We often hear about plans to colonise Mars or return to the Moon, to be achieved in a seemingly distant future like 2030 or 2050. My visit to the 12th European Space Conference in Brussels on 21-22 January 2020 made me realise however that space is actually at the centre of strategic debates happening right now and that it offers many prospects for today’s policymakers. “From a geopolitical point of view, space is the new frontier of global politics,” said Josep Borrell, EU High Representative f...
A Sentinel’s Eyes on Earth “It’s inspiring to see the potential of satellite-based Earth observation, and how researchers and policymakers can work together to mitigate the damage caused by these weather events.” Enter keywords...
Last week NASA tested its latest spacecraft, the Orion, at a cost of US$370m. The perfect test flight brought the USA one step closer to a manned mission to Mars, now scheduled for 2030. Conquering this new ‘frontier’ says a lot about a country, yet this and other kinds of innovation are no longer the preserve of superpowers, says PhD fellow Francesca Guadagno. In September the first Indian satellite entered Mars’ orbit, costing the Indian government 4.5bn rupees (US$74m), less than ...