These are difficult times for the space sector. It was only a few years ago when everybody knew who the stakeholders were, i.e., well-known public and private organisations characterised by extensive track records. Nowadays, however, other countries are setting up their own space agencies to be followed by new private companies that are actively developing their products and services. The space ecosystem is constantly growing. 

But there is also a cultural trend called “Old Space vs New Space”. Old space refers to a traditional and conservative sector whose aim is to guarantee operations 100%. Although cost is important, it is a secondary factor. New space, on the other hand, defends adaptations in processes in terms of design, procurement, integration and application of quality systems and includes the COTS concept (Commercial off the shelf components) focused on using components from other industries to be applied in space. We are dealing, therefore, with two realities that coexist against the backdrop of an interesting context. 

From a more technical point of view with regard to space explorations, Mars poses a number of well-known challenges. If one of the ultimate goals consists in colonising the planet, it must be characterised in terms of its temperature and atmosphere. In fact, long-term technological developments are already underway to achieve these goals. 

From the short-term perspective, one of the most interesting challenges concerns the Moon and the ARTEMIS programme. The aim is to colonise the Moon. Although launches, flights and landings are crucial, there is a concept that is becoming increasingly important and is connected to ISRU (In Situ Resource Utilisation) which means that you should be able to extract oxygen, build on-site, grow plants and crops taking into account the satellite’s climatic and environmental conditions. 

Generally speaking, one of the biggest challenges is related to space junk and how it can be eliminated. In this regard, many strategies and regulations have yet to be set into motion. Waste management in outer space is a very important issue. 

International space stations and their ecosystems also pose what could be called long-term challenges. Maintenance work must be carried out on these stations and they must receive supplies in the form of fuel, water and provisions to carry and accommodate astronauts and tourists. In-orbit transportation, manufacturing and maintenance are three fundamental elements for these facilities.

We are being supported by Tekniker and their electronics and control capabilities. Our actions are still focused on areas related to astronomy, particle accelerators and fusion.

Fusion energy is also undergoing an interesting transformation because we do not only currently have major experimentation projects such as ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) to run fusion trials.  

There are already several solidly positioned countries working in the field such as Japan, China, Korea, United Kingdom, Germany, United States and Europe. Thanks to an extensive range of publicly funded initiatives, competition between these countries has accelerated everything. 

As already seen in the space sector, more and more start-ups are being established in the area of fusion. There are another 12 new, fully-funded organisations mainly located in France, United Kingdom and the United States whose goal is to develop smaller fusion reactors for commercial use. We’ll be seeing their interesting results in something like another 4 or 5 years. Major laboratories such as ITER will report their first long-term results (2050 – 2070). 

In any case, and although fusion energy does not yet offer the ultimate solution, it will eventually play an outstanding role in the future but we must first lay the foundations and do whatever is necessary to allow future generations to benefit from this technology. 

As mentioned before, there are many technological challenges to be addressed and the current competitive environment is speeding everything up significantly. Until now, we only had one major project called ITER that is still the world’s largest enterprise in this area, although we must not lose sight of other public and private projects that are gaining momentum and becoming increasingly agile and will be reaching the market soon. A fact that we shall witness ourselves.

Absolutely positive. There is no doubt whatsoever that Tekniker has found a place in the sector by strategically supporting companies in different areas and accepting the role the organisation must play with regard to getting ready to deal with technological challenges, face greater technological risks than companies and support firms to enhance our competitiveness in the market. 

As regards AVS, we are cooperating very closely with Tekniker to establish a more active collaboration and share mid to long-term strategies to be more solidly positioned as a company whenever new challenges come along. It is most definitely an interesting and highly promising collaboration.

Without a doubt, the Basque Country has all the necessary resources thanks to its technological and industrial capabilities that are able to address any kind of industrial activity.

If we include the knowledge (universities) and scientific-technological structures, I couldn’t think of a better place to do this. A well-managed collaboration involving all parties can give you enormous leverage. There’s potential, so let’s make the most of it.