Do you want to see how technologies that actually travel to space are made? The SPACE::LAB program at the campus of the Institute of Experimental Physics of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Košice offered exactly this unique opportunity, and our students visited it as part of Researchers' Night 2026.
The expert program was attended by Stela and Petronela Palenčárová (06.A/07.A) and Mikuláš Tomko (1.B). Over the afternoon, they had the chance to look into the world of space technology, satellites and scientific research carried out right here in Slovakia.
The program opened with an interesting lecture, “The Sun, Storms and Zombie Tractors”, in which Lukáš Randuška presented the effects of solar activity and space weather on modern technologies, navigation systems and devices used in everyday life. This was followed by the presentation “All About Satellites”, in which Pavlo Usatiuk explained how satellites work and their importance for communication, navigation, Earth observation and scientific research.
The highlight of the event was a lecture followed by a visit to the SPACE::LAB Cleanroom, the first space cleanroom in Slovakia. Damián Fečko explained to participants the importance of special clean spaces in developing and testing equipment for space missions. The students got a behind-the-scenes look at the processes that equipment must go through before being deployed in the demanding conditions of space. They thus gained a unique insight into space engineering and the work of experts in cutting-edge space research and technology. Meeting practitioners was an inspiration for them and also showed that top-level research and development is carried out in Slovakia too.
We thank the organizers for an excellently prepared program, interesting lectures and the opportunity to look into the world of science, research and space technology.
And ... What to do with space debris? That will be discussed at the next SPACE::TALK #36 on 8 October 2026. Event registration: https://www.meetup.com/space-talk/events/316542933/
More information about SPACE::LAB activities is available at:
https://space-lab-sk.github.io/contact.html
https://www.instagram.com/space.lab.sk
https://www.meetup.com/space-talk/
