A former commander of the International Space Station will join 30 global space start-ups to highlight European space initiatives.

The event, hosted by the Creative Destruction Lab Oxford is scheduled for March 6 to March 8 at the Saïd Business School.

Colonel Chris Hadfield will be joined by astronauts, entrepreneurs, investors, and scientists at the Oxford venue to champion areas covering space exploration and transportation, satellite communications, earth observation, and robotics.

Anousheh Ansari, CEO of the X-Prize Foundation and the first self-funded woman to fly to the International Space Station, will be among the attendees.

The event comes amidst calls by the European Space Agency for infrastructure investment to develop domestic European space launch capabilities.

Building on King Charles's June-launched Astra Carta, a sustainability protocol for space, the event coincides with Oxford’s Bodleian Library historic merging of the Astra Carta and the original Magna Carta manuscript.

Colonel Chris Hadfield said: "This is a historic moment in space history, with reusable rocket ships significantly lowering launch costs and thus opening tremendous opportunity for exploration and new business.

"Coupled with the cooperative work being done with King Charles on space sustainability, the expertise and quality of people and new ventures gathering at Oxford is unprecedented; a clear example of the impact that the UK and EU are having on global space commerce."

Creative Destruction Lab Oxford director, Sarah Barratt Ball, said the programme answers "an insatiable appetite" to be entrepreneurial at Oxford Saïd.