According to Space News, three US companies are to set up offices in Luxembourg; it was announced at the end of last month that CubeRover, Hydrosat and Made In Space will all establish facilities there, working with local universities and companies on a number of projects.

Étienne Schneider, Luxembourg’s deputy prime minister (and minister of the economy), said: “The success of our development strategy for the space sector, including the recent launch of the Luxembourg Space Agency, is confirmed once more with the ‘settlement’ in Luxembourg of three space companies that plan to employ up to 85 people here by 2023.”

Up to 50 jobs will be created by Made In Space, a company known for its additive manufacturing-work on the International Space Station; it plans to work on a low-cost modular robotic arm for in-space applications.

Jason Dunn, the founder of Made In Space, said: “While we believe this product will reduce satellite makers’ barriers to greater capability on orbit, we also see our robotic arms as being integral to constructing ‘space gateways’, building lunar habitats and assisting in the in-space construction of future space stations.”

The robotic arm that it plans to develop in Luxembourg will initially be sold only in the European market, before being offered more broadly.

CubeRover, a spin-off of the commercial lunar-lander company Astrobotic, will set up operations in Luxembourg to develop rovers weighing as little as 2kg for lunar exploration.

Astrobotic has been working on the project internally, with some support from NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research programme.

Royce Dalby, chief executive of Hydrosat — a company that specialises in data analytics using thermal infra-red satellite imagery — said: “We were attracted by the excellent business environment and the cutting-edge data analytics in Luxembourg.

“All the elements for success are here, thanks to a strong national commitment to the space sector that continues to grow every day.”

On 12 September, the government established the Luxembourg Space Agency; one of its roles will be to further build up the country’s space industry, including through a new Luxembourg Space Fund that will have 100 million euros available to invest in space companies.