Space Diplomacy

Catalog description

Can you imagine a day without satellites? You will be astonished at the number of things you cannot do anymore if this happens. Students will explore the importance of space activities for life on Earth and for sustainable development. The course will provide in-depth knowledge of the major space programs developed in international cooperation, showing how space is a tool for diplomacy. It will give an overview of the status of the development of the space sector around the world, and of the various kinds of organizations that operate in the space sector. Students will learn key elements for defining and developing new space programs in cooperation at the international level, and will realize that the same elements are common to management and leadership in other areas of science and technology. Students will learn how to negotiate on space activities in an international environment. The importance of a global strategy for preserving outer space for future generations will be underlined. The course is by nature interdisciplinary, and addresses a subject very inspirational, and at the same time very concrete in terms of real life applications.