Space Exploration Analysis and Research

Description

Space Exploration Analysis and Research (SPEAR) is a cross-Faculty research cluster that builds upon the OU’s expertise in space exploration and its impact upon economy and society.

The research activity includes a number of significant projects including the European Space Agency Exploration Roadmap in Socioeconomics (BEERS) and SpacePort Scotland projects.

SPEAR’s contribution to this interdisciplinary agenda is focused on the socio-economic analysis of space exploration programmes and missions, evaluating and measuring:

• the contribution of the space economy and industry to inclusive and sustainable growth as well as cultural/symbolic change
• economic growth and employment
• robotic design
• educational, environmental, financial, human, organisational, scientific, technological and social resources and outcomes

SPEAR has been enabled by interdisciplinary collaboration and co-operation between The Open University’s Space and Citizenship and Governance Strategic Research Areas (SRAs).

These two areas are the major drivers for the awarding of funding for the BEERS project, further building expert capacity, knowledge exchange and impact in this increasingly important interdisciplinary area.

The cluster encompasses an internal, external and international multi-disciplinary network that encompasses research and its application in the areas of:

• Space science and robotic rover design
• Space Industry 4.0
• Input-output analysis of economic multipliers
• Space city-region leadership in Europe
• Space governance and law The network draws upon colleagues from other UK HEIs and international universities, European and other space agencies, central and local government bodies, learned societies and partnership organisations that relate to the topics above.

This association is creating new research collaborations in the form of projects, funding bids and outputs in a range of publications and other media. SPEAR builds upon and develops these outcomes and impacts to make a significant inter-disciplinary contribution.

Offers funding

No, this infrastructure does not provide funding.

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University affiliation(s)

The Open University
Milton Keynes