenner to discuss matters of common interest.
According to a Cyprus Space Office announcement, during the 25 August meeting, an extensive briefing was given on Axiom Space’s activities, as well as on the existing synergies with the European Space Agency (ESA). At the same time, the Department of Electronic Communications, as the Cyprus Space Office, presented the strategic importance of space technologies for the country.
It also presented its responsibilities in the space sector, the formulation of the national space strategy and its constructive cooperation with ESA, which is expected to culminate in the expected transition of Cyprus to Associate Member status.
During the meeting, the prospects for joint future activities between Axiom Space and the Cyprus Space Office were also discussed.
More about Axiom Space
Axiom Space is a leading player in the development of the first commercial space station, Axiom Station, which will serve as a successor to the International Space Station (ISS), which will be retired at the end of this decade.
To date, the company has conducted commercial astronaut missions to the ISS and is the only company in the world to conduct such missions; successfully completed the fourth mission, Ax-4, on July 15, 2025, with a crew from India, Hungary and Poland (ESA), performing over 60 research tasks; developed AxEMU spacesuit technology for future human missions to the Moon and possible use on the Axiom Station; and eveloped Low Orbit Space Data Centers (ODCs) to provide space cloud computing, data storage and artificial intelligence processing for satellites and spacecraft in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
Cooperation with ESA
Cooperation between Axiom Space and ESA was ratified with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 1 October 2023 in Paris, aiming to strengthen cooperation in the fields of space missions, scientific research, technology and commercial exploitation of space.
In this context: with the active support of ESA, Ax-3 was the first commercial mission with an ESA astronaut to the ISS; the Ax-4 mission also included an ESA astronaut, highlighting the expansion of European participation in commercial missions; and the MoU foresees cooperation in areas such as robotics, artificial intelligence, space medicine and spacesuit technologies, as well as access for European missions to the future Axiom Station.
Prospects for cooperation
The meeting of 25 August opened new horizons for Cyprus’ participation in international space initiatives. The meeting focused on the prospects for cooperation between the Cyprus Space Office and Axiom Space, which include: Cyprus' participation in the Axiom Marketplace, a global platform connecting countries, research institutions and industries with leading space programmes; exploring possibilities for the participation of Cypriot scientists and organizations in European space missions through the Axiom Station; developing educational, research and technological programs in the field; and xploring cooperation between the Cyprus Optical Earth Stations, through the CYQCI project, with low-orbit Space Data Centers (ODCs) developed by Axiom.
