February 2019
The challenge of procreation for future off-world settlers
Technological challenges faced by the first people living permanently on the Moon, Mars and perhaps other bodies in the solar system are immense and low gravity will present significant problems, particularly when it comes to human health, gestation...
April 2019
Is a military space force justified?
The US has formally announced the creation of a Space Force as a new branch of the armed forces, including troops to fight in Earth orbit and beyond. The purpose of this new military branch includes developing both defensive capabilities to protect ...
May 2019
The inadequacies and dangers of modern rocket technology
In this open ‘letter’ to space entrepreneurs Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, as well as to all those who intend to proceed with large-scale space commercialisation using carrier rockets, engineer Anatoli Yunitski calls for a complete reappraisal of our ...
July 2019
Aggression in outer space – time for action
The recent anti-satellite weapon test by India - in which that nation destroyed one of its own satellites and created additional orbital debris - is another unfortunate example of aggressive behaviour in outer space. Here, the author calls for ...
August 2019
Space investment – from build-up to breakthrough
The global space industry is diversifying and maturing on many fronts, driven by many trends. The speed of innovation is increasing and the barriers to entry for providing solutions enabled or enhanced by space are rapidly being reduced. These are ...
October 2019
Time to overcome the expendable rocket mindset
Could the cost of sending people to orbit be reduced by about 1000 times within around 15 years using only proven technology? If so, this would revolutionise spaceflight and lead to a new era of space science and exploration, and to the development ...
