January 2019
Saving humanity – is space up to the job?
... impacts. In this article Dr Joseph Pelton, a passionate advocate of using space systems to help humanity, provides an overview of the challenging issues we face and offers some innovative solutions that we might do well to heed. Since the Space Age...
February 2019
The Space Elevator – an alternative path to space?
... also dictates a smallest tether size that can be climbed on. Computer graphic of a Space Elevator tether terminus platform. Challenges and risks Space debris is a high risk for a static elevator, as anything that doesn’t follow an exactly periodic...
January 2021
Safeguarding space - lessons from decommissioning in the energy industry
... of decommis- sioning in the energy sector Each of the aforementioned terrestrial industries has also had to confront the challenges posed in respect of their ‘legacy waste’, that is the pre-existing installations or materials that are not covered...
October 2024
Space industry trajectory under the spotlight of cultural anthropology
... is a mainstay of global space exploration and commercial space development, but how do those in the business feel about challenging the very essence of humanity’s future in space - or at least the pathway to get there? In her new book, Ground...
October 2024
Simplicity is the space industry’s secret weapon
...overcome the extreme constraints placed on them by the space environment and wrestle with complex hardware development challenges In fact, SpaceX’s approach flips the traditional mindset: instead of obsessing over the product’s complexity, its system...
March 2015
On-orbit satellite servicing, insurance and lessons of Palapa B2 and Westar 6
...waiting for service, and may potentially be operated outside of its originally intended design. This in itself will be challenging given that commercial communication satellites are currently not built with servicing in mind. Cost-conscious satellite...
