site.btaPresident Radev, NASA Administrator Nelson Discuss Opportunities for Expanding Cooperation in Space Research

Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Administrator Bill Nelson Monday discussed opportunities for expanding international cooperation in space research and technology, the head of State's Press Secretariat said.

The data from space exploration and related technologies are being increasingly applied in everyday life. Bulgaria will continue to develop its potential in this, including through deepening international cooperation with the leading countries, Radev said. He emphasized the promising expansion of Bulgaria’s partnership with the United States in scientific fields, including space research, where successful Bulgarian companies have also contributed. At the end of 2023, Bulgaria signed the Artemis Accords, which aim to promote the peaceful exploration of space. The head of State expressed hope that, despite ongoing military conflicts around the world, the international community will succeed in preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons in space.

The importance of space exploration for understanding various processes and phenomena on Earth was also discussed during the meeting, along with the need for a sustainable investment policy in this area. Radev cited the example of a project submitted by the President’s Administration to establish a National Aerospace Observation, Control, and Management Centre, as envisaged in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The Centre would significantly enhance the effectiveness of Bulgaria's state policies in areas such as combating air and soil pollution, monitoring river and dam levels, countering illegal logging, and improving transport infrastructure and urbanization processes, among others.

The general consensus was that this year's Hello Space, Bulgaria Calling festival reflects the growing interest among young Bulgarians in space research, the head of State's Press Secretariat added. The event served as an occasion for US astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria to visit this country.

The NASA Administrator presented Radev with a collage of photos from the SpaceX Crew-8 mission launched in March 2024, which featured the Bulgarian and American flags carried on board the spacecraft.

Among the participants in the meeting were Bulgaria’s Vice President Iliana Iotova, US Ambassador to this country Kenneth Merten, and students Adelina Kaneva and Dimitar Marchev, who took up the roles of President and Vice President of Bulgaria as part of the Manager for a Day initiative on Monday, the press release said.

As part of his visit, Nelson delivered a lecture at the St Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia. Addressing the students, he said that this is the golden age of space exploration, and they will all be part of it.