Students To Solve Exploration Challenges With ESA

An exciting initiative based at ESA’s facility in the UK will give student researchers the opportunity to quickly investigate key challenges associated with space exploration.

The project – located at ESA’s European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications (ECSAT) – is one of three Spaceship initiatives based at ESA sites across Europe.

Each Spaceship provides a collaborative environment in which students work with experts to find fast solutions to technical challenges thrown up by large space exploration programmes.

Teams typically include scientists and engineers from space agencies, universities and companies and there is a strong emphasis on hands-on demonstrations and investigations.

Supporting the aims of a globally-agreed exploration road map, ESA Spaceships investigate key technologies of space exploration – from the use of extra-terrestrial resources to the development of off-planet energy systems, and much more.

Each ESA Spaceship has its own areas of focus, and Spaceship ECSAT is concentrating on virtual and augmented reality, robotics, and the development of systems to support the training and activities of astronauts.

These projects will draw on the expertise of other ECSAT activities, including ESA’s 5G/6G Hub, ESA’s Moonlight project, and ESA’s Vulcan Facility, which is home to a collection of terrestrial samples that simulate rock and dust found on other planets.

ESA’s Spaceship initiatives fall within ESA’s Exploration programme, and is part of the Exploration Preparation, Research and Technology Team.