The Higher Technical School of Engineering of the University of Seville, today, November 6, hosts a Space Conference, which in a round table format has brought together various expert voices in the sector to answer the most basic questions about the research being carried out. develops at the ETSi on the aerospace field.

These conferences are held in the context of the informal ministerial meeting on Space Competitiveness, which will bring together the ministers responsible for the matter of the European Union tomorrow, November 7, in Seville, to discuss what measures should be adopted to guarantee continuity and strengthening of space-based infrastructure and services. This meeting is part of the activities on the occasion of the Presidency of Spain in the Council of the EU.

The person in charge of opening the event was Maria Cruz Arcos Vargas, Director of the European Documentation Center of the University of Seville and Europedirect Seville, who responded to the question, Why Space Research? has explained the need for a European Space policy and its current framework in the EU.

In this sense, Maria Cruz Arcos has compared the world of Space to that of the seabed, “until there was the ability to access them, there was no need to legislate about them. Now we can access Space and it is urgent that the legislation is developed” she declared.

Arcos Vargas currently chairs the Andalusian Council of the European Movement and is a professor of International Law and International Relations at the US.

Next, the research activity of four research groups from the Higher Technical School of Engineering of the University of Seville has been presented. 

The first of them has been led by Federico Paris Carballo, professor of Continuous Media Mechanics and Theory of Structures at the University of Seville since 1982. In his speech, Professor Paris has detailed the problems presented by certain materials used in the space sector. with special emphasis on Carbon Fiber Composite Materials, as well as the requirements that must be met in aerospace structures.

From his experience as co-founder of TEAMS, he has also narrated what it means to transfer technology in this sector through a US spin-off.

Paris Carballo has expressed that "the Space can benefit from our contributions by making use of the materials on which we test to lighten loads and ensure that they have sufficient resistance."

“On the other hand, researchers have a pedagogical function, opening the world of Space to boys and girls who will be the future professionals in the sector. There we also have a great responsibility and an ability to contribute,” she declared.

Next, José Manuel Quero Reboul, professor of Electronic Engineering at the University of Seville, has recounted his experience of more than 30 years as a researcher, participating in several space missions and the development of several scientific projects. Among other works, he has highlighted the CEPHEUS mission in which he led the consortium where the first nanosatellite developed in Andalusia was built, or the VECTORSOL project, where a solar sensor made with Microsystems (MEMS) technology was designed, built and launched into orbit. . This last milestone served as the starting point to found the Technology-Based Company (EBT), SOLARMEMS TECHNOLOGIES, in 2009, a leading company in the manufacturing of solar sensors for space applications.

Quero Reboul also explained NewSpace, the revolution that is currently being experienced in the space sector and the technological opportunities that are emerging. “Access to Space has been liberalized, we can say that democratization has arrived in the sector, all thanks to the reduction in weight and costs compared to the past of launching a satellite into Space today. This step has allowed us to work in this area from our centers and see our technology in Earth orbit,” he expressed.

For his part, Rafael Vázquez Valenzuela, professor of Aerospace Engineering at the US, and professor of Orbital Mechanics and Space Vehicle Dynamics for the last 16 years at the ETSi, has participated to describe the evolution of teaching and research in the Aerospace Engineering group of the ETSi, as well as the current lines of research and collaborations with companies, agencies and other key universities in the sector.

Vázquez Valenzuela has asserted that “the forecasts of the volume of what is going to be launched into space are chilling, so having technology that prevents the collision of satellites, such as the one we develop at the ETSi, is essential, as well as international regulations. ”.

Finally, Rogelio Palomo Pinto, professor of Electronic Systems for Aerospace Applications for the last 8 years at the ETSI, has been in charge of closing the exhibition on multidisciplinary research in the aerospace field developed at the ETSi, exposing the research activities in electronics for the spatial environment of the Electronic Engineering group and collaborations with companies, agencies and other key universities in the sector.

Palomo Pinto has once again emphasized the need to provide legal coverage to the sector that welcomes all countries and professionals, ensuring that "the war in Space is already taking place, which is why it is urgent that institutions such as the UN establish regulations." common for not only military, but also civil use. Space is an economic resource and the great powers have been fighting for it for some time now.”

For her part, Esperanza Caro Gómez, Managing Director of the Municipal Enterprises Corporation of Seville, has narrated how the city of Seville was positioned as a reference in space issues and what was the strategy followed as a city to ensure that the Spanish Space Agency will be located in Seville. “It is the story of a collective success, which everyone has contributed, the ETSi, the University of Seville, the Junta de Andalucía, the State, etc. Furthermore, it is necessary to highlight, among all, the figure of someone from this School who has been fundamental for Seville to be the headquarters of the Spanish Space Agency today, and it is none other than the Professor of Energy Engineering, Carlos Gómez Camacho." .