Welcome to the webpage of the Department for Space Activities of the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade! Within the Hungarian government structure, our Department is - since 2018 - the dedicated entity responsible for space research and activities related to space, that serves as a de facto space agency of Hungary. The Ministry provides the Hungarian diplomatic network abroad, as well as a business-focused approach when it comes to the opportunities arising from the space sector.
Hungarian space research goes back to a history of 75 years, since the Lunar radar experiment of the Hungarian scientist Zoltan Bay in 1946. We have recently celebrated the anniversary of the space flight of Hungarian astronaut Bertalan Farkas in 1980.
Hungary has in recent years multiplied the budget and number of projects devoted to the space domain, including a significant increase of our contribution to the budget of the European Space Agency, where we are members since 2015. We have established a Business Incubation Centre in order to facilitate the incorporation of Hungarian space start-up companies to the European space ecosystem. We are active participants in the EU Space Programme and contribute to the space debate in other multilateral organizations, including the NATO and the U.N. Committee of the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).
Our Ministry has in the past couple of years concluded Memorandums of Understanding with several partner countries, in chronological order: Brazil, Turkey, Singapore, Israel, France, Portugal, South Africa, Finland, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. We have also signed an MoU at the level of Prime Ministers of the V4 countries (CZ, PL, SK, HU).
Hungary has a long-standing cooperation with the Russian Space Agency, that is guided by a bilateral agreement that dates back to 1995, in addition to which we have signed a letter of intent on scientific cooperation on space weather. We are currently working on expanding our cooperation with our American counterparts, including NASA and Axiom Space. We also have an emerging cooperation with various U.S. and European companies involved in the space domain, including agreements with the Thales Alenia Space and with the Virgin Galactic.
Hungary was proud to host the annual Congress of the Association of Space Explorers in November 2021, with more than 50 astronauts visiting the country despite the pandemic.
The government adopted in 2021 its first Space Strategy, whose objectives include:
1. Exploiting the potential in the space sector to foster innovation and sustainable growth;
2. Strengthening Hungary's international role and broadening its external relations;
3. Knowledge-based social and economic conditions and the development of the infrastructural background essential for the prosperity of the space sector.
The space strategy includes our flagship projects for the coming years, including the development of Hungarian satellite and ground segment capabilities, as well as an ambitions astronaut program. The Hungarian to Orbit (HUNOR) program aims at sending a Hungarian astronaut to the International Space Station by 2024, equipped with a wide range of Hungarian technological devices and scientific experiments to be performed on board.
Another area of interest is education: we are currently working on establishing a post-graduate education program with a broader space-qualification involving 17 Hungarian universities, that would enable students pursue horizontal space studies, involving STEM courses, as well as legal and economic subjects related to space.
The Hungarian space sector has grown steadily in recent years, with several companies and research entities involved in projects including the successful development of micro-satellites, space dosimetry systems, satellite communications, material sciences, or experiments in microgravity of COVID-related medicine research. A wide range of Hungarian entities related to the space sector can be viewed at the English-language edition of the Hungarian Space Caleidoscope (link), published in 2021.
The main aim of this governmental microsite is to provide information to the Hungarian public – including companies, research entities and educational institutions – about opportunities and developments in the space sector. In case you have specific enquiries or wish to contact us in English regarding our activities, please direct your email to the following email address: qadPdEqPjoHC2m1c3BhY2VAbWZhLmdvdi5odQ==
