October 2024
Simplicity is the space industry’s secret weapon
... development processes. Fixing tangible objects in space is barely possible, as of today, and the challenge is compounded by the fact that humans are involved. So these challenges aren’t just technical; they are cultural. Every success is built upon...
December 2014
Space for Earth: How ESA wants to use lessons learned above on the ground
... scope and framework of the S&E initiative. At this stage, the challenges related to the space systems are experienced less in the technology road-mapping branch of the initiative and more on the services branch. On the latter, investment and launch...
August 2016
Academia’s role in space protection, space traffic management & orbital debris mitigation
...to process and filter alerts produced by time-domain surveys. Whether fundamental or use-inspired, active research into the challenges sketched in this article is imperative not only to locating satellites and spacecraft debris but also to predicting...
November 2016
Turning the Solar System into our backyard
... concepts are now being supported by Disrupt Space and the organisations presenting the challenges with the goal of turning them into viable startups. With the success of the Disrupt Space summit, we are now in a position to continuing supporting...
May 2017
Will international space law struggle to remain relevant?
...and much more difficult to provide answers. However, what is clear is that it is no longer appropriate to think of the challenges associated with our activities in space as somehow quarantined into separate ‘pigeon-holes’. Each type of space activity...
August 2017
Planning for health, sex and sleep on a future Mars colony
... benefit to crew members. For instance, it is broadly agreed that the simple idea of having windows to allow the colonists to look outside is likely to be salutary. The challenge with this on the surface of Mars will be that it will be very difficult...
