Three luminaries of space travel were represented at this year's Lucerne Dialogue: Dr Renato Krpoun (Head of the Swiss Space Office), Daniel Neuenschwander (Head of Human and Robotic Exploration ESA) and Prof. Dr Thomas Zurbuchen (Head of Space Programmes ETH, formerly Head of Science NASA). It is thanks to Zurbuchen and Neuenschwander, among others, that the James Webb Space Telescope will soon be able to provide answers to questions that have not even been asked yet.

While the telescope observes space at a distance of one and a half million kilometres, the experts explain to their audience the key aspects of international space travel: the monitoring of weather and climate, the exploration of minerals, the investigation of possible habitats. The space technology used also has enormous potential for companies. This is an opportunity because Europe must not only become stronger economically, but also prepare itself for a new race for space. "A groundbreaking geopolitical discussion is currently taking place about space," says Zurbuchen.

But where does Europe stand? The big players are Russia, the USA, India and China. China and the USA want to have established a presence on the moon by 2030, while India is planning its own space station by 2035. The European Space Agency (ESA), an organisation with 22 member states, is NASA's junior partner in its Artemis programme. Its annual budget of 7 billion euros is five times smaller than that of NASA. The question is: will Europe as a continent take on a leading role in space travel in the future or will it leave the field to others? "We are still at the forefront, but we must not let up now," warns Krpoun.

The expertise is there. Switzerland in particular has a key role to play here. It is a founding member of the ESA. Researchers at ETH and in Swiss companies develop components that make achievements such as the James Webb Space Telescope or the Mars rover Perseverance possible. Switzerland's advantage: the country has excellent technical training, a strong culture of innovation and highly specialised players that are agile and adaptable thanks to their small size.

And "speed, speed, speed" is what is needed now, according to the three experts. The barriers to entry for companies are becoming lower as high-tech becomes more affordable. It is therefore high time to consider how space technology can be combined with other industrial sectors. For example, in terms of navigation, energy generation, sampling or resource consumption - an astronaut uses eight litres of water per day, while a European uses an average of 144 litres.

The need for symbiosis arises not least from three major challenges facing Europe. Firstly, there is climate change. "It's difficult to see causal relationships from Earth. We need space for this," says Zurbuchen. Climate change creates local problems. "Space technology can provide this translation from the global to the local." For example, by using a satellite-based irrigation app that tells farmers where to use how much water.

Secondly, we are seeing a strong increase in technologies and activities in space, both from national and increasingly from private actors. However, United Nations space law is not binding. "We must not leave the field to private tech giants, but must protect interests and values with sensible regulation," demands Neuenschwander.

Thirdly, cooperation is now turning into fierce competition. Despite all the beautiful science, it is ultimately about resources and influence, according to the experts. Conflicts are inevitable, precisely because space technology has become an integral part of modern warfare.

These three challenges need to be tackled together in Europe. The first steps have already been taken. The new Space Master's programme at ETH is set to release around 100 graduates a year into research and industry. The task now is to forge further partnerships and find symbioses.

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