Slovenia becoming the 23rd member of the European Space Agency (ESA) starting from 2025 was described as a historic moment by the agency's director general Josef Aschbacher as the country marked the occasion with two high-profile events on 10 January.

Addressing a press conference on the sidelines of an ESA-Slovenia summit in the spa town of Rimske Toplice, Aschbacher said Slovenia was the first country to gain full membership in the last ten years.

Both him and Slovenian officials pointed to the many opportunities that arise from full membership. Slovenia will now be able to have an equal role in ESA's large projects and contribute to the formation of the agency's programmes, Aschbacher said.

He trusts that Slovenian companies will be able to recognise the opportunities the agency offers. "Slovenia is a small country on Earth but a large one in space," he said, stressing the contributions of Slovenian businesses.

Research shows that the global value of the space industry will continue to increase, Aschbacher said, adding that many day-to-day matters, such as meteorology, depend on space technology.

ESA Council chair Renato Krpoun said Slovenia had great potential to contribute to the development of the agency. "Slovenian companies will be able to take part in the agency's projects but also make use of its infrastructure and achievements."

Economy Minister Matjaž Han described full membership as a significant milestone for Slovenia, noting that the country had worked for many years to achieve that status. "It is important that we have a clear vision. Slovenia will continue to provide funding and cooperate," Han said.

The minister stressed the opportunities the membership creates for businesses, especially as Slovenia has already proved itself to ESA in many areas, including the development of satellite programmes. "Opportunities in the space sector are abundant," Han said.

Slovenia is already a global superpower in some niche areas, such as development of new materials and applications in healthcare, Economy Ministry State Secretary Matevž Frangež told the Slovenian Press Agency. "The doors to space have never been open so wide," he added.

Slovenian companies and institutes working in the space sector, such as Balmar, Dewesoft, the Jožef Stefan Institute, Sinergise and Skylabs, presented their work at the summit.

Full membership in ESA will allow them to use the agency's infrastructure and participate in the most challenging missions, according to Iztok Kramberger from Skylabs. "It is also our job to bring the technologies we develop for space into mainstream use," he said.

Slovenia has been cooperating with ESA since signing the Cooperation Agreement in 2009. It strengthened its cooperation in 2016 by signing an associate membership agreement. In 2024 it ratified the agreement on full membership and became a full member at the start of 2025.

The summit was followed by an official ceremony at the Noordung Centre of Space Technologies in the evening with addresses by Aschbacher and Prime Minister Robert Golob.