Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy

What Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy does

The Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB) is a Belgian Federal Scientific Institute established in the mid-1960s and operating under the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO) from the Space Pole in Uccle, Brussels. The institute conducts research on the physics and chemistry of Earth's and other planets' atmospheres and on the space environment, with a portfolio spanning ground-based atmospheric measurement networks, satellite instrument development, atmospheric chemistry modelling, and operations support for European space missions. Its proprietary technical assets include the BASCOE stratospheric chemistry system integrated into ECMWF's Integrated Forecasting System for the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS); the NOMAD spectrometer on ESA's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter; the MAJIS characterization facility for the JUICE mission; the VenSpec-H instrument for ESA's EnVision mission to Venus; the PICASSO CubeSat; the B.RCLab radiometric characterization laboratory; and B.USOC, the operations centre for the Fluid Science Laboratory and ASIM experiments on the International Space Station.

The institute's business model is publicly funded rather than commercial. Core funding flows from the Belgian federal government via BELSPO, with supplementary income from European Union programmes including Horizon Europe, ESA mission contracts, and Copernicus programme contracts routed through ECMWF. BIRA-IASB serves institutional customers including ESA, the European Commission, ECMWF, NASA, and the climate science and policy community; its CAMS-related outputs reach over 200 million people daily, and its data products support IPCC assessment reports and Paris Agreement global stocktake activities. Outputs are distributed through open scientific data platforms, international research infrastructure networks (ICOS, TCCON, NDACC), peer-reviewed publications, and public-facing channels, with no commercial pricing. The institute is led by Scientific Director Valérie Trouet and Operational Director Ella Jamsin, with approximately 130 staff.

Name

Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy

Legal name

Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy

Website

https://aeronomie.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB) is a Belgian federal research institute under BELSPO that studies atmospheric physics and chemistry, develops space instruments for ESA missions, and operates ground-based monitoring networks feeding European climate services including CAMS.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Space and Atmospheric Research Services

NAICS

Space Research and Technology (92711), Air Traffic Control (488111)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Space Payloads & Instruments (Sensors, Comms, EO/IR) (IMABACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Spacecraft & Satellites (Civil/Commercial) (IMABACAB), International Science, Technology & Space Cooperation Organizations (BPADAAAK)

Keywords

• Atmospheric research
• Space instruments
• Planetary aeronomy
• Stratospheric monitoring
• Greenhouse gas measurement

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding (BELSPO): The Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy is a Belgian Federal Scientific Institute operating under the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO). Its core funding derives from the Belgian federal government. The institute also receives funding from the European Union through programmes such as Horizon Europe, ESA contributions, and Copernicus programme contracts (e.g., CAMS operations via ECMWF).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

BIRA-IASB conducts scientific research on the physics and chemistry of the atmospheres of Earth and other planets, and of outer space. It develops space instruments for ESA planetary missions, operates ground-based atmospheric measurement stations, provides atmospheric modelling and data products through Copernicus services, and supports ISS experiment operations. Its outputs include scientific instruments (NOMAD, VenSpec-H, MAJIS), modelling systems (BASCOE), operational services (SACS, B.USOC), and observational datasets for climate, ozone, greenhouse gas, and air quality monitoring.

Product overview

The Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB) is a federal scientific research institute that does not offer commercial software products but provides specialized atmospheric and space science services, data products, and instruments. The portfolio includes: ground-based greenhouse gas monitoring stations (TCCON, ICOS, NDACC networks); space mission contributions including the NOMAD instrument on ExoMars, MAJIS on JUICE, and VenSpec-H on EnVision, plus the PICASSO CubeSat mission; operational services such as the SACS aviation hazard system and B.USOC for ISS operations; atmospheric modeling and data systems including BASCOE for stratospheric monitoring; and calibration services through BRCLab. BIRA-IASB contributes to European infrastructure like CAMS and Copernicus while developing instruments for international space missions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) Support Contribution to the European CAMS global forecasting system, providing stratospheric chemistry expertise and data for atmospheric composition analyses and forecasts used in air quality, solar energy, and pollutant monitoring.
• SACS - Support to Aviation Control Service
• Greenhouse Gas Monitoring Stations
• B.USOC - Belgian User Support and Operations Centre
• NOMAD Instrument Spectrometer instrument on ESA's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter for studying Martian atmospheric composition, detecting trace gases, water, and atmospheric phenomena such as the green oxygen glow.
• MAJIS Instrument Imaging spectrometer for the JUICE mission to Jupiter's icy moons, designed to study the composition of Jupiter's atmosphere and icy satellite surfaces.
• VenSpec-H Instrument
• PICASSO CubeSat First CubeSat mission of BIRA-IASB, demonstrating feasibility of atmospheric remote sensing and in-situ ionospheric plasma measurement with a miniaturized satellite.
• ALTIUS Mission
• BASCOE Stratospheric Monitoring System BIRA-IASB's monitoring system for stratospheric composition, which contributed to implementing detailed stratospheric chemistry in ECMWF's Integrated Forecasting System for CAMS.
• BRCLab - Belgian Radiometric Characterization Laboratory
• SEMPAS Instrument

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 200 million people daily are reached by CAMS information products that benefit from BIRA-IASB's stratospheric chemistry contributions.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• NIER (National Institute of Environmental Research, South Korea)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 July 2025BIRA-IASB signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with South Korea's NIER, establishing a formal framework for cooperation in space aeronomy and atmospheric research between the Belgian and South Korean institutes.
• Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKNMI collaborated with BIRA-IASB and ECMWF to implement detailed stratospheric chemistry into the ECMWF global model used by CAMS. KNMI and BIRA-IASB jointly developed the representation of stratospheric chemistry in the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service.
• HYGEOS (France)coreTechnology or IntegrationHYGEOS collaborated with BIRA-IASB and KNMI in the development of the stratospheric chemistry upgrade for CAMS, contributing to the detailed chemical process modelling in the ECMWF IFS system.
• LACy (Laboratoire de l'Atmosphère et des Cyclones, Réunion Island)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBIRA-IASB operates atmospheric measurement instruments on Réunion Island in collaboration with LACy and OSU-R, performing in-situ and total column measurements of greenhouse gases as part of ICOS and TCCON networks.
• OSU-R (Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de la Réunion, France)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with OSU-R on Réunion Island for greenhouse gas monitoring stations contributing to ICOS, TCCON, and NDACC networks.
• LSCE (Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, France)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with LSCE (France) on atmospheric CO2 measurement and analysis, part of the international network contributing to carbon cycle studies and satellite validation.
• IFRO (Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de Rondônia, Brazil)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBIRA-IASB installed new TCCON and NDACC instruments at Porto Velho in the Amazon forest in collaboration with IFRO and INPE. This is the only TCCON station in South America, providing critical data for carbon cycle studies and satellite validation.
• INPE (Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, Brazil)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with INPE for the Porto Velho TCCON station in Brazil, providing the only TCCON station in South America.
• Freie Universität Berlin (FUB), GermanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBIRA-IASB collaborates with Dr Thomas Ruhtz's team at FUB, which provides an aircraft platform for the ESA-funded NITROCAM campaign to measure air pollution from nitrogen compounds. BIRA-IASB contributes its equipment and expertise to this joint measurement campaign.
• Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), BelgiumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerULB contributes equipment and expertise to the ESA-funded NITROCAM campaign alongside BIRA-IASB and Freie Universität Berlin for measuring nitrogen pollution from aircraft.
• European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECMWF operates CAMS on behalf of the European Commission. BIRA-IASB contributed the stratospheric chemistry modelling capability (BASCOE) to ECMWF's IFS system as part of the CAMS upgrade. This represents the core operational service BIRA-IASB contributes to.
• Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO)coreOthersBIRA-IASB is a Federal Scientific Institute operating under BELSPO. BELSPO funds and coordinates the institute's activities as part of Belgium's ten Federal Scientific Institutes.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/SpaceAeronomy
• Facebookfacebook.com/BIRA.IASB
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/belgian-institute-for-space-aeronomy
• Instagraminstagram.com/bira_iasb
• Xx.com/BIRA_IASB

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy