space

The European Space Agency’s Space2Connect Conference is an annual opportunity to explore the opportunities and challenges surrounding satellite telecommunications, and Darwin’s co-founder Daniela Petrovic was delighted to be invited this year as a guest speaker.

According to international law, no nation can own outer space. This raises questions about criminal jurisdiction. If someone commits a crime in space, who prosecutes? Is it possible to commit crime in space at all, or is everything legal beyond Earth’s boundaries?

We’ve talked a bit about the importance of operating responsibly in space: for example, disposing of satellites so they don’t end up contributing to the space debris problem. Is there any way to legally enforce responsible operation, though? Does anyone own space and have the ability to impose regulations on it? In other words, are there laws in space?

Space is a dangerous place, so you need to be prepared before you go there. In particular, you’ll need to be ready for an environment where you can’t rely on your own weight, especially if you’re likely to leave your vessel at any point.

In this post, we take a look at microgravity and how astronauts prepare for it.

Space is an environment that’s very different from Earth, which means satellites need to be constructed carefully to survive and operate there. In today’s post, we’re going to look at some of the problems satellites face in space, and at how these problems are tackled.