Munich - One country after the other is starting a Mars mission, private companies have recently seen a billion dollar market in space travel.
Why are the endless expanses suddenly so attractive?
The conquest of space is currently in full swing.
The Nasa rover “Perseverance” is scheduled to land on Mars in mid-February.
There is currently a Chinese mission to Mars, and the very wealthy United Arab Emirates have recently been involved - they were the first Arab nation to send a 1350 kilogram space probe to Mars.
A moon mission is to follow.
The Russians want to build a space station on the moon by 2040.
And then there are still private companies that mix it up.
Just this week, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, the two richest men in the world, fought each other on Twitter.
Space companies (“SpaceX” and “Kuiper”) have both - they are currently fighting over the best orbits for their Internet satellites.
Musk wants his satellites to fly closer to Earth, Bezos is against it.
The devil is going on in space.
It's a good moment to explain who is allowed to do what - and why space travel is flourishing again.
Is there a regulation who can claim what in space?
Laws also apply in space.
And they are set out in the space treaty.
Around 100 nations signed this “Outer Space Treaty” in 1967 - while the USA and the Soviet Union competed to the moon.
The treaty was supposed to guarantee a peaceful use of space.
“It says that no nation or its citizens may acquire property on the moon or any celestial body,” says Ulrich Walter.
The former science astronaut heads the chair for space technology at the Technical University of Munich.
Is it allowed to mine resources in space?
"That is not clearly regulated in the contract," says Ulrich Walter.
“There is a lot of discussion about what exactly an appropriation of celestial bodies means.
The USA and Luxembourg say, for example: We don't want to acquire any land there, we just want to mine raw materials. ”Last year, the two countries also agreed on joint commercial use of space - but critics already consider this to be contrary to the treaty.
Luxembourg has also set up a space agency to regulate space mining.
Are there many natural resources in space?
In the USA and Luxembourg there are already companies with plans to mine precious metals such as rhodium, palladium, platinum, iridium or gold in space.
Walter doubts whether there are really valuable raw materials in large quantities there.
“And even if that were the case, let's do the following mind game: Let's assume that Mars was made of pure gold - which is far from the case, as we know.
With a mining mission you could bring maybe 500 kilos with you to Earth, and that would make the capsule too heavy. ”A mission to Mars would cost around two billion euros, the price of gold is around 50,000 euros per kilo.
"So if you sold you would get a maximum of 25 million euros." In addition, as soon as an additional 500 kilos of gold were brought onto the market at one stroke, the gold price would crash. "
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Science astronaut Ulrich Walter
© Achim Frank Schmidt
What is then behind the billion dollar space market?
First and foremost satellites.
There are more than 2,000 orbits around the world, and thousands more are to be added in the next few years.
Tesla boss Elon Musk and his company SpaceX shot 900 pieces into space last year - and he already has a permit for 12,000.
With them he wants to build a broadband network with which there should be internet everywhere in the world.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has similar plans with his company "Blue Origin".
But satellites are also useful for agriculture, climate research and navigation systems.
"With satellites you get information that we wouldn't otherwise get," explains Walter.
“Without it, we would have no information about climate change - such as how much ice there is in Greenland and how much the sea level is rising.
Satellites can measure that down to the centimeter. ”In the event of a disaster, the data could even save lives:“ Satellites can be used to create accurate elevation maps around the world - for example, they can be used to calculate exactly which houses are in danger before a flood occurs. ”
Which states are at the forefront?
Gone are the days when only the US and the Soviet Union fought over space.
China and India now also have advanced space programs, says Ulrich Walter.
“Developing countries in particular believe in space travel, because there you see the potential for a better future.” For example in agriculture: With satellites, for example, you can see exactly every square meter where grain is ripe and where fertilization is required .
“In Germany we already have a good infrastructure for this, but not in India.
That's why we're still skeptical about space travel here. "
Can everyone get involved in space?
That is the trend.
In the meantime, more and more private companies like SpaceX or Blue Origin are reaching for the stars.
This movement is progressing above all in the USA and is known under the term "New Space" (engl .: new space).
Your goal: the commercialization of space.
Germany also wants to follow suit.
According to Thomas Jarzombek, Federal Government Coordinator for Aerospace, German start-ups are already in a spirit of optimism (see interview).
What is Bavaria planning to do in space?
A good two years ago, Prime Minister Markus Söder presented the space program “Bavaria One” - to which Ulrich Walter also contributed ideas.
Söder pledged 700 million euros to invest in aerospace.
Among other things, the start-up "Isar Aerospace", which opened its production halls in September and plans to test the first rocket to bring satellites into orbit, is being funded.
Walter is convinced that New Space will bring Germany a huge advantage in the long term.
What role does manned space travel play?
"When people think of space travel, most people immediately think of people in space," says Ulrich Walter.
“But that's only a very small part of space travel that attracts a lot of attention because it does well on television.
Nobody wants to see pictures of any satellites. ”28 years ago he was in space with the space shuttle for research purposes - as a so-called payload specialist, Walter carried out scientific experiments.
“For example, we wanted to know how plants grow in weightlessness.
If we understand biology in space better, we will also know under what circumstances a living being can grow, live and reproduce at all. ”In the meantime, however, there is a lot of discussion about the costs and benefits of manned space travel - and whether not many things also coincide Let robots perform.
When can we visit Mars?
Elon Musk has announced that it will be sending people to Mars in four years.
According to his plans, there will even be the first city on the red planet in 20 years.
Walter does not believe in colonization in the near future: One would understand the planetary system better by traveling to Mars - "but why would one want to live there?" A one-way flight alone takes seven months.
"That's why I don't think there will be much tourism on Mars."
It should look different with trips to the moon, which only last three days: “I think that space travel will gain momentum through space tourism.
This gives everyone the opportunity to see through their own eyes that the earth is nothing but a tiny speck in space. ”He is certain that this would lead to a change in consciousness.
"Perhaps there will even be fewer wars when people look at the small earth and say: Where are the borders?"
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Thomas Jarzombek Space Coordinator
© Jens Krick
Interview: "We urgently need clear rules of conduct for space"
While Tesla boss Elon Musk plans to colonize Mars in the next few years, little is heard about Germany's future in space.
Thomas Jarzombek, Federal Government Coordinator for Aerospace, wants to follow suit.
Above all, he sees opportunities in the “New Space” movement - that is, in private space travel.
Mr. Jarzombek, what potential does the German space industry have?
A very big one.
Especially since we have been seeing a strong trend towards “New Space” for a number of years now - in the past space was only run by governments.
In the meantime, however, private players, especially start-ups, are tackling the issue of space with a completely different approach and are turning the market upside down.
How much does Germany spend on space travel?
For civil space travel it is around 1.6 billion euros a year.
How far are we in terms of “New Space”?
We are pioneers in Europe.
The first man-made object in space was built in Germany in 1944, the unit 4. Then it was renamed V2, equipped with warheads and built by slave labor.
Thousands were killed.
Part of the darkest chapter in our history.
In the end, technology and engineers were lost to Germany.
From this technology American rockets for the flight to the moon emerged.
Now we're back to flying real rockets into space.
To do this, we have three start-ups who are working hard on it and are in competition with one another.
I am sure that one or maybe two of them can become globally successful.
How is that financed?
At the beginning we support the company with half a million euros per company.
The start-ups have to use this to drive their development forward and organize further financing.
So we are not making any concrete specifications for the construction, but buying the first rocket launch and thereby opening up a market.
The taxpayer is less at risk.
Is there a legal framework for this?
Or can everyone just set off into space?
We have long been discussing a national space law with the Ministry of Finance.
This is primarily about the question of liability - because under international law this is currently entirely the responsibility of the state.
The question is to what extent the company should be involved in the settlement of possible damage.
We still disagree on this point.
If we impose five or six-digit insurance obligations on start-ups - regardless of their fault - we could lose them abroad.
We want to avoid that in the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
And what about international laws?
After all, the “Outer Space Treaty” is more than 50 years old.
Yes, it is getting on in years.
The federal government is lobbying the United Nations Space Committee for additional provisions - but to be honest, we are not satisfied with the speed.
The topic is very important, because otherwise there will ultimately be a dispute when the first countries start to mine resources in space - or allow their start-ups to do so.
I don't think we'll be mining precious metals on asteroids anytime soon.
But the Americans are planning, for example, a space station that flies around the moon.
Perhaps it will then also be possible to produce hydrogen on the moon.
And when you build your own infrastructure on celestial bodies, you also use territory and acquire resources.
There have to be rules for that.
So many technical devices have already landed on Mars, hundreds of thousands of objects are buzzing around the earth - sustainability in space is also important.
We urgently need clear rules of conduct for space.