Space is increasingly emerging as a new pillar of the knowledge economy – not as far‑off sci‑fi, but as infrastructure on which many services already rest today. Satellite technologies are permeating logistics, transport, energy, agriculture, and environmental protection. And importantly: Slovakia also has something to offer in this wave thanks to a strong tradition in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and software.
Satellites in the service of everyday life
Many services we take for granted wouldn’t work without satellites: from weather forecasting and navigation from point A to point B to logistics and delivery services. Satellite signals synchronize transport and supply, thanks to which gifts arrive in time for Christmas. If satellites were switched off overnight, supply chains would quickly collapse and the economy would feel the chaos.
Space technologies also make the energy sector and agriculture more efficient – they can see from a distance where watering or fertilizing is needed, without anyone having to run around the field. Insurance and banking transactions rely on them, as do climate monitoring and assessments of the state of the environment. A large share of our knowledge about Earth today comes from satellite measurements, and many UN Sustainable Development Goals depend on them. According to OECD data, satellite technologies also contribute significantly to protecting critical infrastructure and the development of smart cities.
Slovakia and the broad space economy
The key message is this: space is not a narrow “sector”, but a broad economy that opens up new room for traditional industries. On one side are solutions that leverage satellite data in transport, energy, or agriculture – many of them developed by Slovak companies. On the other side is the “hardware”: rockets, satellites, and subsystems, which are not unfamiliar to Slovak teams either.
At its core, the space economy is a combination of electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and software development – areas in which Slovakia has a strong tradition and good results. That is precisely why an opportunity is opening up for the country to build on its strengths and enter global value chains. If we view space as a new “territory” for our proven disciplines, it becomes a natural continuation of Slovakia’s industrial story.
