For many years, Space was something distant. We watched launches on television and read about other countries placing satellites in orbit. Over the past years, that began to change as Xjenza Malta started turning Space into a practical tool to protect our seas, open new sectors of work and give young people a perspective onto the opportunities emanating from the Space domain.
The first step was to incept implementing structures where previously there had been none. Government assigned the national Space portfolio to Xjenza Malta, which established the Space Programmes and Engagement Unit as its dedicated implementation arm, so that the European Space Agency (ESA), EUSPA, UNOOSA and private operators have one clear point of contact on Space.
Xjenza Malta has also been given stewardship of Fort Binġemma to create Space Park Malta. A historic fort will now host a research observatory, a public observatory and Esplora Space, a centre that will build on the success story of Esplora with Space-themed exhibitions and school programmes. In parallel, drafting work is advancing on Malta's first Space Activities Act, which will create Malta's jurisdiction for Space-related commercial activities through a modern framework for registration, licensing, supervision, liability and insurance, giving operators and investors legal certainty once the draft Bill is presented to Parliament.
Cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA) has been strengthened significantly The second ESA PECS call awarded funding to six entities and introduced MAREA as a new ESA-supported activity for Malta, while work on two more calls for project proposals is under way so that Maltese companies and researchers remain engaged with ESA. The government, through Xjenza Malta, also took its place at the ESA Ministerial Council, where the major decisions on Europe's Space future are taken.
Xjenza Malta has led an Earth Observation Requirements Exercise across the public sector, with ministries, authorities and agencies. The identified priorities are now feeding into a national Earth Observation Hub that will turn satellite images into operational services for maritime, environmental, planning and civil protection work, serving as the digital backbone to Space Park Malta. On the international stage, Malta has moved from the edge of the conversation towards its core. Acting through Xjenza Malta, the country has been admitted to the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), giving Malta a formal voice in the UN's global forum that sets the basic rules for how Space is used peacefully and responsibly.
Our closest neighbour has been a constant partner, with a Declaration of Intent with the Agenzia Spaziale Italiana opening the way for closer cooperation on Earth observation, maritime applications and climate services, and bilateral calls in preparation that reflect our shared Mediterranean reality. Xjenza Malta has also secured the role of host for the ESA PECS Industry Days in 2026.
Above all, there is a political vision that wants Space to belong to our children, not only to specialists. Through Xjenza Malta, Government has launched a Space School Fund so that students can take part in Space-related projects and competitions such as CanSat, with Esplora supporting children to design and launch their own mini satellites.
In a short span of time, the Government has moved Space from talk to structure: a dedicated implementation unit at Xjenza Malta; a law in drafting stage; projects funded with ESA; a national plan for Earth observation; a seat at UN COPUOS; a strong partnership with Italy; and direct investment in our schools. For a country of our size, the message is clear: Malta will not sit idle while a new global industry takes shape above us. We will harness Space to safeguard our people and open new horizons for generations to come.
Keith Azzopardi Tanti is the Parliamentary Secretary for Youths, Research and Innovation