Technical programme

D4.1. Innovative Concepts and Technologies

In order to realize future, sustainable programmes of space exploration and utilisation, a focused suite of transformational new system concept and supporting technologies must be developed during the coming decade. The technical objectives to be pursued should be drawn from a broad, forward looking view of the technologies and system needed, but must be sufficiently focused, to allow tangible progression and dramatic improvements over current capabilities. This session will address cross cutting considerations in which a number of discipline research topics and/or technologies may be successful developed to support transformational new system concept. Papers are solicited in these and related areas

D4.2. Contribution of Space Activities to Solving Global Societal Issues

The session will discuss the contributions, in the future, of space exploration and utilisation to the solution of global challenges (e.g. energy, population, sustainable development) and how the space systems will support the understanding of the global societal issues. The session will include also the identification of the related technologies that needs to be developed. The definition of a roadmap will be encouraged. Environmental issues including global climate change will not be covered in this particular session

D4.3. Space Elevator Tether and Space Mineral Resources

The IAA study, "Space Elevators - Feasibility and Next Steps" completed in 2013 looked at engineering, operational, and funding steps towards an operational capability. The first part of this session will evaluate the current and near-term potential of the necessary technologies. In addition, the session can accept the analysis of other issues leveraging this remarkable transportation capability of routine, inexpensive and safe access to our solar system. The second part of this session will focus on the Exploitation of space mineral resources. In 2015, the IAA published a broad study of the technology, economics, legal and policy aspects of identifying, obtaining, and using these resources. This part of the session will provide the current state of the art of the technology, economics, law & policy related to Space Mineral Resource (SMR) opportunities. The goal will be to present development roadmaps anchored in realities of engineering, economics and legal/policy.

D4.4. Strategies for Rapid Implementation of Interstellar Missions: Precursors and Beyond

Knowledge about space beyond our solar system and between the stars—that is interstellar space —is lacking data. Even as IBEX, NASA’s Interstellar Background Explorer, studies the edge of our solar system, it still is confined to earth orbit. Arguably, some of the most compelling data to understand the universe we live in will come from sampling the actual environment beyond our solar system as Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft are on the threshold of doing. In the 36 years since the Voyager probes’ launches, significant advances in materials science, analytical chemistry, information technologies, imaging capabilities, communications and propulsion systems have been made. The recently released IAA study: “Key Technologies to Enable Near-Term Interstellar Scientific Precursor Missions” along with significant initiatives like the DARPA seed-funded 100 Year Starship, signal the need, readiness and benefits to aggressively undertaking interstellar space missions. This session seeks to define specific strategies and key enabling steps to implement interstellar precursor missions within the next 10-15 years. Suggestions for defined projects, payloads, teams, spacecraft and mission profiles that leverage existing technological capacities, yet will yield probes that generate new information about deep space, rapidly exit the solar system and which can be launched before 2030 are sought.

D4.IP. Interactive Presentations