The NL Space Campus is pleased to introduce Kacia Rutkoŭskaja. Originally from Belarus, Kacia has recently joined our team as our new content manager, bringing her expertise in marketing and communications, coupled with a strong interest in space. Since 2019, she has been dreaming of working in the Netherlands space industry. With nearly ten years of working experience, ranging from journalism to coordinating large online events, we are excited to have her on our team!
A SPACE JOURNEY TO THE NETHERLANDS
In September 2022, Kacia relocated to the Netherlands. “I had visited the Netherlands as a tourist three times before, and from the very first visit, it felt like the right place for me. I always liked to travel, but the only two places that truly resonated with me are my homeland, Belarus and the Netherlands.”
Despite not having a technical background, her fascination with space began as a young girl. It started with general curiosity and evolved into daydreaming during her teenage years, although becoming an astronaut is a large ambition. So, she focused on completing her bachelor’s degree in 2017 as a web journalist and continued working at the university as a social media manager. That year, she was lucky that the university launched its first satellite, which made space exploration feel a lot closer. She was thrilled to attend the XXXI Planetary Congress in Belarus (2018), and is looking forward to visiting the edition in Amsterdam in 2024.
Her first visit to the Netherlands was in 2018, when she explored popular tourist destinations and went to see the band Madness. Back in Belarus, she worked for an International Educational Agency, which organised short trips for students and professionals to universities and organisations for networking and inspiration. Due to her interest in space, she organised an entire trip for students focused on space exploration. This led her to meet the Lunar Zebro team from TU Delft, where she is still involved with.
In 2019, she was one of the organisers of the first and only conference in Minsk on “Business in Space” and “Amateur Space”, called “New Space Days.” With speakers from organisations like Planet, Copenhagen Suborbitals, Stuttgart University, and many others. In 2020, she participated in the master’s program at Belarusian State University and wrote her thesis on public relations in aerospace.
FUTURE PLANS AND DREAMS
Kacia already understands Dutch, but speaking is not easy. “It allows me to learn more about the Dutch space industry, which, I hope, will speed up my process of learning Dutch. Also, I am eagerly looking forward to contributing more to the Dutch space ecosystem and expanding my knowledge. I’m always open to new insights and learning experiences! I also hope to meet more individuals responsible for communications in the space industry because having such professionals on board, I believe, is essential.” Additionally, Kacia’s personal interest is to explore opportunities to bridge the gap between space and non-space enthusiasts, fostering better understanding. “Space has the potential to bring immense value to Earth, and it’s crucial for people to be aware of that. Once we make space exploration sustainable, we can reach for the stars.”
CONTRIBUTION TO NL SPACE CAMPUS
In 2021, she started looking for work opportunities in the Netherlands. “I didn’t want to move there without a purpose; I aimed to work as a marketing specialist in the space industry. That’s how I ended up working at Groundstation.space (dotSPACE foundation).” The foundation operates as a market maker within a ‘triple helix innovation framework. Groundstation.space is part of the NL Space Campus community and is involved in many activities, such as events during The Space Week. She wrote the article about the Activation Open Field of the NL Space Campus, and of course, we were very happy about it. Subsequently, we are excited to have her join our team as the new content creator for the Campus. Her debut for the NL Space Campus involved writing an article about the Netherlands’ presence at Space Tech Expo Europe.
“Now it’s time to think bigger, not only about how I can contribute to the community as its part but also how to engage all community members and unite them under one umbrella. As a content manager for the NL Space Campus, I enjoy observing, narrating the story, and actively engaging the community.”
REACH OUT TO KACIA
Kacia will focus on creating quality content for our newsletter, website and social media. She also has many ideas about improving our communications and reaching out to our community. Do you have interesting news to share? Do you want to announce your event? Or do you want to tell the story and spread it through the Dutch space ecosystem? Get in contact with Kacia at k.rutkouskaja@nlspacecampus.eu!
