Programme

Timings

Speakers

Workshop

Dr Emma Taylor, Jodie Howlett

Saturday's Workshop: LinkedIn Masterclass. LinkedIn is a powerful tool for establishing new contacts and showcasing your skills and achievements to potential employers. This talk will highlight the main do’s and don’ts when creating a LinkedIn profile, and discuss how to use LinkedIn for networking, job hunting and improving your professional online presence.

Sunday's Workshop: Setting Yourself Up For a Space Career. In this talk, you will hear how a recent mechanical engineering graduate steered her career towards space, and the possibilities she discovered along the way. This talk will give an overview of the many opportunities available for students and young professionals interested in space, from internships to training courses.

Emma is an engineer with more than 25 years experience in space, energy and transport. She started her space career with UKSEDS, working on space debris research and resilient space structures in her PhD, at the European Space Agency and at Airbus. She now leads transport risk and safety analysis with a focus on digital safety. An alumna of the International Space University, Emma is the Past-Chair of a Professional Engineering Institution, the Safety and Reliability Society, and a Daily Telegraph Top 50 Woman Engineer.

Jodie is an ESA Young Graduate Trainee (YGT), working in the Product Assurance and Safety Office at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC). Prior to this, she completed the Space Studies Program at the International Space University (ISU). In 2019, Jodie graduated with First Class (Hons) from Sheffield Hallam University, where she studied MEng Mechanical Engineering. During her degree, she completed internships and placements in the UK, Singapore and South Africa, working in aerospace and biomedical fields. Jodie is a STEM Ambassador and professionally registered engineer, and she was listed in the UK’s Top 50 Women in Engineering in 2017.

Conference Introduction

Amanda Solloway | HM Government - BEIS

Amanda is the current MP for Derby North, and was appointed as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, serving as the Minister for Science, Research and Innovation. She spent 15 years in retail management and a further 15 years within HR across the Not for Profit (Help the Aged and Save the Children) and Private Sector. Amanda is a passionate campaigner for mental health, and following the 2017 General Election started a mental health CIC in Derby.

The Future of Global Space Governance - The Connection Between International Law and Domestic Law

Dr Timiebi Aganaba | School for the Future of Innovation in Society, Arizona State University

Space regulation is a governance system because of the interrelations and interactions between diverse actors, with feedback loops into each of the components of the system. This is namely the international laws, plurality of national laws and policies, and activities of non state actors. If we recognize that space law making has systemic features – that it occurs in the context of institutions, organizations, infrastructures and ideals that shape the behavior of actors, which interrelate and affect actions – then there is considerable scope to affect its progressive development and evolution.

Timiebi is currently an assistant professor in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society at Arizona State University. She was a post-doctoral fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), where she focused on environmental governance, and honed her skills at utilizing social and multimedia to communicate her messages. She was an observer at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Bonn and Marrakech, and Executive Director of the World Space Week Association, coordinating the global response to the UN 1999 declaration that World Space Week should be celebrated Oct 4-10 annually.

UK Spaceports Panel

Yvette Hopkins, Matt Archer, Victoria Montag, Ross Hulbert, Nik Smith

The addition of Launch Sites and Spaceports to the UK will bring with it new career paths, innovative technologies, and a revitalised UK space industry. It is a very exciting time, especially for students and graduates seeking opportunities within this sector. This panel brings together the industry experts to discuss what the construction of UK Spaceports mean for the future of the space sector, and the challenges, opportunities and environmental impacts that come with them, along with some key tips about how you can get involved.

COL (retired) Yvette is an Executive with Shetland Space Centre focused on the Establishment of a Spaceport Complex in Shetland (Launch & Data services), Global Development, Community outreach, Education, and Employment. Yvette retired to Shetland, Scotland after a 28-year career as a US Military Intelligence officer culminating as the Director of Intelligence for Special Operations Command, Africa; and prior, as a Brigade Commander. A leading innovator in her craft, she has spent her career synchronizing and directing intelligence eco systems. Yvette brings her expertise as a Data and Intelligence consumer, and as a collaborative partner to the UK Space Sector.

Matt is the UK Space Agency’s Director of the Commercial Space and lead for Government’s Spaceflight Programme which aims to enable to UK to achieve commercial small satellite launch from 2022. He has a strong understanding of the UK space sector and government ambitions, having previously led the UK Space Agency’s EU exit negotiations and advised on UK Government’s acquisition of OneWeb. Prior to joining the Agency in 2018, Matt developed HM Revenue and Customs’ strategy for business customers and successfully delivered a number of digital transformation projects.

Since 2019, Victoria has been UKLSL's General Manager and is also one of their Senior Project Engineers. She has spent her career in science and technology. Following her graduation from the University of Sussex with a BSc. in Physics in 2006, Victoria accepted a positional at NPL as a research scientist in thermal metrology. In 2012 Victoria switched from research to project management. In this role she managed projects for customers including ESA, ADS and TAS. In 2016 Victoria left NPL as a Senior Project Manager and PMO lead to become a lobbyist for the automaton and manufacturing sectors.

Ross is the Business Development Manager for Spaceport Cornwall, a project between Cornwall Council, Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership, Goonhilly Earth Station Ltd, and Virgin Orbit to provide horizontal satellite launch services from Cornwall Airport Newquay by 2022.

Nik is the Lockheed Martin Space UK Regional Director for UK and Europe, overseeing the company’s activity in region and leading on strategy and business growth. Nik joined Lockheed Martin Space in 2015. Prior to that he served for 16 years in the Royal Air Force fulfilling a range of roles in space operations, information technology, information policy, acquisition, cyber and C4ISR capability. His last post before joining Lockheed Martin was as a member of the British Defence Staff in the British Embassy in Washington DC, supporting the bilateral US-UK military relationship related to C4ISR, Cyber and Space.

Legal and Regulatory Challenges for Space in 2021

Lauren Payne | Addleshaw Goddard

An overview of the law and regulations applicable to space activities and an insight into the current legal challenges for the UK space industry today.

Lauren is a Managing Associate at Addleshaw Goddard, specialising in commercial contracts and the regulation of technology. Lauren has an LLM in aviation and space law, and advises on emerging technology including commercial use drones, electrification and automation in transport systems, space activities and applications across different sectors. Prior to having a private practice, Lauren worked for the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, and a cubeSat manufacturer. She is also an International Space University (ISU) Alum and a member of the Scottish Space Leadership Council (SSLC) on behalf of Addleshaw Goddard.

Tough-Stemmed in STEM: Unlocking the future with Storytelling & Entrepreneurship

Dr Ghina Halabi | She Speaks Science

To prepare our countries and youth for the future we need interdisciplinarity, entrepreneurial attitude towards problem solving, collaboration and a new leadership style. Ghina will talk about how to achieve that with storytelling and entrepreneurship.

Ghina is a space scientist, storyteller, gender equality advocate and mentor. She works at the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge and is a Junior Research Fellow of Wolfson College. Ghina is the first person to obtain a PhD in Astrophysics from a Lebanese institution. She is an invited speaker at several international astronomy conferences and interdisciplinary forums including the United Nations and TEDx. Active in public speaking and outreach, she founded “Scheherazade Speaks Science”, an award-winning science storytelling platform to make science accessible and promote the visibility of female scientists.

Harvest Optimisation Algorithm

Niamh Field | Queen Mary University London

Niamh is studying Computer Science with Management at Queen Mary University London and will present Revamping Resources which will address resource scarcity through a precision farming service. Satellite imagery will be used in combination with ground-based sensors and inputs from individual farmers to monitor the growth of designated crops. The aim is to provide a streamlined, accessible service for farmers which will utilise application software to generate tailored reports. These reports will identify areas of improvement and support farmers to manage crops efficiently.

Mars Shakes: Seismology on the Red Planet

Ben Fernando | University of Oxford

NASA's InSight mission is the only seismometer on a planet other than the Earth so far. Ben will chat about why it's such a crucial mission, and what it's taught us since the start of the mission.

Ben is a PhD student in the Departments of Earth Sciences and Astrophysics at the University of Oxford, after completing a Masters' Degree at Imperial College London. His work involves modelling seismic wave propagation in fluid media, focussing on both terrestrial and stellar applications. He is currently working on the NASA InSight mission to Mars, and has previously worked on the Cassini Space mission to Saturn.

Near-Earth Object Space Telescope

Mathias D’souza | University of Leeds

Mathias is studying Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering course at the University of Manchester and will deliver his presentation on a Near-Earth Object Space Telescope. Mathias proposes a mission that will travel to one of the Venus Lagrange points in order to detect Near Earth Objects such as asteroids that may approach Earth from an inner-orbit. These are traditionally difficult to observe using ground-based telescopes but pose a real threat. The spacecraft will also host a suite of instruments designed to monitor and learn more about Venus’ atmosphere which can support Earth climate science.

Focused REflector Space-based solar power Network for Electricity generation

Charlie Beadle | Queen Mary University London

Charlie is a Computer Science student at Queen Mary University London and will present his mission concept FReSNEl. The Focused REflector Space-based solar power Network for Electricity generation (FReSNEl) aims to address the world’s future energy demands through a network of satellites equipped with reflectors that are able to direct solar panels towards solar power towers. This in response to the issues presented by continued solar panel and battery production for ground-based solar farms and the launch cost reductions that have made a space-based solar power system more viable.

The Only Way Is Up: Space Tourism Past, Present and Future

Prof. Chris Welch | International Space University

With the rise of SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, private spaceflight is now becoming possible again. This talk will look its history, its current status and plans for its future.

Chris is a Professor of Astronautics and Space Engineering at the International Space University in Strasbourg, France, where he is Head of the Space Payloads Laboratory and Director of Masters Programs. Chris sits on a number of boards including the World Space Week Association, the Aluna Foundation, the ROOM space journal and is an advisor to the Initiative for Interstellar Studies and the Moon Village Association. He is also Global Space Advisor to Space Hero. Chris is also a frequent commentator on space and astronautics and has made more than 300 television and radio broadcasts.

Aerospace Cornwall

Aerospace Cornwall

Satellite Constellations Debate

Dr Chris Brunskill, Felix Skidmore, Phil Allen, Steve Gibson, Andy Williams, Heidi Thiemann, Jake Geer, Dr Robert Massey

Motion: “This house believes that the humanitarian and environmental benefits of large constellations of satellites in low Earth orbit outweigh the negative impacts on the space environment”.

Tens of thousands of satellites are planned to be launched in the next decade, many of them part of 'mega constellations', for noble goals such as providing universal internet access and monitoring global warming. Our debate will explore whether these benefits outweigh the negative impacts on the space environment (increasing space debris, light pollution, etc.).

Chris is an electronics engineer specialising in small satellite systems and mission design. He obtained a Masters of Engineering degree in electronics and satellite engineering from the University of Surrey and a PhD in space robotics from the Surrey Space Centre. He has been responsible for the development and delivery of a multitude of CubeSat missions, focused in the creation of new satellite applications that utilise state of the art flight, ground and launch technologies for demonstration of new mission concepts. He is now responsible for creating missions that enable new capabilities for space logistics and services at D-Orbit UK. Chris is passionate about open, innovative technology development in the space sector.

Felix is a Spacecraft Subsystem Engineer at OneWeb. He originally studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Nottingham and worked in the Aerospace industry for three years, but always had the goal of working in the space industry. To achieve this goal, he went back to study a Masters at Cranfield University in 2018/9 and then joined OneWeb late in 2019 where he has been working to help achieve their goal of access for all while also importantly operating in space in a responsible manner.

Phil has worked as a Avionics Engineer for 27 years for the MOD, following which he undertook a Masters' Degree University of Surrey in Space Engineering. He then worked as a Spacecraft Engineer at DSTL and is currently a Space Vehicle Architect at Airbus.

Steve has nearly 20 years experience of working in the UK and European Space industry for organisations including Airbus D&S, SSTL and Lockheed Martin. In 2020 Steve Joined AST & Science as manging Director of their new UK Subsidiary AST SpaceMobile UK Ltd. AST are building the worlds first constellation of satellites that will connect directly to the mobile phone in your pocket today., giving the worlds 1.5bn unconnected people the possibility to be connected.

Andy is External Relations Officer at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and is responsible for relations with member states, the EU and represents the organisation at the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. Prior to ESO, he worked for over a decade as senior policy advisor for NATO and as a physicist for the UK government. He holds a degree in physics and a doctorate in public policy. He is currently researching the policy and regulatory aspects of satellite constellations and their impacts on astronomy.

Heidi is currently a PhD researcher in astronomy at The Open University in the UK. Her research focuses on variable stars: from observing binary stars using ground-based telescopes and modelling their evolution, to running citizen science projects to identify new stars. Heidi is also part of the Royal Astronomical Society's megaconstellations optical working group, looking into and mitigating the impacts of satellites on ground-based optical and near-infrared astronomy. She has published work on whether there is the need for megaconstellations and is carrying out an observational follow-up programme of satellites.

Jake has been part of the UK Space Agency since 2016, having joined from the Ministry of Defence. In his current role as head of Space Surveillance and Tracking Jake leads a mixed team of technical and policy staff responsible for tracking satellites and space debris to reduce the risk of orbital collisions. Jake’s previous UK Space Agency role was head of national spaceflight policy, where Jake worked with companies, departments and domestic agencies to establish the UK’s first spaceports and space launch vehicles. Jake’s career before the UK Space Agency saw him taking several roles in MOD and the Defence Science & Technology Laboratory. His work has included advising the MOD Operations Directorate on scientific issues during operations in Syria, Iraq, Libya and the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone.

Robert is an astronomer by training with a strong interest in getting the message across. He is currently the Deputy Executive Director at Royal Astronomical Society and is focusing on science policy, media relations and public engagement. He has a background in research and education, having been a lecturer in Physics and Mathematics, as well as politics after being a Councillor for the London Borough of Lewisham.

Spaceport Cornwall

Spaceport Cornwall

Goonhilly Earth Station

Goonhilly Earth Station

Space Entrepreneurship Panel

Anushka Sharma, Paul Bhatia, Lucy Kennedy, Ben Jarvis

With the rising numbers of affordable rocket launch payloads, the increase in space funding and the public desire for space exploration, entrepreneurship in the space industry is more accessible than ever before. But what does it take to become an entrepreneur in the space sector? What can make your business stand out to investors amongst the ever growing crowd of space technology companies? As newly formed start-ups push forward innovative ideas and solutions to space's biggest problems we must look forward to where our industry is headed and how the privatisation of our sector will shape the world going forwards.

Anushka founded Naaut to provide a 360 approach to innovation strategy to space agencies, startups, academia, AI accelerators, primes, and deep tech companies. She builds communities and partnerships across the space and technology ecosystems and champions diversity and inclusion. She’s worked with NASA Frontier Development Lab, has been a mentor and judge for the NASA Space Apps Challenge and brought Space to the London Tech Week agenda officially in 2020. She is also a co-founder of the London Space Network.

Paul is the General Manager of the Geospatial Research Applications Centre of Excellence (GRACE) at the University of Nottingham. He has been involved in supporting the development of many successful technology start-ups and was the Co-Founder and CEO of a successful geospatial surveying company. He has mentored and provided expert technical and commercial consultancy to a multitude of businesses and organisations and provided leadership to a range of multi-national projects. He was an overall winner of the prestigious Copernicus Masters competition and is a dedicated and passionate ambassador for European Space Agency (ESA) Business Applications.

Lucy is one of 3 co-founders and CEO of Spottitt, an innovative Harwell based start-up which is pioneering self-service satellite analytics for the energy, environment and infrastructure sectors. Since 2014 Lucy has taken Spottitt from idea, through successful development grant funding from the European Space Agency to a commercially available service with its first paying clients. Her early career, post Masters in Chemical Engineering from Cambridge University encompassed 16 years of project and operations management within FMCG engineering & manufacturing, followed by consulting all across Western Europe. Lucy would describe herself as somebody who has ‘grown into’, as opposed to being ‘born into’ entrepreneurship.

Coming from an engineering background, Ben has always been someone with a strong focus on ‘doing’ rather than ‘talking’ about space. He became involved in amateur rocketry over thirty years ago and went on to work on a large number of commercial rocketry jobs in the late 1990’s and early noughties before finally setting up Raptor Aerospace to develop rocket technologies full time around three years ago. Raptor has now grown to over ten employees and is developing suborbital rockets, space related UAV’s and propulsion technologies to advance UK space capabilities.

Star Tech: The Next Generation — How Machine Learning is Enabling the Future of Astronomy

Dr Ashley Spindler | University of Hertfordshire

The Universe is getting bigger, and so is the amount of data we have about it. As astronomers around the world prepare for next generation observatories to come online, computers are being programmed and trained to scour the unprecedented amounts of information. In this talk, Ashley will explore the problems facing astronomers in the coming decade, and the new and exciting ways we might solve them.

Ashley is a Research Fellow at the University of Hertfordshire, specialising in machine learning applications for astronomical surveys. She received her PhD from the Open University, where she studied the environmental effects of star formation in nearby galaxies. Ashley is a prominent advocate for LGBT+ inclusion in the sciences and is a member of the board of trustees for Pride in STEM. She is active on social media, hosts a table-top RPG podcast, and is working on publishing her first novel.

At the End of the (Solar) Storm: What it Means to Live in the Neighbourhood of an Active Star

Dr Miho Janvier | Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale

A sunny day or not: most of the time we do not give much more thoughts about the star we orbit around. But a glimpse at it shows an incredible world: the atmosphere of our Sun is incredibly active, sending into space particles, winds, and magnetised clouds. Some of these events can impact the planets of the Solar System. Auroras are the most beautiful consequences of solar storms, but our technologies can suffer too. In this talk, we'll see the magic world that the Sun offers and what it really means to live in its neighbourhood.

Miho is a space physicist at the Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale, France. While her doctorate degree is in plasma physics and applications to nuclear fusion science, her current work focuses on the understanding of when solar flares occur, how solar storms travel in space and how they impact planetary environments in the solar system. In a nutshell, she works towards a better prediction of "space weather," with a goal of better understanding the influence of the Sun's activity on human societies. Miho is the deputy project scientist on the instrument SPICE as well as a scientific co-Investigator on the instrument EUI on board Solar Orbiter, the European Space Agency mission to explore the Sun and its close neighbourhood.

Artemis Program

Kathryn Lueders | NASA

Kathy is the Associate Administrator of the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA. From 2014 to June 2020, Kathy was the agency’s Commercial Crew Program Manager, directing NASA’s efforts to send astronauts to space on private spacecraft which culminated in the successful launch of Demo-2 using SpaceX’s Crew Dragon from Kennedy Space Center last May. She began her NASA career in 1992 at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico, where she was the Shuttle Orbital Maneuvering System and Reaction Control Systems Depot manager. She later moved to the International Space Station Program and served as transportation integration manager where she led commercial cargo resupply services to the space station. Former NASA Administrator Bridenstine, who selected her for her current position, said: “Kathy’s the right person to extend the space economy to the lunar vicinity and achieve the ambitious goals we’ve been given.”

Implications of PH3 in the Clouds of Venus

Dr Paul Rimmer | University of Cambridge

The talk will briefly discuss the detection of a 1 mm feature in the atmosphere of Venus, confirmation of that detection, and debate over the identification of this feature: is it PH3 or SO2? More importantly, Paul will also talk about the implications if this feature is explained by PH3.

Paul is an astrochemist and a naturalist at the University of Cambridge, interested in characterizing exoplanet atmospheres and understanding the chemical processes that occur within them, looking for what they can tell us about the plausibility of life on the surfaces of rocky extrasolare planets.

The Future of the UK Space Sector: Setting the Right Goals and Strategies for the Next Decade

Libby Jackson, Prof. Mini Saaj, Elizabeth Seward, Catherine Mealing-Jones, Amanda Price

The combined impact of the dawn of the New Space Age and the uncertainty around the UK’s economic future makes the decisions that will be taken in the coming years regarding the direction of the country’s space sector all the more important. Which priorities and what strategy should be set now to shape the future of this vital industry? Should our focus lie solely on job creation and benefit to the economy, or are more intangible benefits, such as scientific discovery or international reputation, to be the guiding principle?

Libby Jackson is one of Britain’s leading experts in human spaceflight, having spent over a decade working at the forefront of the field in mission control and management roles. Libby joined the UK Space Agency in 2014 and currently manages the Human Exploration Programme. Previously, Libby managed the hugely successful education programme for Tim Peake’s mission to the ISS, as well as acting as a spokesperson throughout the mission. In her student days, Libby was a UKSEDS member and then chairperson.

Mini is the Global Chair in Robotic Engineering at the University of Lincoln. Mini also heads the Industrial Digitalisation and System Intelligence research group and chair the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion committee within the College of Science. Previously, she led the Robotics and Control research group at Surrey Space Centre. Her expertise is in system design, modelling and control of spacecraft, robotic manipulators and planetary rovers. She is active in cross-sector technology transfer of robotics to Agri-Food and Medical applications. Being a leading female Space Roboticists and Control Engineer, Mini is passionately promoting Space Engineering education.

Elizabeth is a Senior Space Strategist at Airbus Defence and Space, responsible for strategic topics across all areas of satellite manufacturing. Previous roles include leading the Earth Observation, Navigation and Science marketing team, thermal engineering and mission systems engineering for future programmes. Elizabeth is on the executive board of Women in Aerospace Europe and the chair of the UK local group. She is also active in the International Astronautical Federation, sitting on the several committees, including the Entrepreneurship and Investment committee. Elizabeth is the Airbus representative on the Seraphim Advisory Board.

Catherine joined the UK Space Agency from the Home Office to lead work on the Agency’s goal of growing the UK space sector. She leads the development of new uses, new users, new applications, new technologies and a new attitude to the use of space in order to grow the space sector. She and her team are responsible for industrial strategy and for delivering and/ or coordinating the government input to the development of Earth observation, telecommunications, applications, technology and standards working through the European Space Agency. Nationally and internationally, she is also responsible for providing the conditions to enable the development of regional / local clusters including the UK Space Gateway at Harwell Oxford and ensuring that the benefits of space reach all parts of the UK. Catherine is a Chartered Public Finance Accountant and a lay member of Council at the University of Bath.

Amanda is responsible for business development for Serco Defence’s Space & Security business, and heads up Serco’s global space community – bringing together space activity from across the UK, Europe, USA and Australia. As a Chartered Engineer with a MBA, Amanda’s 25 year career has been focussed around delivering transformational change in technology and regulatory rich environments. Career highlights include: Operations Director for a startup subsidiary in the USA, three years as Operations Director for a telecoms technology spinout company, and running a rocket range in the Outer Hebrides. Amanda is a Fellow of the Institute of Engineering Technology and is keen to promote STEM roles through mentoring and schools outreach.

Unlocking the Secrets of Enceladus' Surface

Grace Richards | The Open University

Enceladus offers a unique opportunity to study the potential for life in the outer solar system, as it hosts a liquid water subsurface ocean beneath its icy crust. However, the technology required to directly sample the ocean does not yet exist. How much can the surface tell us about Enceladus and its potential for life and how do space weathering processes affect what we might find there?

Grace is a PhD student at The Open University, where she is working on developing new protocols and techniques to analyse icy moon surfaces. As part of the astrobiology department, the broader theme of her work is to investigate the habitability of Enceladus, an icy moon of Saturn. Her research interests include space instrumentation, icy moons, and space weathering. She also enjoys taking part in science communication projects, creating watercolour stop motion videos to share her enthusiasm for astrobiology.

Hayabusa2 - Interplanetary round-trip flight to the world of asteroids

Prof. Yuichi Tsuda | Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

Japan has so far succeeded in two interplanetary round-trip journeys to asteroids. The most recent mission, Hayabusa2, just came back to Earth last December, drawing a beautiful light trail of atmospheric re-entry in the night sky of Australia. The spacecraft visited an unexplored asteroid, Ryugu, and succeeded in two landings, surface exploration by four robots, and created a large artificial crater on the asteroid. This talk covers challenges of Hayabusa2 as well as a charm of the sample-return mission, an ultimate form of space exploration.

Yuichi is currently a Professor in Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, JAXA and Project Manager of Hayabusa2 asteroid sample return mission. In 2000-2003 he was the Student Project Manager of the world's 1st CubeSat Project at the University of Tokyo. In 2009-2013, Yuichi was also the Deputy Project Manager of IKAROS, the world's 1st deep-space solar sail mission. He then took the role of Project Engineer (engineering lead) of Hayabusa2 in 2010-2015, and became Project Manager since 2015, succeeding in sample return from the asteroid in 2020.

Commericalisation of Space - The New Frontier

Mike Curtis-Rouse | Satellite Applications Catapult

Space 2.0 is here. We are in the vanguard of the commercialisation of space, going beyond exploration, beyond science, looking to the opportunities that the space environment can offer to new product innovation. The UK is aiming to be in the first wave of these innovations, with entrepreneurs already to offer nascent product and services, capitalising on lower cost access to space and the evolution of advanced manufacturing and robotics. We’ll explore what does the near term future hold, where is the sweet spot for innovation, and what’s on the UK Roadmap?

With extensive experience in additive manufacturing and advanced manufacturing, Mike leads the Satellite Catapult’s upstream space activities covering thematic areas from spaceports, launch vehicles, spacecraft manufacturing and In-Orbit Servicing Assembly and Manufacturing (IOSAM). He support companies, universities, and RTOs across multiple supply chains, providing technical advice, evaluation of commercial opportunities and sign posting to funding opportunities.

Evona: Entering the Space Sector Workshop

Jack Madley & Tom Kelly

Jack is an experienced space recruiter on a mission to deliver world-class talent and a world-beating customer experience. He is a Co-Founder of EVONA, an international space talent partner that matches amazing abilities to incredible opportunities. They help space companies around the world find passionate, talented team members, and help job-seekers land the space industry jobs of their dreams.

Co-Founder of EVONA. Living his dream of building a modern International Space business focused on shaping the message of how to enter the Space industry.

Space Biomining: What We Learned From the BioRock Experiment

Dr Rosa Santomartino | University of Edinburgh

Microbes are everywhere on Earth’s biosphere, included the human body, and will necessarily follow us during space exploration. As they play many important tasks on Earth, they will be crucial to our survival in space. During this talk, Rosa will discuss possible roles of microorganisms for extraterrestrial settlements, with particular mention to space biomining. Rosa will show you what they discovered on the topic from the BioRock experiment, launched onboard the International Space Station in 2019, and how we could harness the power of microbes to support our sustainable survival beyond Earth.

Rosa is a postdoctoral researcher in Space Microbiology at the University of Edinburgh. She studies how to use microbial biotechnologies and geomicrobiology to keep space exploration effective and sustainable. She performed two Space Microbiology experiments, BioRock and BioAsteroid, launched on the International Space Station in 2019 and 2020. She obtained her B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Biotechnology in Rome, Italy. During her PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology, she worked in France, Mexico and Italy.

Utilising Resources on the Moon

Dr Hannah Sargeant | The Open University

At first glance, the Moon may look simply like a ball of rock, however, it harbours many resources that can be used to support future missions to the lunar surface and beyond. Hannah will be discussing the different materials available, how me might use them, and upcoming missions that will be searching for resources.

Hannah is a postgraduate researcher working on lunar lander and rover concepts, with a focus on the search for lunar resources. In her PhD she optimised a technique to produce water from lunar soils, her experiments will be trialled on the lunar surface with the ProSPA instrument as part of the Luna-27 mission.

In-Space Manufacturing for a Better Earth

Josh Western | Space Forge

In-space manufacturing has the ability to unlock entirely new composites and alloys, through to entirely new pharmaceuticals and vaccines. Back on Earth these products can reduce CO2 emissions by 75% and help solve illnesses and disease. At Space Forge we believe in space as the next workshop to find solutions to our planet's most pressing issues. We are transforming return from space to deliver revolutionary experiments and products, for the benefit of humanity.

Josh is the CEO and Co-Founder of Space Forge, developing the first ever fully-reusable satellite to harness the benefits of the space environment to produce materials impossible to manufacture on Earth. He is also a member of Greentech Alliance, which brings together green technology businesses that fight climate change with their products and services. He previously worked at the UK Space Agency, co-ordinating national and international projects to expand and improve the space sector by communicating with the UK government, harmonising technology with ESA, and developing a business case study for National Space Programme. He also worked at Thales Alenia Space in business development and marketing.

In-Orbit Manufacturing

Jaroslaw Jaworski | Made In Space Europe

This talk will cover the benefits for humanity and space exploration thanks to in-orbit manufacturing, mainkly considering in-space 3D printing.

JJ is the General Manager of Made In Space Europe, helping to create mass market robot arms for the growing industrialization of space. He has previously also worked as the Head of Robotics at PIAP Space, and has been part of the Space Studies Program staff at the Internation Space University.

UK Quantum Technology Hub Sensors and Timing

Prof. Kai Bongs, Jonathan Winch, Qiushuo Sun & Samuel Lellouch

World Economic Forum recognised quantum sensing as one of the top 10 emerging technologies for 2020. This talk explores what space and quantum technologies have in common. Kai Bongs and his collaborators explain how quantum sensors are being taken out of laboratories and applied in situations including deep underground on earth, human brains, earth's airspace and satellites. You are welcome to discuss opportunities to work with QT Hub by visiting the QT Hub careers fair stand where Kai will be taking questions after the end of this talk.

Professor Kai Bongs is Principle Investigator at the UK Quantum Technology Hub Sensors and Timing, where he helps to drives the translation of gravity sensors and ultra-precise clocks into technology and applications across a diverse number of sectors, including climate, communications, energy, transport and urban development. Professor Bongs is also Director of Innovation at the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of Birmingham. He also leads the Midlands Ultracold Atom Research Centre at the University of Birmingham.

Jonathan is a research fellow for the QT Hub at the University of Birmingham UK (UoB). His research is in the field on atom interferometry for gravity gradiometry. He graduated from UoB in 2016 and began working on quantum technology for space projects as a summer student for the QT Hub, eventually leading to a research and technical support role in the group. He has worked on both industry and university led projects during his career, working alongside students and post-doctorate staff in many of them.

Qiushuo is a knowledge exchange fellow at the Centre for Innovation in Advanced Measurement in Manufacturing (CIAMM) at the University of Birmingham. She joined the group in September 2019 and has been working on the high-finesse optical cavities and the lasers for the optical clocks. She also helps support local SMEs in Research and Development in state-of-the-art optical technologies and instruments.

Samuel is a Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham, previously having been a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Université de Lille and Université livre de Bruxelles.

How to Do a PhD While Secretly Trying to Become an Astronaut

Zaria Serfontein | Cranfield University

The running theme of the talk is going to be how you can do your PhD and make sure you're honing your astronaut skills at the same time; quite topical now that ESA has decided to open applications! As part of her talk, Zaria wants to cover three topics; the challenge her PhD is trying to address (i.e. space debris), being part of ESA's Fly Your Thesis programme and how her PhD has evolved since she started her studies. Zaria wants to share her experience and hopefully answer any questions prospective students would have!

Zaria is the Team Lead for the 'Low Earth Orbit Negligible Impact Drag Augmentation Systems (LEOniDAS)' project at Cranfield University. These are lightweight, cost-effective sails deployed at end of mission, increasing the drag area of a spacecraft, minimising the de-orbit period and thus reducing the probability of significant collisions. They are reliable solutions for deorbiting small satellites, assisting in the conservation of the space environment. Three of these sails are currently in orbit. Through ESA's Fly Your Thesis! programme the team will take part in parabolic flights to qualify the new design for deployment in microgravity.

Hypersonic Flows - What's different?

Clément Civrais | University of Glasgow

The study of hypersonic flows is essential for space exploration where one of the major difficulty remains the entry into a planetary atmosphere. During these flight phases, the vehicle experiences very complex environmental conditions that can reach up to 10,000K on the front panel. Nowadays, the transition from subsonic to supersonic flow is a textbook exercices but assessing high speed flow where fluid dynamics and the chemical kinetics are closely coupled is a lot more harder. To fully understanding the physical phenomena surrounding our spacecraft, hypersonic flow must be accurately defined.

Clément is a PhD student at the University of Glasgow, working on the development of novel chemical reaction models for hypersonic flows. His research, which will build on his previous experience in coding CFD solvers, aims to further our understanding of space vehicles' behaviour as they enter a planetary atmosphere. Clément holds two Masters degrees in Aerodynamics and Aeroacoustics from the Paris Centrale and Sorbonne universities in France. He also spent some time as a high school teacher, teaching Physics and Chemistry to older pupils.

Space Debris Panel

Michel van Pelt, Harriet Brettle, Dr Jenny Kingston, Dr Thomas Cheney, Prof. Hugh Lewis

The new space age has seen a dramatic increase in the market share of the private space industry, especially in the UK. In addition, larger agencies are still building and launching a huge variety of missions, at an ever increasing rate. However, with such advancement comes the inevitable generation of space debris. As satellites are decommissioned, they are pushed into ‘Graveyard Orbits’, and often space vehicle components may separate or disintegrate, leaving debris of varying size in the near earth space. If overlooked, the growing amount of “Space Junk” in orbit around the Earth will pose great threat to the technology behind our communications networks, and to future sustainability issues. Governance on a global scale is necessary in order to identify the main challenges in this area, mitigate these risks and work toward lessening the generation of space debris in the future.

Michel is Head of the Cost Engineering Section and a Concurrent Design Team Leader at the European Space Agency. He support ESA's Clean Space office with cost estimates, involvement in several studies and various outreach activities (ESTEC Open Day, media, Roosegaarde Space Waste Lab). Michel is the author of a number of popular science books, of which ‘Dream Missions: Space Colonies, Nuclear Spacecraft and Other Possibilities’ is the most recent. He is an editor and writer for the Dutch space magazine 'Ruimtevaart' and regularly presents on space related topics at public events.

Harriet is Head of Business Analysis at Astroscale where she is working to develop commercial solutions to the threat of space debris. She is a co-founder of the London Space Network and co-chair of the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) – a global non-profit that supports students and young professionals to connect to the wider space industry. With a background in finance and space science, she is passionate about interdisciplinary collaboration and the future of the new space economy.

Jenny is a specialist in space systems engineering and mission design, with experience in a number of space flight hardware projects, and since 2006 has also provided technical consultancy to a space insurance underwriter on launch and in-orbit risks. She has research interests in Clean Space and space debris mitigation and was a project engineer on the Icarus1 de-orbit payload, as well as technical manager for the Cranfield Icarus3 de-orbit payload launched in 2015. She was also the manager for the Cranfield De-Orbit Mechanism on the ESA ESEO satellite, launched in 2018.

Thomas is a lecturer in Space Governance within the Open University's AstrobiologyOU research group, focusing on governance beyond Earth orbit, with specific focus on space resources and planetary protection. He has a PhD in space law and policy from Northumbria University and is Executive Director of the Centre for a Spacefaring Civilization. Previously, Thomas has been the Co-lead of the SGAC Space Law and Policy Project Group, and a member of The Hague Space Resources Governance Working Group.

Hugh is a Professor at the University of Southampton and the leader of the European Space Agency's (ESA) research on space debris modelling. In 2011, he was nominated as the United Kingdom's representative to the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) Scientific and Technical Subcommittee (STSC) Expert Group B (Space Debris, Space Operations and Tools to Support Collaborative Space Situational Awareness), supporting their activities on the Long-term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities.

An Overview of the UK Earth System Modelling (UKESM) Project

Dr Ranjini Swaminathan | University of Reading

Earth System Models (ESMs) are computational models that represent different components of the Earth System such as the atmosphere, land surface and ocean and interactions between these components. They also model biogeochemical processes within the climate system and how the earth responds to forcings such as human caused carbon emissions. The UKESM Project’s aim is to develop, apply and analyse the next generation of UK - ESMs and grow a community of UK ESM scientists. This talk will give a basic introduction to ESMs focusing on the UKESM project.

Ranjini is an NCEO UKESM Core Scientist at the University of Reading. As a member of the UKESM Core Development Team she develops tools and methods for climate model evaluation with an interest in machine learning and AI approaches. She has a Ph.D. in Computer Science from The University of Arizona (USA) and has expertise in using machine learning for multi-modal information retrieval and human-robot interaction.

Who You Gonna Call? Space Doctors!

Lauren Church | King’s College London

For medics and non-medics alike, this is your quick guide to how spaceflight affects the human body, and an overview of the implications this has for medical practice.

Lauren is a fourth year medical student at KCL, UK. They are an aspiring space flight surgeon, holding a masters in Space Physiology and Health with Distinction from King’s. STEM outreach and advocacy for this relatively new medical specialty are key aspects of Lauren’s focus, and they are the inaugural deputy chair of the Next Generation of Aerospace Medicine group at the Royal Aeronautical Society. They also gave a TEDx talk in 2019 entitled “Space Medicine: Healthcare Beyond Limits”.