The centre, based in Luxembourg, is also expected to contribute to economic growth by supporting commercial initiatives and start-ups, offering a business incubation component and enabling technology transfer between space and non-space industries. The tiny European nation is one of the euro zone’s wealthiest countries and already has a long-standing space industry, playing a significant role in the development of satellite communications. While its drive to become a significant actor in the asteroid mining industry is only four-years old, the country has already taken major steps towards achieving that goal. In June 2016, Luxembourg agreed to buy a major stake in US-based asteroid miner Planetary Resources. The country also announced the opening of a €200 million ($225 million) line of credit for entrepreneurial space companies to set up their European headquarters within its borders. Previously, the government had reached an agreement with another US-based company , Deep Space Industries, […]