Space Applications study programme responds to the space industry boom in Brno
"I don't think there are many other industries that have such an impact. But at the same time, it's not difficult to know the big players in the world and meet and talk to them. In this area, we automatically move straight into the global market," says Václav Havlíček, manager of the Brno Space Cluster, which includes 22 entities from the #brnoregion and initiated the creation of the study field.
student's point of view
Jiří Veverka belongs to the group of nine students who started studying a brand new field of study in 2022. With a background in software, as an undergraduate at the Faculty of Information Technology at Brno University of Technology, he was deciding what direction to take next. Opening a new field of study, the first and only one in the Czech Republic focused on space, came in handy in this decision.
I was intrigued by the fact that I would not have to specialize in a single area, a sub-technology, but rather be able to put together a whole system like Lego pieces. Building a satellite involves both working on the computer to create designs, model the structure, write the code and so on, but it also involves working directly with the components, prototyping and testing. At the same time, we have an overlap with astrophysics, for example, because of the motion of cosmic bodies, electromagnetic phenomena, the study of radiation and the basics of orbital mechanics or vacuum.
Did your attraction to space tech play a role in your decision making?
I'm not fulfilling any childhood dream of being an astronaut or going into space. Rather, I've always been interested in space and the technology associated with it. But among my classmates, there are those who met the first Czechoslovak cosmonaut Vladimir Remek, have a pilot in their family, or perhaps work at the Brno Observatory and Planetarium, and have been fascinated by space since childhood. I got excited when I saw the BUT campaign presenting the newly emerging field.
Did the study program meet your expectations?
It did. Everything we learn, we can try out right away. Whether it's directly in space companies on paid internships or on our own projects. We've started a student club called YSpace, which is launching its own missions. We are working on the first Czech student satellite CIMER, which in cooperation with Mendel University will test the generation of oxygen in space. Or we're building a satellite that should reach the Orbiter in 2025 as part of the KOSTKA mission, to test technologies from the Institute of Aerospace Engineering and serve as a platform for other students and their development and testing needs. In the future, we want to get to develop our own rockets or rovers.
Read more about the topic
Once known for its precision engineering and microelectronics, the Brno region has transformed into one of Europe’s most dynamic space hubs. More than 30 companies in the region are now active in satellite and space technologies, employing over 400 highly qualified specialists — a workforce that has grown by a quarter in just three years. Supported by the innovation agency JIC, which operates business incubator ESA BIC in the region and connects startups with funding opportunities, the Brno Space Cluster unites leading players across the local space ecosystem. This collaborative platform is now taking Czech space excellence to the international stage at Space Tech Expo Europe in Bremen.