The exploitation of space resources is expected to play a key role in future exploration missions, notably by enabling the on-site production of materials, energy, or consumables essential for human and robotic activities. Thanks to its multidisciplinary skills and the expertise developed within the European Space Resources Innovation Centre (ESRIC), LIST positions itself as a major player in research and innovation in this field. LIST teams contribute to the development of the knowledge, technologies, and infrastructure needed to support the emergence of a space resources ecosystem, with a focus on their responsible and sustainable use.

Founded in 2020 by the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA) and LIST, with the European Space Agency (ESA) as a strategic partner, ESRIC has become an essential component of Luxembourg’s long-term strategy to develop its space sector. Driven by the visionary SpaceResources.lu initiative and supported by a framework agreement signed in 2024 between the Luxembourg government and LIST, ESRIC was created to develop a strategic national capacity supporting space exploration, stimulating economic diversification, and positioning Luxembourg at the heart of the future European space economy.

One of the highlights of 2025 is the start of the construction of the Space Campus in Belval, whose building will notably house the Dusty Thermal Vacuum Chamber (read more here). In partnership with Technoport and the ESA, ESRIC has also continued to support startups and young companies through its unique incubation and acceleration programmes. Six new startups were pre-incubated as part of the fifth call for the Startup Support Programme, the world’s first incubation programme entirely dedicated to the exploitation of space resources, while a sixth call was launched at the end of the year.

The Space Resources Accelerator, meanwhile, began its first full year of operation in 2025, marking the transition from the conceptualization phase to concrete implementation for its first cohort. Managed by ESRIC on behalf of ESA, this programme is the world’s first business accelerator dedicated to the lunar economy. The six projects selected during the first call for applications have begun their active acceleration phase.

ESRIC also plays a unifying role by bringing together the international community through the annual Space Resources Week conference. The 2025 edition, held in May in Luxembourg, welcomed over 450 participants from around the world, representing space agencies, industries, startups, universities, and research institutes. This event continues to position ESRIC and Luxembourg at the centre of the global space resources community.

Finally, ESRIC co-organized the second edition of the Space Resources Challenge, held from 13 to 17 October 2025, at the ESA EAC’s LUNA centre in Cologne. Eight teams took part in the challenge, the goal of which was to collect, transport, and sort by size, large quantities of regolith simulant in an environment replicating lunar conditions. Thanks to its robot, the German team BREMEN won the ESA prize of €500,000.