NETHERLANDS GUIDE

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items (and replicas) that were part of the
manned space project, Apollo.”
A bright new feature
Even though the museum is already fascinating,
Hoppel is preparing for ‘more
space’, both literally and figuratively
speaking. “Our ambition is for Space
Expo to become the window into the
Dutch space community, with strong
ties to space agencies, the universities
of Leiden and Delft and other partners.
And of course, to provide a unique experience
with a great collection,” elaborates
Hoppel. “We want to bring space
travel closer to people, both for visitors
of our museum as well as for businesses.
Space Expo should be the place
where current affairs, history, research
and knowledge come together. Where
you can feel the excitement of space and
where like-minded people can meet.” To
realise this, Space Expo is currently getting
in contact with businesses, investors
and creative minds alike.
Building a Space Campus
But it is not just Space Expo that is in
huge development. Right beside the
museum, the city of Noordwijk is creating
the ‘Space Campus’. “This will be
a high-tech cluster on an international
scale,” Hoppel continues. “It will be the
place where the aerospace industry will
meet and cooperate.” Multiple space related
companies have already made the
Space Campus their base, such as the
Galileo Research Centre and the cluster
of Space Business Park-companies. “We
are closely involved in the developments
of the Space Campus. And we are working
on a feasibility study to see if we can
create a new and modern Space Experience
centre at the heart of the campus.
These are plans that are tight-knit to the
ambitions of the city of Noordwijk and
the province of South Holland. So, keep
a close eye on us. Amazing things will
happen in the coming years. And there is
still a lot of ‘space’ for companies to be
part of this adventure.”
Web: www.space-expo.nl
Issue 71 | November 2019 | 57