Romania can send a Romanian in space with SpaceX in less than six months, after 50 years, if we make this decision at national level, said Pavel Popescu, vice-president of the National Communications Administration and Regulation Authority (ANCOM), at the opening of the biggest technology and innovation festival in Central and Eastern Europe, Bucharest Tech Week, on Monday.

“Two weeks ago, SpaceX’s director of Space Humanflights, Michael Altehofen, spent two hours in a call with us, telling us that in less than six months, if we make this decision at the national level, Romania can send a Romanian in space with SpaceX, after 50 years. Today, ANCOM is an institution that, through a project also carried out with SpaceX, through a collaboration project, has put Romania on the world map as the only country in the world that has such a partnership with such a company. A partnership that will lead to some results and some major changes in all that means space communications policy, globally. I am telling you these things because I am a hundred percent certain that nobody here, in the Romanian private sector, has ever thought of this. These things are not well known,” said Popescu.

The ANCOM representative voiced his optimism about development, saying that Romania is facing a change.

This year’s edition of Bucharest Tech Week kicked off on Monday in Bucharest, and for six days there will be five conferences specialising in significant tech industries.

Tech Week will conclude with the largest technology and innovation exhibition in the region, accessible free of charge to the general public. Tech Expo will take place on the weekend of 14-16 June at Romexpo Pavilion B1.

Bucharest Tech Week is organised by Universum Expo.

GoTech World (previously called Internet & Mobile World) is the largest digital economy expo-conference in Central and Eastern Europe, where professionals from across the region have access to B2B tech solutions, insights on different digital areas and networking opportunities.