SRON - Netherlands Institute for Space Research

SRON’s mission is to bring about breakthroughs in international space research.

Therefore the institute develops pioneering technology and advanced space instruments, and uses them to pursue fundamental astrophysical research, Earth science and exoplanetary research. As national expertise institute SRON gives counsel to the Dutch government and coordinates - from a science standpoint - national contributions to international space missions. SRON stimulates the implementation of space science in our society.

SRON is the Dutch national expertise institute for scientific space research. It is part of NWO. Since the foundation of the institute by university groups, in the early 1960s, we have, often in a leading role, provided key contributions to instruments of missions of the major space agencies, ESA, NASA, and JAXA. These contributions have enabled the national and international space-research communities to explore the universe and to investigate the Earth's atmosphere and climate. As a national expertise institute, we stimulate collaboration between the science community, technological institutes, and industry.

Our vision is to continue to belong to the international forefront in search for answers to some of the most fundamental existential and societal questions of mankind: What is the origin of the universe and what is it made of? Is there life elsewhere in the universe? What is the future of the Earth's climate? What are the atmospheric processes that govern changes in the Earth's climate and air quality. What role does human activity play?

Our strategy is to develop science cases, key enabling technologies, prototypes/demonstrators, space-qualified instrumentation, and data-analysis tools that will define the next generation of space missions, to be launched in the 2020s and 2030s. This enables us to lead major contributions to answering the fundamental questions of our time. The institute has made sharp choices in its programme based on its strengths, the priorities of the national science community, and the opportunities in international space research. Driven by the Netherlands commitment to the ESA charter, it is our strategy to be principal investigator (PI) or co-PI institute for major instruments on ESA missions.