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The requirement for the human community to be a stable and prosperous society is to be creative in science and technology and to be a leader, competitive and globally competitive. Two factors determine success: having creatively educated community members and being a leader in new ideas. For Croatia, as a small country with a reasonably educated population, it is therefore of utmost importance to identify trends in the field of science and technology that are still in the conceptual phase and to direct its development efforts in that direction. The commercialization of space is still in its early stages of development at the global level, and Croatia has the opportunity to join this project and become an active participant. This requires, first of all, the definition, as a strategic commitment, of the direction of development in the field of aerospace and high-tech industry, basic and developmental science, as well as activities in the field of space medicine, space law and space tourism.
Activities related to the use of space for humanity are focused on a central vision for the near and distant future: launching small and medium satellites for commercial and scientific purposes, transporting passengers and cargo suborbital, building a global space station, and deep space travel.
The current development and use of space are activities largely carried out by governmental or multinational agencies such as ESA, NASA, Roskosmos, DLR, CNES, and ISRO, whose priorities are focused on non-commercial projects or those of national interest (e.g., defense and data collection). In the last decade, private companies have begun to emerge in the space sector, focusing either on rocket launch systems for small and medium satellites or on the development of hybrid vehicles (combination of jet and rocket propulsion). Companies active in the development of these vehicles include Virgin Galactic, Reaction Engines, Scaled, Space Adventures, Sierra Nevada Corporation, Swiss Space Systems (future uncertain), and EADS Astrium (merged with Airbus Space and Defense). Their common goal is to make space accessible on a commercial basis, currently entering the satellite launch market, but with the perspective of providing human access to space on a “space for all” basis. Market research and development perspectives for space activities are summarized in several comprehensive documents: Evaluation of the European Market Potential for Commercial Spaceflight, TAURI Group, London Economics and Euroconsult.
The assessment of the development of sectors related to the commercialization of space described in these documents predicts significant revenue growth from these activities and, in parallel, development in science and technology.
The assessment of the development of sectors related to the commercialization of space described in these documents predicts significant revenue growth from these activities and, in parallel, development in science and technology. An example of the forecast in the Euroconsult document is given in Figure 1, and although the education and tourism sectors are omitted, their growth is predicted in other documents.
The manufacturing and use of satellites is a rapidly growing sector in the development of the space program, despite the significant drawback that launching is still quite expensive. It is expected that with the future development of hybrid vehicles, satellite launches will become much cheaper, accelerating the growth of this sector. The current Euroconsult estimate for the growth of the satellite sector is given in Figure 2. Some of the companies active in the satellite sector, whether in production or the commercial use of satellites, include Airbus Defense and Space, Sky Perfect Jsat Corp., Iridium Communications Inc., SES – Société Européenne des Satellites, Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, and others.
The significant impact of the space sector on the development of national economies is expected to increase significantly in the future. The London Economics report provides a comprehensive analysis of this impact, both on the domestic economy and globally. The importance of the space sector to the UK economy is shown in the figure, where it ranks third in terms of total revenue.
On a global scale, the role of space research and development is also significant. In the 2014 OECD report cited in the London Economics report, Figure 4 shows the allocation of budget funds to the civil space sector in relation to the total research and development budget for several countries. For states, interest in developing the space economy is vital, especially for the development of high technology and research.
The aerospace sector includes a wide range of different activities, which are difficult to initiate without unified coordination. In Croatia, as a small and moderately developed country, there are two opposing visions of development. One is to encourage the development of companies, without any special coordination, that would supply components for large projects of organized aerospace sectors of other countries or agencies through subcontracting agreements. The advantage of this approach is that the state does not have the responsibility of organizing this complex sector, while the disadvantage is that the companies are narrowly specialized and sensitive to market competition. The other vision is to organize the sector in which scientific and technological activities are concentrated around a common program. The advantage is that such a program ensures much better economic stability, but without state participation and close coordination of all sector components, it is difficult to initiate.
The Adriatic Aerospace Association (A3) was established to bring together the science and technology around the aerospace project for Croatia. This decision was based on a prior analysis of global trends and directions in which science and technology will significantly develop. The fields of activity of A3 are
A3 is engaged in the research and development of technologies, products and services in the aerospace field, ensuring economic and scientific benefits.
A3 is a contact point for connecting economic entities in the domestic and international market for the aerospace industry (e.g. developing products with partners from the EU and participating independently or with EU partners in international programs with the goal of production in Croatia).
A3 acts as an intermediary between scientific research institutions and economic entities oriented towards research of new technologies for the aerospace sector, with the aim of raising the profile of domestic aerospace activities both nationally and internationally.
A3 is a point of contact for international aerospace agencies (e.g. ESA, NASA, DLR, CNES, etc.), creating the necessary regulatory environment for the growth of industry, academia and the public sector in this rapidly changing sector.
A3 provides business and technology consulting to commercial entities and government agencies, is an expert opinion body on issues of public interest in the field of space technology and aeronautics, and is a link to supporting scientific and technical disciplines, education and popularization programs in the aerospace sector.
A3 inspires, supports education and trains the growing generation of qualified aerospace professionals and scientists.
Aerospace activity is an economic sector with the widest range of activities: science, high technology, innovation, tourism, but also a sector with the highest added value. The return on investment is manifold, not only financially, but also in terms of education, science and ultimately the positioning of the community on the international stage. For this reason, many countries (e.g. Germany) are placing their strategic focus for future development on the space sector and its closely related aeronautics sector. With good direction and coordination, it is expected that the contribution of this sector to the Republic of Croatia will be at the same or similar level. The establishment of A3 is the first step in defining the development strategy of the Republic of Croatia in the space and aerospace sector, similar to the role of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Israel or Turkey. A3’s role is to act as a “point of contact” for foreign investors, in partnership with sister agencies, all with the aim of connecting with active participants in the Republic of Croatia involved in the development and work in this sector.
Space and closely related aerospace development and research activities are among the fastest growing in the world, with no signs of slowing down in the near future. The Republic of Croatia has the opportunity to actively participate in the development of these sectors while they are still in a relatively early stage and to be one of the active participants, and this opportunity should not be missed. The basis for this is education focused on creativity and openness to new ideas, strict selection of quality personnel, promotion of basic and applied research and innovation, and promotion of the development and application of high technology in the economy.
