- The Spanish astronaut and current president of Hispasat addressed the main challenges and transformations facing the space sector in a context marked by the global acceleration of space activity, in an interview conducted by María Medina, managing director of Medina Media Events, the event organiser.
The second edition of New Space & Solutions featured Pedro Duque, a Spanish astronaut and current president of Hispasat, who addressed the main challenges and transformations facing the space sector against a backdrop of rapidly increasing global space activity. The conversation was led by María Medina, managing director of Medina Media Events, the event’s organiser.
During his speech, Duque offered a comprehensive overview of the sector, drawing on a career spanning space exploration, public administration and industry. In this regard, he emphasised the need to view space as an activity fully integrated into the economy and society. “We must approach the use of space like any other social and economic activity,” he noted, highlighting its role as a key tool in technological development and service provision.
From her position at the helm of Hispasat, she highlighted the role of communications as one of the most established pillars of the space business, as well as the shift towards new service-based models. Furthermore, she emphasised the importance of advancing connectivity, particularly in regions where access gaps still exist, and the need for to participate in European initiatives such as new satellite constellations aimed at strengthening the continent’s capabilities.
One of the central themes of his speech was the role of satellites as critical infrastructure, highlighting their growing importance in areas such as communications, navigation, security and emergency management. As he explained, “modern society, as we know it, would not be possible without these systems”. Their development, he added, is being driven by falling costs and the emergence of new applications.
Pedro Duque during his participation in the virtual sessions of the second edition of New Space & Solutions.
He also emphasised the strategic role of satellite operators as the backbone of the sector, as they are responsible for transforming infrastructure into useful services for the end-user and for conveying market needs to the entire supply chain.
The conversation also addressed Europe’s position in the new space economy, in an environment of growing international competition led by the United States and China. In this context, he warned of the need for the continent to strengthen its ambition and define its own strategy: “Europe must define itself better yesterday than today, and better today than tomorrow”, in order to maintain its relevance on the global stage.
Regarding the future of space exploration, Duque highlighted the importance of returning to the Moon as a precursor to new milestones, pointing towards a scenario in which a permanent presence on our satellite is emerging as a clear line of development. He also addressed the prospects for future crewed missions to Mars, linked to the progressive advancement of technological capabilities and the need for a sustained, large-scale effort.
On a more personal note, he shared his experience as an astronaut with the European Space Agency, highlighting “the impact of living in weightless conditions and the transformation in one’s perception of the planet that comes from observing Earth from space”. In this regard, he emphasised the importance of adopting a global perspective that is mindful of the limits of the Earth’s environment.
The speech also included a discussion of Spain’s role in the space sector, highlighting its positive development within the European context and the potential of its companies and professionals. However, he pointed to structural challenges such as the need to improve access to private capital in order to drive the growth of innovative companies.
Finally, Pedro Duque addressed the importance of fostering careers in the space sector among the younger generation, at a time when the demand for qualified talent in the sector continues to grow. In this regard, he highlighted outreach initiatives such as his recent book, ‘Space Travel’, aimed at a young audience and geared towards children aged between 6 and 9, in which he recounts, through questions posed by the characters ‘Dog’ and ‘Cat’, what daily life in space is like, how spacecraft work and interesting facts about space exploration, with an educational and accessible approach.
All the conferences from New Space & Solutions will be available to watch on-demand via The Observatory, the digital platform of Medina Media Events, where each conference can be accessed free of charge, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The second edition of New Space & Solutions is organised by Medina Media Events and is supported by Seville City Council; the Regional Ministry of Universities, Research and Innovation of the Regional Government of Andalusia; the Regional Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment; the Regional Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mines; Canary Islands Aerospace Strategy (Government of the Canary Islands); as well as leading organisations in the sector such as Netmetrix, Sceye, Datatec Instruments, Rohde & Schwarz, Dassault Systèmes, PCB Piezotronics, Pablo de Olavide University, CATEC, Isdefe, UARX, HALO Space, Kistler, Eurecat, DEKRA, Open Cosmos, Solar MEMS, B2Space, DAS Photonics, Quside, Systratec, Keplerkoord, Augusta Abogados, Bufete Mas y Calvet, LORTEK, Flux, Metadev, NDK, Alfalite, the University of Málaga, EQA, the Polytechnic University of Valencia and Amplify, amongst others.