AstrotalkUK

Not for profit podcast. Astronomy, Deep Space Exploration and International Collaboration

Episode 132 Space Elevator

By Leave a Comment

Credit: Dr. Pete Swan

Imagine a giant vertical railway stretching 100,000 km from the equator, somewhere in the Pacific, straight up into space. Instead of expensive, polluting rockets, the space elevator offers a smooth, slow electric ascent to Earth orbit. This “bridge to the stars” connects a floating Earth platform at 36,000 km to a massive counterweight located 64,000 km farther out. It is held taut by the Earth’s rotation.

Space travel is then transformed from a risky adventure into routine cargo shipping. Powered by revolutionary materials such as graphene and innovative laser beams, a space elevator offers a green, affordable gateway to the solar system. Making that a reality is the ambition of the International Space Consortium.

Rob Whielden and Adrian Nixon from the Nixene Journal talk about the final piece of the Space Elevator engineering puzzle – the ultra-strong material needed to make the tether. Both are experts on the unique properties of Graphene. In this interview, recorded at the University of Manchester’s Graphene Engineering and Innovations Centre, we discuss the ongoing journey of a Space Elevator from science fiction to an operational reality. The discussion includes

Gurbir Singh, Rob Whieldon, and Adrian Nixon at the Graphene Engineering and Innovation Centre – University of Manchester
  • A 100,000 km tether connects Earth to a deep-space apex anchor.
  • Centrifugal force keeps the cable taut like a spinning bucket.
  • Graphene’s extreme tensile strength makes this massive engineering project possible.
  • Electric climbers move cargo affordably, bypassing inefficient, polluting chemical rockets.
  • Laser beams through atmospheric “windows” will likely power the climbers.
  • China aims to build a functioning space elevator by 2045.

A short animated video generated using NotebookLM with ONLY this audio interview as an input.

Episode 131: Space Weather and the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad in India

By Leave a Comment

Professor Pallamraju at cospar2025.org

We are increasingly aware of the impact of space weather on spacecraft in space and, occasionally, on electrical power transmission on Earth, but what about its impact on the Earth’s atmosphere? That is exactly the research interest of Professor Pallam Raju, Dean of the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad, India. Founded in 1947, the PRL is one of India’s most prestigious scientific institutions, not least because it was founded by Dr Vikram Sarabhai.

In this conversation, recorded in Nicosia during COSPAR2025.ORG the topics we discussed include

  • Professor Pallam Raju’s transition from theoretical physics to experimental aeronomy (science of the upper atmosphere) was inspired by childhood curiosity about the sky and optics.
  • Professor Raju’s innovative optical instruments to detect faint atmospheric airglow and aurora against the overpowering glare of the sun.
  • His extensive fieldwork includes research in Antarctica, Greenland, and Norway, as well as the use of high-altitude balloons for ultraviolet measurements.
  • The impact of space weather involves solar particles hitting Earth, potentially damaging satellite electronics and disrupting vital global communications.
  • He describes how India participates in the 24/7 Global Oscillations Monitoring Group. including solar observatories at Mount Abu and Udiapur that help provide early warnings for satellite operators.
  • He describes space missions like Aditya L1 and the dual-satellite Disha project, which will comprehensively monitor solar-terrestrial interactions from space.

Episode 130: Mobile solar powerbank for satellites in orbit

By Leave a Comment

Space Power Ltd, founded in 2019, is developing a novel solution for contactless power delivery using high-intensity lasers to extend the lifespans of ageing satellites in space. I spoke with its founder, Keval Dattani, in Nicosia during Cospar2025.org. Some of the topics we covered include

Keval Dattani - Founder Space Power Ltd with Gurbir Singh
Keval Dattani – Founder Space Power Ltd with Gurbir Singh
  • Satellites have shorter lifespans due to battery degradation and ageing solar panels.
  • During eclipses, satellites panic and must switch off systems due to the loss of sunlight power.
  • The SPL solution is a “second sun,” shining light onto panels to top up power quicker.
  • SPL’s innovation is tuning the laser light to the exact “colours” that solar panels best absorb.
  • This engineered light charges panels faster than 1.4 kW/m² from the natural, untuned sun.
  • The power beam is universally compatible, working with any brand, material, or type of existing solar panel.
  • Expensive lunar lander missions often last only weeks, failing to survive the super-cold lunar night.
  • All this happens wirelessly, from a safe distance, using a powerful laser to transfer power.
  • This solution could one day be used for interplanetary missions, including, for example, powering a lunar lander from lunar orbit to survive a lunar night.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:42 — 30.1MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS | More

Episode 129: Space Law

By Leave a Comment

Professor Kai-Uwe-Schrogl. Cyprus November 2025

Professor Kai-Uwe Schrogl is a space law expert with experience in many roles, including working with the European Space Agency ESA, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and as the Director of the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI) in Vienna.

In this interview, recorded in Nicosia during cospar2025.org in November 2025, he discusses concerns about the lack of a universally accepted framework for behaviour and governance for the anticipated increase in commercial missions to the lunar surface by nations and companies.

In this discussion, we cover

  • Space law establishes outer space and the Moon as a global common, mandated by the 1967 Outer Space Treaty‘s principles of non-appropriation.
  • Outer space is a global common, like Antarctica, the high sea, and the deep seabed, intentionally protected from national appropriation.
  • Commercial interests and some nations are attempting to undermine the non-appropriation principle to claim resources, especially through lunar mining.
  • The beneficial 1979 Moon Agreement, which enables resource mining through a shared international regime, has not received widespread state ratification.
  • Lack of coordination among numerous state and private lunar missions risks conflicts over attractive sites and complicates the necessary oversight by the state.
  • The urgent need for Space Traffic Management (STM) is highlighted by the threat of Kessler syndrome, caused by growing space debris and mega-constellations.
  • States must harmonise national space licensing regulations to prevent competitive advantages arising from low standards and to avoid the use of flags of convenience.
  • Competing lunar governance approaches, including the Artemis Accords and the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), demonstrate a lack of unified coordination and early signs that the UN’s Action Team on Lunar Activities Consultation may be the needed, universally agreed governance framework.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 33:13 — 26.6MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS | More