Lithuania harbours ambitions to have its space sector generating approximately 1% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) in five years’ time, Economy and Innovation Minister Ausrine Armonaite has said.
According to her, Lithuania joined the European Space Agency within mere two months, which proved that the country was serious in its intentions.
A total of 80 candidates from Lithuania, including 62 men and 18 women, submitted applications in the European Space Agency’s latest astronaut selection, which drew 22,000 applications from across the world.
The Lithuanian space technology cluster was established in Vilnius last November, with its members already involved in joint projects and missions with NASA, the European Space Agency, Airbus Defence & Space, Thales Alenia Space, British Telecom and others. (BNN/Business World Magazine)
