Hungarian space research and technology attracted significant interest at Space-Comm Expo Europe in London, one of Europe’s leading events for the space research and space industry sector. The Hungarian stand – featuring astronauts, plants engineered for space and Hungarian-developed radiation measurement technologies – became one of the most popular at the conference.

Researchers from the HUN-REN Hungarian Research Network, together with astronauts representing the HUNOR programme, presented Hungary’s latest space research results and experiments conducted aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the HUNOR programme, as well as their potential applications for industry and the economy. The delegation was led by Zsolt Szalay, Vice-President for Engineering and Natural Sciences at HUN-REN.

The stand attracted strong interest from the more than 5,000 professionals attending the event, including researchers, industry representatives and government stakeholders. Visitors also had the opportunity to meet the Hungarian research astronaut of the Axiom-4 mission, Tibor Kapu in person, as well as Gyula Cserényi, the backup astronaut selected for the mission.

Hungary’s presence was further highlighted by Tibor Kapu’s keynote presentation on the Axiom-4 mission and its scientific experiments carried out as part of the HUNOR programme. He later joined a panel discussion with British astronaut Tim Peake, strategic adviser to Axiom Space, and Zsolt Szalay. During the discussion, the astronauts stressed that human-led space missions remain essential even in an era of rapidly advancing robotics.

According to Zsolt Szalay, the fast-growing global space industry offers significant opportunities even for smaller countries to gain a competitive advantage by focusing on carefully selected strategic areas.

Within the HUN-REN network, space-related research is currently conducted in eight institutes by around two dozen research groups and nearly 160 researchers. Four institutes represented this community at the exhibition, demonstrating the strength of coordinated cooperation across disciplines and institutions.

“Our comprehensive space research programme, launched last month, aims to strengthen collaboration between research groups and better connect Hungarian research with leading international partners from both science and industry,” said Zsolt Szalay. “During the two-day event we received numerous enquiries from leading global companies, and discussions on potential collaborations will continue in the coming weeks.”

Hungarian space research has achieved internationally recognised success in radiation measurement and dosimetry. The PILLE dosimeter first flew in space in the 1970s and has been standard equipment aboard the International Space Station since 2003. It remains the only device capable of measuring the additional radiation dose astronauts receive during spacewalks.

Hungarian researchers have also made significant advances in small satellite development and space weather research. The country’s scientific infrastructure – including the Zero Magnetic Laboratory near Sopron and the accelerator facilities of the Institute for Nuclear Research in Debrecen capable of simulating solar wind – also provides internationally competitive research capabilities.

Hungary and the HUN-REN Hungarian Research Network aim to play an increasingly active role in international scientific and industrial collaborations, including programmes of ESA and NASA. The strong interest generated at Space-Comm Expo Europe confirmed that presenting Hungary’s space research capabilities in an integrated way can open the door to new international partnerships.

The HUN-REN Atomki Institute for Nuclear Research in Debrecen is an organisational member of Europlanet.