Cypriot student proposes international space exploration organisation

Cypriot Athena Vourgos, one of the four winners in an international space competition organised by the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), has proposed the creation of an International space exploration organisation.

The 18-year-old presented her proposal at the international conference for Space Exploration that took place this month in Turin Italy.

The jury of the SEPG-AAE Dream Mission Call 2023 international competition had selected four winners internationally to present their research paper/projects.

They chose two persons within the subject of technology, and two in regards to law related projects. Vourgos was chosen as one of the two winners under the topic regarding law and organisation.

Speaking to CNA she said that in her presentation before the conference, she proposed the creation of an International space exploration organisation, including its structure, laws, policies and goals.

“I also highlighted the importance of international cooperation within the space industry and the benefits that this proposal would offer, as well as the current issues it would be able to provide solutions for” she went on to say.

Vourgos pointed out that with the rapid development of the space industry, global organisation must be built on earth, not only to enhance healthy competition, cooperation and innovation, but to ensure that earth will speak for earth in the future.

“The ultimate prize for the international competition was the fact that we presented as speakers at the international space exploration conference, attended it and experienced everything it had to offer” she concluded.

The Space Generation Advisory Council in Support of the United Nations Programme on Space Applications is a global non-governmental, non-profit (US 501(c)3) organisation and network which aims to represent university students and young space professionals ages 18-35 to the United Nations, space agencies, industry, and academia. The SGAC network of members, volunteers and alumni has grown to more than 21,000 members representing more than 165 countries.

For the SEPG-AAE Dream Mission Call 2023, the SGAC Space Exploration Project Group (SEPG) and the Académie de l’Air et de l’Espace (AAE) joined forces to seek innovative ideas from students and young professionals for their “dream mission”. The winners will be sponsored to attend the AAE Space Exploration Conference 2023 in Turin, Italy, where they will give a presentation on their mission concept.

The other winners are Charles Horikami, a second-year law student at Regent University School of Law who will be graduating in December 2023, Luca Kiewiet, PhD student at the German Aerospace Center at the Institute of Space Systems in Bremen and Gueorguy Serafimov flight dynamic engineer.

(Source: CNA)