Protecting Earth’s future, from space

Why should we explore the universe when our own planet is at risk? This is what a group of researchers has asked astronaut Thomas Pesquet.

My own response to that question is that after 50 years of aiming for the stars, we now have to demonstrate that our Promethean dreams can ultimately contribute to a more sustainable life on Earth.

Any in-depth analysis of space exploration has to take into account its broader positive effects. I believe that these are so significant that, far from slowing down ecological transition, space exploration actually helps drive it forward.

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So how exactly how does it do this?

1. Space missions offer essential scientific input

We cannot stress enough the key role that satellites play in our understanding of environmental phenomena. Without satellites, there is no picture and no sound. More than half of the essential climate variables defined by the United Nations can only be measured from space. Our progress in this field thus has a direct impact on what we know about climate change. The CO2M mission which is part of the new Copernicus Expansion programme illustrates that perfectly. It will enable the European Union to trace very precisely anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions and yield a goldmine of information on greenhouse gases. Another great example is the SWOT oceanographic satellite, built by Thales Alenia Space and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory on behalf of the CNES1 and NASA. When it is in orbit in a few months, scientists will be able to access data of unprecedented accuracy on sea levels.

More than half of the essential climate variables defined by the United Nations can only be measured from space

But why, would you ask, should we look beyond the Earth’s orbit? What good does it do to sift through Moon dust or plant a flag on Mars? Answering these questions is no easy task, because the scientific knowledge we garner from exploring the universe is, by definition, hard to predict.

However, we do know, for example, that traces of formation of the Earth can be found on the Moon. We know that Mars probably supported life a few billion years ago. We know that Venus had a temperate climate before an extreme greenhouse effect radically altered its atmosphere. Can we learn enough from all this to help predict the evolution of our own planet? I would bet that we can.

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2. Space technologies can help build a more resilient future ?

Although our response to the challenges of climate change must not be limited to just technology, we do of course need that high-tech support. Space exploration is a tremendous catalyst for innovation in fields that are crucial to ecological transition, such as energy efficiency, recycling, raw materials, and decontamination.

Through space exploration, we are developing necessary technological expertise to meet future climate challenges.

Launching resources into space is extremely expensive. There is thus a strong incentive to preserve these resources as much as possible, positioning our work in space to serve as a very advanced prototype for a circular economy.

For instance, in the habitation modules that Thales Alenia Space built for the ISS – as well as those that it will be building for NASA’s future Lunar Gateway station – water is managed in a closed circuit, with virtually no loss. As access to clean water will become even more crucial in the coming years, there is good reason to believe that our efforts to use it more efficiently will prove useful elsewhere.

We are also making good progress in the field of energy. For example, in the eight years that separated the Mars rover Perseverance from its predecessor Curiosity, our laser specialists made such efficiency gains that they were able to add a second device (a green beam for Raman spectroscopy) without increasing size, weight or power consumption. We are also finding ways to use resources in situ, thanks to advances in photovoltaic panels and the ability to harness the Moon’s surface (for regolith and helium 3). ?This paves the way for fully autonomous missions and, possibly, the creation of new sources of clean energy on Earth.

We often have to look at breakthrough innovations in the long term, and space exploration enables us to develop the technological expertise that we will need to meet future climate challenges.

3. Space missions are a model for international cooperation

CO2 knows no borders. One of the greatest challenges of the ecological transition is that it must be achieved on a global scale. Opposing geopolitical views and cultural barriers are stumbling blocks that can inhibit a coordinated international effort.

Some of these problems have an impact on space activities. Rivalry between the United States and China, for example, resulted in a 2011 law forbidding NASA from working with its Chinese counterpart. However, like the famous handshake between American and Russian astronauts at the height of the Cold War, space exploration projects can often overcome these divisions. The undeniable need to work together on such complex projects, as well as an awareness of common interests, can make it easier for people to get along. In fact, in spite of their differences, the two major powers ended up collaborating on the Chang’e 4 lunar expedition in 2019.

Even within the European Union, space missions have been a driver for closer cooperation between member States.

Space projects demonstrate just how much people can accomplish when united by a common goal.

What is true of space projects is also true of diverse economic players. The public sector, leading industrial companies, research institutions, startups… Ambitious missions like Artemis and ExoMars could never succeed without the collaboration of a very diverse set of stakeholders. Here at Thales we are in the pilot seat of this joint ESA-Roscomos3 programme aimed at discovering traces of life on Mars. The mission is scheduled to launch in 2022, with the spacecraft reaching the Red Planet in 2023.

Space projects demonstrate just how much people can accomplish when united by a common goal. And if we can achieve this for a relatively small lunar mission, we should be able to meet the even greater challenge of protecting the climate.

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4. Space travel inspires human progress

Earthrise, Blue Marble, a pale blue dot: these three iconic photographs from NASA’s Apollo and Voyager missions captured our imagination. The “blue marble” that is, and long will be, our only home looks so fragile in the immensity of space. As Thomas Pesquet observed, we realise that Earth is a spaceship like any other. It is no coincidence that these images which fascinate and unite us appear on posters, in books and documents, and even as wallpaper on our cell phones. They remind us of our common destiny and shared responsibility to protect our planet.

By seeing things from afar, we can better understand that our true purpose is to preserve life.

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“We came all this way to explore the moon, and the most important thing is that we discovered the Earth,” said astronaut William Anders, who took the Earthrise photo in 1968. Half a century later, we still have the same vision of space exploration: by seeing things from afar, we can better understand that our true purpose is to preserve life. This same perspective is the guiding principle of Thales Alenia Space’s vision, “Space for Life”.

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We are immensely proud to play a part in this great human adventure, and to be part of its history; very few people know that Neil Armstrong’s first step on the Moon was filmed with a lens made by Angénieux, now part of the Thales Group.

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In this period of challenges and uncertainty, we are even more passionately committed to this journey, since the saga of space is also that of our future on Earth.

1 CNES (Centre national d’études spatiales), the French space agency.

2 The European Space Agency is an intergovernmental organisation of 22 member states dedicated to the exploration of space.

3 Roscosmos is a?state corporation?of the?Russian Federation responsible for?space flights,?cosmonautics programmes, and?aerospace research.