Meet ESA at Space Tech Expo Europe 2025
Talk business with the European Space Agency (ESA). Visit our stand at Space Tech Expo Europe, a space engineering and technology trade fair in Bremen, Germany on 18–20 November 2025.
Our SME Office looks forward to meeting small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups at our exhibition stand in Hall 5, booth Q27. The team are joined by the ESA Business Incubation Centre (BIC) Northern Germany.
The SME Office helps newcomers to the space industry as well as established SMEs to get involved in the R&D activities and programmes of the agency. ESA BICs located around Europe help space startups to grow their space business ideas.
The ESA stand will hold various events but there is also the possibility to preschedule a 20-minute one-on-one meeting with an ESA representative. To set this up, email the SME helpdesk.
Events at ESA's stand (Hall 5, Q27)
This table will be updated with more details closer to the event.
| CET | DAY 1 – TUESDAY 18 NOVEMBER |
| 11:30–12:00 |
Start-up companies present - Pitch Session I Hosted by Thorsten Rudoph Start-up companies which have been supported by ESA Business Incubation Centres will pitch their commercial space business idea with the aim of finding business partners, attracting investment and selling their products or services. |
| 12:00–13:00 |
ESA Marketplace, ESA Business Accelerator Germany and ESA Rising Stars Awards 2025 Presentations by Rachel Muller, ESA and Acitoflux (Germany) |
| 13:00 | Rising Stars Awards Reception |
| 14:30–15:00 |
Start-up companies present - Pitch Session II Hosted by Andreas Kanstein |
| 15:30–15:45 |
ESA Phi-Lab Austria - How we support space upstream projects and fourth open call Presenters: Anna Kirchmair, Tecnet Equity and Aigerim Rabl, Brimatech |
| 15:45–16:00 |
From EO to LEO-PNT - first ESA Phi-Lab Finland projects introduced Presenters: Eldrige de Melo, SharpNav and Cedric Bodet, Zero Gravity |
| DAY 2 – WEDNESDAY 19 NOVEMBER | |
| 11:00–11:30 |
Start-up companies present - Pitch Session III Hosted by Doreen Heydenbluth Peters |
| 11:45–12:00 |
ESA Phi-Lab Spain, space technologies to boost climate resilience Pepa Sedo from IEEC, will introduce the Spanish Phi-Lab, its open call and the first four selected projects: WAVESS, led by Spascat; RISKCHAIN, led by Earthpulse; RESCAT, led by IsardSAT; and SKOP, led by Geoskop. |
| 14:00–14:30 |
Start-up companies present - Pitch Session IV Hosted by Niclas Apitz |
| 15:30–16:30 | Women Space Entrepreneurs – this joint panel discussion with Women in Aerospace Europe (WIA-Europe) highlights the journeys of female innovators launching groundbreaking space enterprises. WIA Panel, ECSECO |
| DAY 3 – THURSDAY 20 NOVEMBER | |
| 10:00–10:45 |
ECSECO best paper award Two winners will present their research papers in the categories ‘Space Business and Commerce’ and ‘Space Economy’ |
| 11:00–11:45 | ESA supplier performance awards of 2025 |
| 11:45–12:30 | Reception |
Further information:
ESA BIC Pitching sessions (Day 1 and 2)
ESA Business Incubation Centres offer startups tailored business development advice, technical expertise, intellectual property guidance, and access to funding. They make it easier for startups to engage with ESA and use the Agency’s resources to grow and become commercially successful.
Start-up companies which have been supported by ESA BICs will pitch their commercial space business idea during one of the ‘pitch sessions’. They aim to find business partners, attract investment and sell their products or services.
Further information: Day 1
–– ESA Marketplace, Business Accelerator Germany and ESA Rising Stars Awards 2025 (12:00–13:00 CET)
ESA presents its ESA Marketplace and ESA Business Accelerator Germany followed by an award ceremony for the ESA Rising Stars 2025.
The ESA Marketplace accelerates business-to-business transactions, enabling the up-and-coming space leaders of Europe to grow their operations and rise to the next level.
The ESA Business Accelerator Germany is a six-month programme operating across Munich, Hamburg, and Stuttgart, designed to support high-potential German space ventures into commercial expansion through a powerful alliance of ESA, the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), UnternehmerTUM, TUM Venture Labs, and Acitoflux.
The ESA Rising Stars initiative identifies the most promising European startups and scaleups within the ESA commercial ecosystem. The 15 selected companies will receive the 2025 awards. They are noted for introducing innovative technologies and business models valuable to the European space sector.
–– ESA Phi-Lab Austria - How we support space upstream projects and 4th open call (15:30 – 15:45 CET)
The ESA Phi-Lab Austria presents its activities and invites all interested parties to submit their ideas which align with the following focus areas:
- Industrialisation by design of innovative upstream hardware and software
- Clear commercial orientation and well-defined market potential
- Demonstrated customer interest
- A defined network of partners both within and beyond the space sector (with support from ESA Phi-Lab Austria)
–– From EO to LEO-PNT - first ESA Phi-Lab Finland projects introduced (15:45–16:00 CET)
The ESA Phi-Lab Finland presents its first projects in Earth observation and low Earth orbit positioning, navigation and timing.
Further information: Day 3
–– ECSECO Best Paper Award (10:00–10:45 CET)
The ECSECO Best Paper Award in the categories ‘Space Business and Commerce’ and ‘Space Economy’ honours papers that present new and innovative ideas, and address important research questions and problems in their respective fields. The three-person jury panel judged the anonymously submitted papers in nine different categories and awards the ECSECO Best Paper Award 2025 to:
- Loretta Latronico in the Space Economy category for her paper: ‘Configuring Artificial Intelligence for Business Model Innovation in Earth Observation SMEs: Insights from the European Space Industry’,
- Daniel Vrankar in the Space Business and Commerce category for his paper: ‘How New Business Models Shape Innovation Spillovers: Insights from the New Space Economy’.
The winners will present their research on Thursday 20 November at 10:00–10:45 and receive the award by a representative from the jury selection committee.
–– Excellent and innovative suppliers to ESA 2025 (11:00–11:45 CET)
Find out which companies are presented with this year's ESA supplier performance awards. On the final day of the Space Tech Expo event, ESA will bring public and ESA-wide recognition to those European companies that have delivered outstanding performance working in the frame of ESA programmes and projects.
ESA enables and accelerates space business as part of its long-term plans to elevate the future of Europe through space. The Agency aims to support innovative technology development and commercialisation in the European space sector.
