Under the banner “MARS and beyond: ventures to the frontiers of science” and as part of its 30-years’ anniversary celebrations, CSEM invited 200 clients, industrial partners, and peers to an exclusive and prestigious conference. Three world-renowned astronauts from Russia, the United States, and Switzerland shared their experiences of space and discussed, with representatives of industry and academia, the future of manned, interplanetary missions such as the Mars expedition scheduled for 2030 and beyond.
Russian heroine and pilot cosmonaut Elena Kondakova, in 1994‒1995 the first woman to make a long-duration spaceflight, began the conference with an impressive description of her six months living and working off-Earth. She was followed by Charlie Duke, astronaut and moonwalker, who gave the audience an unforgettable glimpse of his missions with Apollo 16 and his flights to the Moon. “The moon is the most beautiful desert that I have ever seen. Untouched, unspoiled, and serene”, said Duke. Swiss astronaut Claude Nicollier discussed the remarkable challenge and the rewards of his Hubble Space Telescope repair missions, concluding: “The value of human Mars exploration is […] to give us extra options for our long term future.” This round of presentations provided the audience with new views and impressions on living and working in space.
ESA Director of Technical and Quality Management Franco Ongaro shared his views on the technologies that will get humankind to Mars, and beyond, and Suren Erkman, professor at the Faculty of Geosciences and Environment at the University of Lausanne, brought the round of presentations to a close with his thoughts on the impact of manned missions on terrestrial sustainability: “As the constraints and challenges on Earth keep growing, long and remote space missions become a useful analogue for studying and implementing terrestrial sustainability”. The panel discussion addressed questions regarding the position of newcomers such as China, India, South Korea, or the UAE, and the involvement of space agencies versus well-funded private companies’ own initiatives. The conference also provided valuable insights into psychological aspects of long-duration extra-terrestrial missions to the next solar system and other issues including investment opportunities in a market that does not yet exist and legal questions related to a possible future ‘new frontier’.
Questioned about the relationship between a company specializing in micro components and the often huge devices and equipment needed for extra-terrestrial missions, Mario El-Khoury, CEO of CSEM and conference host, answered: “Behind every giant instrument, there are a lot of micro technological marvels. CSEM’s competencies match the very demanding standards of the space industry and contribute to fostering Switzerland’s reputation in high-precision instrumentation.”