Commercial study commissioned by UEA Space Agency. The overall goal of the UAESA project was to identify critical technology areas, critical issues, critical actions and sustainable development goals (SDGs) that may be shaping (inter)national policy agendas and roadmaps for future deep space missions, such as the UAE’s plan to establish human settlements on Mars by 2117. Tasks of the project include Delphi-like survey; Briefing paper; Multi-actor workshops; and a White Paper to consolidate the workshop results and address the most important discussions topics, and key outcomes and recommendations resulting from the workshop.
EU countries, Asia (
Finland, United Arab Emirates )
Top foresight methods
Action Roadmapping
Delphi Surveys
Critical Issues Analysis
Workshops
Literature Review
Application Area
Wicked-Problems/Moonshots - Establish human settlements on Mars by 2117 goes beyond the so-called ’moon-shot’ category and involved a wide ranged of wicked problems (how to sustainably support human life in Deep Space Missions) and possible wild cards.
Science and Research Policy - To inform the science and research policies of the UAE Space Agency.
Technology Development - To prioritise the top technology areas for the space sector in the UAE.
Objectives
Implement a Delphi survey on critical issues, critical technologies and critical action for UAE Deep Space missions to Mars.
Prepare a Briefing Paper that builds on initial work done by UAESA and main results from the Delphi.
Organise a workshop to generate future plausible scenarios that articulate how the space future could evolve in 100 years.
Prepare a White Paper with a set of common recommendations relevant to policies, initiatives, investment and collaboration in UAE Deep Space missions to Mars.
Provide inputs for a bigger UAE Space Agency foresight exercise on the sustainable settlement of humans on Mars by 2117.
Explore how Deep Space Missions contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Origin
The idea of this project emerged during informal discussion at the Executive Education on Foresight and Sustainable Futures at the Manchester Institute of Innovation Research. Dr Khaled Al Hashimi attended the professional development course and discussed ways in which Dr Rafael Popper and his colleagues at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland could support UAESA foresight activities.
In addition to technical expertise, great teamwork abilities and leadership skills, the mental aspect of “emotional intelligence” will be among the most important skills-sets for future astronauts.
Private sector investments to space development will go on more than 15% of annual increase. Space industry as whole will be doubled to $800bn by 2030.
Our understanding on human mental capabilities is not on a level that would enable us to understand profoundly what will happen psychologically during long-term space missions.
Developing space activities in a multi-professional and interdisciplinary manner is crucial aspect for space sector to support the development of long-term space missions.
Increased multidisciplinarity of the space sector and being open to non-technical or scientific contributions as valid insight resources, e.g. art, philosophy, sociology of space, psychology,...
Making observations from space will improve significantly our capabilities to understand and model the causes, processes, and effects of global climate change.
The Outer Space Treaty stating space as “the common heritage of mankind” will continue to remain as one core principle forbidding claims of sovereignty.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) cannot be applied as such in space, consequently, a fully new sustainable agenda should be built for space exploration and usage.
