In the North East of England, industry and academia have joined forces to develop the relevant skills to enable a truly circular space economy.
Through the work of companies such as 3S Northumbria, the idea of a circular economy for human operations in outer space has gained increasing traction.
The idea of minimising waste and maximising the use of resources through reuse, recycling, and repurposing offers a tangible, sustainable future for humanity as it looks to transition into a spacefaring species.
Therefore, establishing a skilled workforce capable of driving this circular economy in space is crucial. The North East of England emerges as an ideal hub for nurturing and developing the skills, and more importantly, the mindset, for delivering such a fundamental element of sustainable space operations.
The region has a rich tradition of innovation, resilience, and adaptability amongst the workforce, which can be seen through its industrial heritage rooted in shipbuilding, steelworking, and coal mining.
Academic collaboration
Yet, the past is not the only consideration when developing the necessary skills to explore and exploit outer space. The Northeast has embedded academic excellence within its ecosystem in universities such as Durham,¹ Northumbria,² Newcastle,³ Sunderland,⁴ and Teesside.⁵
These institutions offer cutting-edge research in space manufacturing, astrophysics, optical, and instrumentation applications, as well as developing new knowledge in social sciences, space policy, and space law. These academic resources provide fertile ground for nurturing the interdisciplinary expertise required to develop the circular economy for space.
Why the North East?
The North East boasts a vibrant, collaborative ecosystem with industry, government and academia all looking to develop and drive innovation in the space sector. This collaborative ethos accelerates the development of technology and skill sets that are essential for developing a more sustainable approach to space exploration.
This is coupled with infrastructure investment in the northeast, particularly in advanced manufacturing, aerospace, and renewable energy, which all lay the ground for space-related ventures. The development of state-of-the-art testing facilities and research centres provides the necessary infrastructure for prototyping, testing, and scaling novel space technologies that will place the UK at the forefront of the new space economy.
Developing a specialist workforce
Despite its many advantages, the question remains about what specialist skills will be needed to help develop a truly sustainable and circular economy in outer space. Operating in space presents unique challenges, and simply leveraging existing aerospace and technological infrastructure will not guarantee success in embedding sustainable practices in outer space.
At 3S Northumbria Ltd, we are working with academics at Durham University⁶ and Northumbria Law School⁷ to identify the key skills and workforce requirements needed to engage and embed a circular approach to working in outer space.
First, and most obviously, there will need to be significant interdisciplinary collaboration. Given the multifaceted nature of space exploration and the requirements of sustainable resource utilisation, collaboration among scientists, engineers, policymakers, and those directly involved in the industry will be crucial for success.
Such a cross-disciplinary workforce will necessarily include engineering expertise in aerospace, mechanical, electrical, and materials engineering. This will be essential for developing space-based infrastructure such as recycling systems to reuse defunct satellites and resource extraction, where the reuse of components containing precious metals is not possible.
Allied to this will be the need to develop robotics and automation specialists, together with coders and software engineers who can design and operate autonomous systems for in-orbit servicing, manufacturing, and maintenance tasks.
In addition to the technical, engineering, and data management side of sustainable space operations, a whole range of ancillary and connected opportunities could emerge.
Professionals with knowledge of sustainable design principles may well be essential to ensure that equipment for use in outer space is designed with longevity and resource efficiency in mind.
Supply chain management will be needed to coordinate the logistics of transporting materials and equipment to and from space,e as well as managing inventory and distribution of raw materials.
This will require the creation of a workforce with an ethos of innovation and creativity yet with environmental stewardship and resource efficiency at the heart of the new space economy.
Solving the challenges of developing a circular space economy
The complexity of the space environment, coupled with the increasing volume of space traffic, poses challenges regarding the amount of information needed about the position of all space objects in Earth’s orbit.
3S Northumbria Ltd is committed to developing and enhancing the provision of data in space, working in partnership with Exo-Analytic Solutions, a world leader in Space Situational Awareness and Space Domain Awareness at all orbits more than 8,000km from Earth.
As the orbital environment gets busier, the number of objects that need tracking will increase. 3S Northumbria Ltd is committed to developing a new breed of orbital information engineers who will provide enhanced space situational awareness for operators and be versed in the regulatory requirements of space operations.
Building a workforce with these diverse skills and expertise will present a new challenge. Operating in traditional academic silos is no longer an acceptable option. Entrepreneurs with a new mindset are needed to develop strategies to minimise waste and pollution in space environments and navigate the complex regulatory landscape. They will need to recognise the opportunities that the space economy offers while advocating for policies that support sustainable practices.
The North East of England is ideal for developing such a skilled workforce. Its industrial heritage, academic excellence and collaborative ecosystem are ideally tailored for the challenges of developing a circular economy in space.
References
- https://www.durham.ac.uk/research/institutes-and-centres/responsible-space-innovation-centre/
- https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/about-us/news-events/news/north-east-space-skills-and-technology-centre/
- https://research.northumbria.ac.uk/nudata/
- https://www.devopsonline.co.uk/university-of-sunderland-to-use-robots-to-teach-ai-to-students/
- https://www.tees.ac.uk/sections/business/news_story.cfm?story_id=7007
- https://operations.webspace.durham.ac.uk/projects/
- https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/43666/
Please note, this article will also appear in the 18th edition of our quarterly publication.
