The Department of Information said the Malta government has started talks with SpaceX as part of its consultation for the Malta Space Act, which will be published next year.
Keith Azopardi Tanti, the parliamentary secretary responsible for Malta's space policy, began these discussions during a meeting that took place at SpaceX Headquarters in California, US. Accompanying the Parliamentary Secretary was Professor Joseph Borg of the University of Malta, who has recently coordinated the Maleth programme, which includes the first Maltese experiments in space.
The Department of Information said the Malta government has started talks with SpaceX as part of its consultation for the Malta Space Act, which will be published next year.
Keith Azopardi Tanti, the parliamentary secretary responsible for Malta's space policy, began these discussions during a meeting that took place at SpaceX Headquarters in California, US. Accompanying the Parliamentary Secretary was Professor Joseph Borg of the University of Malta, who has recently coordinated the Maleth programme, which includes the first Maltese experiments in space.
SpaceX is a major spaceflight company that has reached several milestones, including the reusability of rocket technology sent into low-Earth orbit and back. It is also the first private company to take humans to and from the International Space Station.
A range of topics were discussed during the meeting, including Malta's involvement in increasing satellite-based, international data connectivity. The possibility of Malta using Starlink to provide Internet connectivity to further strengthen and diversify the services provided was also discussed.
“I believe that the geographical location of our country, the harvest of various world-class FDI and respected education provide a solid proposition for Malta to reach the elite position within the space industry. This meeting not only helped the country served as an in-depth consultation exercise toward the establishment of the first Space Act, but also as an opportunity to strengthen our strategic relationship with SpaceX with the intention of further broadening Malta's connectivity options." Parliamentary Secretary Azopardi Tanti said.
The Maltese delegation also included entrepreneurs Gordon Grech and Justin Fenech from Spaceomics, who were directly involved in both missions under the Maleth programme, and Anthony David Gat from Malta Enterprise, the government's economic development and investment promotion arm.
