Finance and Economy Minister Andrzej Doma\u0144ski announced plans to establish a space technology center at the decommissioned Wujek mine in Katowice, featuring underground simulations for lunar and Martian exploration. <\/p>\n
The Polish coal mine that secured a permanent place in the history of Upper Silesia and the entire country is set to become a key center for space exploration research. Minister of Finance and Economy Andrzej Doma\u0144ski announced in Katowice the establishment of a local government special purpose vehicle, which will prepare a feasibility study for creating a space technology center on the grounds of the decommissioning Wujek mine. The historic facility’s underground corridors are intended to be used to simulate living conditions on the Moon and Mars.<\/p>\n
Minister Doma\u0144ski noted that while the State Treasury is not joining the company, the government looks favorably upon the venture. During a Monday press conference, Doma\u0144ski reported that he discussed the concept in Katowice with local government officials, scientists, and representatives of the Polish space industry. He emphasized that there is full support from both the Ministry of Development and the Ministry of Finance, and a special purpose vehicle will soon be established to continue working on the project.<\/p>\n
When pressed for details, he specified that the company will be established by local government entities: the city of Katowice, the Silesian Voivodeship, and the G\u00f3rno\u015bl\u0105sko-Zag\u0142\u0119biowska Metropolia. One of its most urgent tasks will be ordering a feasibility study for the space technology center at Wujek. Asked by PAP about potential State Treasury participation, Doma\u0144ski stipulated that a feasibility study is needed first, while assessing that the project looks very interesting from the government’s perspective.<\/p>\n
Doma\u0144ski assured that the project has explicit support from the scientific and business communities, meaning it makes sense. He stated that it is not a rescue project, but a business project designed to add another engine of economic growth in Poland, which is why the State Treasury is not currently involved in the special purpose vehicle beyond showing its favorability.<\/p>\n
According to the concept presented by science communicator Tomasz Ro\u017cek, the idea involves utilizing the underground infrastructure of the Wujek mine because human settlement attempts, first on closer objects like the Moon and later on more distant ones, will take place underground. Consequently, the mine’s infrastructure can provide optimal testing conditions.<\/p>\n
Doma\u0144ski was also asked about the need to halt the liquidation process of the Wujek mine infrastructure\u2014which was initiated on April 1 of this year by its owner, Polska Grupa G\u00f3rnicza\u2014so that it could be utilized by the space technology center. Such a halt would require an appropriate amendment to the Act on the Functioning of Hard Coal Mining. Andrzej Doma\u0144ski confirmed that if they want to utilize this infrastructural potential, certain changes will be necessary.<\/p>\n
In the spring of this year, a report concerning the concept of establishing the Space Settlement Simulation Center at the Wujek mine was submitted to the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. Subsequently, heads of the Ministry of State Assets and the Ministry of Energy reviewed it. The concept is supported by the Silesian Voivodeship, Katowice, the G\u00f3rno\u015bl\u0105sko-Zag\u0142\u0119biowska Metropolia, and rectors of universities from the region.<\/p>\n
The concept of establishing a space technology center based on Wujek’s infrastructure is another element in planning the future of this historic location. Coal extraction ended there in 2021, and formal liquidation has been underway since April 1 of this year, with Polska Grupa G\u00f3rnicza transferring the mine to its Mine Liquidation Plant.<\/p>\n
As early as last year, representatives of PGG, the local governments of Katowice, the Silesian Voivodeship, and the Metropolia declared cooperation regarding the future of the mine’s grounds in a letter of intent. In December, the city announced a competition for the urban planning concept of developing the mine and its broader surroundings, which was settled in early April.<\/p>\n
The Wujek mine holds particular significance for the history of Katowice and Poland. Miners striking against the introduction of martial law were brutally pacified on December 16, 1981, resulting in the deaths of nine men. The memory of the victims is cultivated by the Silesian Center for Freedom and Solidarity, which operates within the former mine buildings, and whose expanded headquarters opened on June 27 of this year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Finance and Economy Minister Andrzej Doma\u0144ski announced plans to establish a space technology center at the decommissioned Wujek mine in Katowice, featuring underground simulations for lunar and Martian exploration. Local Authorities to Establish Special Purpose Vehicle The Polish coal mine that secured a permanent place in the history of Upper Silesia and the entire country […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wpai_generated_summary":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tech"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18311"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18311\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}