Second Year of ESA’s Space Exploration Masters Competition Underway

Lucia Cape, the Chamber’s Senior Vice President of Economic Development, and Mick Walker, Head of International Government Affairs for Astrosat, announce Year 2 of the Huntsville-Astrosat challenge in front of the Dream Chaser in Colorado Springs. (Photo: Sierra Nevada Corporation)

By Lucia Cape, CCE
Senior VP of Economic Development, Industry Relations & Workforce

Year Two of the European Space Agency’s Space Exploration Masters competition opened on May 1, and the Chamber’s sponsored contest with Scottish aerospace services pioneer Astrosat includes an expanded prize package. The contest once again focuses on utilization of the Sierra Nevada Dream Chaser as a unique space exploration vehicle and space science platform that can land at Huntsville International Airport, taking advantage of local expertise in payload integration, operations and processing.

The prize package once again features a trip to Huntsville and mentoring by Astrosat in its “space as a service” business model, but new this year is a partnership with UAH School of Business and the I2C incubator which will provide physical space and support to the winner. The U.S. Space and Rocket Center is expanding its support to include access to additional resources, and Huntsville International Airport will again provide travel vouchers.

Year Two was announced at the National Space Symposium in Colorado Springs on April 19 in front of the Dream Chaser test article – the actual vehicle that has completed program milestones in anticipation of a NASA cargo mission to the International Space Station in 2020. To enter the competition, visit space-exploration-masters.com now through July 31. Winners will be announced in October.