The Kármán Line

Artemis II: Never, ever, ever talk about rockets and astronauts

33 min · 9. apr. 2026
episode Artemis II: Never, ever, ever talk about rockets and astronauts cover

Description

So, we’re flying humans around the moon and bringing them back. But why are we doing it? To build a strategic outpost? To play power games? To do science? And if it's science, isn’t the useful value of resources on the moon a bit opaque? For example, why do we need to mine helium-3 when we can produce it on earth? More problematic, if you’re investing billions of dollars in putting sensitive instruments on the moon and you’ve got good access to light and frozen water, what happens when somebody else comes along and says: “I’d quite like a bit of that as well please”? How quickly does astropolitics become geopolitics?   Join Alice and her guests, Libby Jackson, Head of Space at the Science Museum and Ian Annett, Chair UKSpace Launch Committee, as they debate the value of Artemis II and celebrate the idea of being driven to push boundaries. “We’re human, what can we do?”   Contributors: Alice Bunn, President of UKspace  Dr Alice Bunn OBE FIMechE FRAeS CEng | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-alice-bunn-obe-fimeche-fraes-ceng-3b5141/] UKspace: Overview | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/ukspace/]   Ian Annett, Chair UKSpace Launch Committee Ian Annett | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-annett/]   Libby Jackson OBE FRAeS, Head of Space, the Science Museum Libby Jackson OBE FRAeS | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/libby-jackson/] Key topics covered: * Artemis II * Apollo missions * Mining on the moon * Astropolitics * Collaboration in space * Cost of commercial launches * Security in space * The lunar economy * Mars missions * Understanding evolution * Kerosene alternatives ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

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10 episodes

episode Space sustainability: Turning orbital debris into a national niche artwork

Space sustainability: Turning orbital debris into a national niche

The idea of 14,000 satellites in low earth orbit sounds pretty scary but in context there’s over a million cars on the road in the UK alone and low earth orbit is a really big 3D space. So, should people be worried about space sustainability? Shouldn’t they just relax and remember there’s loads and loads of space out there?   Or should they still be scared? What happens when satellites do cross paths? If they’re all part of the SpaceX Starlink constellation they’ll talk to each other instantaneously and get out of the way. But what if the contact is with a satellite from another country? Is it fair to say they’re on the equivalent of email or telephone? And what if they do collide? Will it be like the experiment in 2007 when the Chinese fired a missile at a defunct weather satellite? On the one hand, “great shot lads, you’ve hit something moving at 4km per second” but on the other, “you’ve probably caused a millennia worth of debris problems”. If it’s within our capabilities to move bikes and cars and trains and planes around the world in an ordered fashion, shouldn’t it be well within human capabilities to extend the use of space?  Is there a role for the UK in being “the AA” of space and is the UK-New Zealand debris removal agreement a useful step down this road?  Join Alice and Jonners as they talk to Phil Buckley, partner at the Public Service Consultants and a specialist in space sustainability, about the perils and pitfalls of satellite traffic jams and an opportunity that the UK “could be absolutely brilliant at”. Contributors: Alice Bunn, President of UKspace  Dr Alice Bunn OBE FIMechE FRAeS CEng | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-alice-bunn-obe-fimeche-fraes-ceng-3b5141/] UKspace: Overview | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/ukspace/]   Jonathan Daves, The Karman Line Jonathan Daves | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-davies-174673170/] Phil Buckley, Partner at the PSC Phil Buckley | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-b-48b3ba4/] Key topics covered: * Space sustainability * The Kessler effect * Space debris * Starlink * UK-New Zealand agreement * Space traffic * The Fengyun weather satellite * Refuelling * Servicing ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

3. juni 202628 min
episode Space comms: why rockets really aren’t the story artwork

Space comms: why rockets really aren’t the story

Why do people in the space sector think they have a comms problem and yet the public at large think space is sexy? Should we stop evangelising about the technology that gets stuff into space rather than the core marketing message? After all, KFC is about the chicken not the trucks that deliver it. What are the leadership opportunities in the UK from launch in Scotland and what is the “environmental conscience” behind that endeavour? And how did we end up with kids in St Austell working on global lunar space missions on the back of a famous “failure”? Join Alice, Jess Ratty from Halo Global and John Harrington UK editor of PR Week, as they confront the introspection of space and figure out better ways of confounding British understatement and amazing a world of would-be investors. Contributors: Alice Bunn, President of UKspace  Dr Alice Bunn OBE FIMechE FRAeS CEng | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-alice-bunn-obe-fimeche-fraes-ceng-3b5141/] UKspace: Overview | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/ukspace/]   Jess Ratty, Founder and Leader, Halo Global Jess Ratty | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicaratty/] John Harrington, UK Editor, PR Week John Harrington | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-harrington-a76a6b41/] PR Week UK [https://www.prweek.co.uk/] Key topics covered: * Communications * Marketing * Leadership opportunities * Saxa Vord launch * Environment * Spaceport Cornwall * Virgin Orbit’s “Start me Up” mission ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

18. maj 202635 min
episode Space law: are existing legal frameworks fit for purpose? artwork

Space law: are existing legal frameworks fit for purpose?

With a mind boggling 1.8 million satellites filed for launch before 2030 how are we going to manage the congested and contested realm of space? We know about warfare in space but how about lawfare in space? Who actually owns the moon? More pointedly, who owns the resources of the moon?  How useful are the UK’s regulatory frameworks and how do you dispose of a fridge in low earth orbit? Join Alice, Jonners and international lawyer Joanne Wheeler, “the single powerhouse behind many of the space business successes”, as they mull on the legal challenges of an exponentially growing race for space. Contributors: Alice Bunn, President of UKspace  Dr Alice Bunn OBE FIMechE FRAeS CEng | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-alice-bunn-obe-fimeche-fraes-ceng-3b5141/] UKspace: Overview | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/ukspace/]   Jonathan Daves, The Karman Line Jonathan Daves | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-davies-174673170/] Joanne Wheeler, Managing Partner, Alden Legal Joanne Wheeler | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanne-wheeler-mbe-467a8514/] Key topics covered: * International law * Regulatory frameworks * Moon mining * Moonrise project * Space congestion * Dual use ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

7. maj 202637 min
episode Mark Garnier: The financial sector needs to invest in space now! artwork

Mark Garnier: The financial sector needs to invest in space now!

How can Britain exploit the “astonishing opportunity” to become a global energy supplier from space? Why is space an engineering problem not a £7 billion physics problem like nuclear fusion? What did Gordon Brown do that transformed the UK film industry and why is this relevant to space? What connects the Crusades, crates of gold, coffee shops, blockchain and space? Join Alice, Jonners and Mark Garnier MP as they figure out if space investment is big, messy and complicated or actually straightforward. And they argue why the UK Government must get properly involved. Contributors: Alice Bunn, President of UKspace  Dr Alice Bunn OBE FIMechE FRAeS CEng | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-alice-bunn-obe-fimeche-fraes-ceng-3b5141/] UKspace: Overview | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/ukspace/]   Jonathan Daves, The Karman Line Jonathan Daves | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-davies-174673170/] Mark Garnier, MP for Wyre Forest Mark Garnier | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/markgarnier/] Key topics covered: * Solar energy * Nuclear fusion * Space investment * Space X * UK financial sector * Government role * Public awareness * Parliament ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

21. apr. 202632 min
episode Artemis II: Never, ever, ever talk about rockets and astronauts artwork

Artemis II: Never, ever, ever talk about rockets and astronauts

So, we’re flying humans around the moon and bringing them back. But why are we doing it? To build a strategic outpost? To play power games? To do science? And if it's science, isn’t the useful value of resources on the moon a bit opaque? For example, why do we need to mine helium-3 when we can produce it on earth? More problematic, if you’re investing billions of dollars in putting sensitive instruments on the moon and you’ve got good access to light and frozen water, what happens when somebody else comes along and says: “I’d quite like a bit of that as well please”? How quickly does astropolitics become geopolitics?   Join Alice and her guests, Libby Jackson, Head of Space at the Science Museum and Ian Annett, Chair UKSpace Launch Committee, as they debate the value of Artemis II and celebrate the idea of being driven to push boundaries. “We’re human, what can we do?”   Contributors: Alice Bunn, President of UKspace  Dr Alice Bunn OBE FIMechE FRAeS CEng | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-alice-bunn-obe-fimeche-fraes-ceng-3b5141/] UKspace: Overview | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/ukspace/]   Ian Annett, Chair UKSpace Launch Committee Ian Annett | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-annett/]   Libby Jackson OBE FRAeS, Head of Space, the Science Museum Libby Jackson OBE FRAeS | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/libby-jackson/] Key topics covered: * Artemis II * Apollo missions * Mining on the moon * Astropolitics * Collaboration in space * Cost of commercial launches * Security in space * The lunar economy * Mars missions * Understanding evolution * Kerosene alternatives ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

9. apr. 202633 min