Dipanjan Das - Space Ecosystem Builder for the Nordics
In the episode, we talk to Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland.
We discuss the Horizon Europe-backed FIERCE Project, the upcoming Space Economic Forum in Helsinki this winter, Europe’s space innovation future, and the growing role of space-enabled technologies.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dipanjan-das-070459151/
Space Economic Forum 2026: https://www.sef26.com
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00:00:02 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Welcome to the Mission Sessions podcast by Stratospheric.io.
00:00:05 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
In the episode, we talk to Dipanjan Das, a strategic space startup advisor based in Helsinki, Finland.
00:00:11 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
We discussed the Horizon Europe-based Fierce project, the upcoming Space Economic Forum in Helsinki this winter, Europe's space innovation future, and the growing role of space-enabled technologies.
00:00:34 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Hi, Deepanjan.
00:00:35 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Thank you so much for joining us on the Stratospheric podcast.
00:00:38 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
To kick us off, please can you give us a really concise one-minute introduction to yourself and what you're up to?
00:00:44 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Yeah, thanks for inviting, Chris.
00:00:46 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
My name is Deepanjan and I'm a deep tech ecosystem builder.
00:00:50 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
innovation strategist, and technology professional working at the intersection of space, photonics, wireless communications, robotics, IoT, and entrepreneurship.
00:01:00 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Based in Finland right now, I'm serving as a board member and project lead at Startup Nation Finland, where I'm actively supporting startups, SMEs, researchers, and innovation ecosystem through European projects, ecosystem building initiatives,
00:01:15 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
international collaborations, and entrepreneurship programs.
00:01:18 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
With an academic and professional background spanning photonics, applied physics, wireless communications, IoT, ARVR technologies, and emerging space technologies, I'm contributing to also research, startup development, and innovation projects across Europe and internationally.
00:01:35 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
That's me.
00:01:36 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Brilliant, Steph.
00:01:37 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
I mean, wow, what an incredible CV.
00:01:39 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
I'm super, super excited to have you on the podcast.
00:01:42 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
You're an absolute expert in this field.
00:01:44 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
So I was really happy when you said yes to come and join us.
00:01:48 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
I guess to kick us off then, can you give us your current take on the picture of the European space industry at present?
00:01:54 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
You know, what's it looking like?
00:01:55 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
What are the challenges of it?
00:01:57 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Yeah, I think the European space sector is undergoing one of the biggest transformations in its history.
00:02:02 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So traditionally dominated by the government agencies and large aerospace companies, it's now evolving into a dynamic ecosystem of startups, SMEs, universities, defense organizations, and investors.
00:02:16 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So if you see the market size and the growth, the global space economy is projected to exceed
00:02:22 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
trillion $1 by 2040.
00:02:25 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
And Europe is positioning itself to capture a significant share through investments in satellite communications, Earth observation, navigation and positioning, launch services, space cybersecurity, defense and dual-use technologies, lunar and in-space economy activities.
00:02:42 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So Europe's strength lies not only in building satellites, but increasingly in turning space data and infrastructure into commercial services.
00:02:51 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So
00:02:52 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Basically, I would say the key pillars of the European space sector right now is Earth observation, navigation and timing, defence and dual use space, and also the space data economy in general.
00:03:06 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So building satellites using the space data, using space data into products and services.
00:03:12 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Yeah, great stuff.
00:03:13 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
And I guess, would you mind elaborating on those, when you mentioned that commercial, you know, the commercial sectors, like what kind of
00:03:20 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
business lines do you see coming out of the space economy?
00:03:25 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Yes.
00:03:25 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So it's not only about the space, but the non-space sectors actually.
00:03:29 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So thinking about marine technologies, logistics, agriculture, private companies are specifically interested about integrating space data into your services.
00:03:40 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So 90% of the cases in the commercial sector are related to non-space applications right now.
00:03:49 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
What are those?
00:03:50 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Are you able to take another details, like what are those non-space components?
00:03:55 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Apologies for kind of throwing some curve balls.
00:03:59 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
It's super interesting from our, you know, from our perspective because we because we work within defence, dual use, you know, robotics.
00:04:06 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
I can see kind of overlaps here, but it sounds like there's probably more things that we've missed.
00:04:11 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
So yeah, you need to elaborate.
00:04:14 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So basically, for example, if you talk about the agricultural sector in general, agriculture and forestry sector, where we are talking about precision farming, crop health monitoring, yield protection, forest inventory, and these kind of things are super active.
00:04:33 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
If you consider it for, let's say, smart cities and urban planning, earth observation, GNSS, and digital twins have been so far really interesting how you integrate this to the current smart city infrastructure.
00:04:49 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
For example, urban heat island monitoring, traffic optimization, infrastructure planning, construction monitoring, land use analysis.
00:04:58 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So these kind of things are really active.
00:05:00 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
And you know, in the city where I'm living,
00:05:03 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Tampere.
00:05:04 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
It's we are one of the smart cities in the Europe and we are also kind of focusing on this very emerging kind of technologies and integrate with the city infrastructure.
00:05:16 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So energy and utilities, for example, power line monitoring, renewable energy forecasting, solar farm optimization, wind resource assessment, grid resilience.
00:05:28 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
And also Finland has a strong base for
00:05:31 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
the energy sector, mobility and transportation sectors, and also you think about the manufacturing and industry 4.0 transition to 5.0.
00:05:41 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So everything is involved in the loop.
00:05:44 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
If you also consider, let's say, environment and climate monitoring, like carbon monitoring, water quality analysis, biodiversity assessment, flood prediction, climate adaptation planning,
00:05:58 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
healthcare, like remote healthcare connectivity, disaster response, environment health monitoring, telemedicine in remote regions.
00:06:06 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So this is a very interesting set.
00:06:09 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
And also for the insurance and finance companies, like for example, for risk assessment, flood and wildfire monitoring, claims verification, agricultural insurance, infrastructure valuation, you can definitely use this
00:06:26 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
space data and integrate into these kind of sectors, which is growing.
00:06:31 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Yeah, fascinating, fascinating.
00:06:33 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
And I've just been making some notes as you've been saying there, and there's a few that really jump out to me, like this concept of precision farming.
00:06:40 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
So where you're saying, based on this observation, this really, I guess, strong observation, you could say how well the crop yields are going, and then you could automate perhaps drones to come and
00:06:54 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
spray pesticides or optimise the growing conditions based off, what you're able to see from, almost see from space and almost farming as with less hands-on necessity for hands-on farming, I guess, because you can do it more remotely and you can obviously trigger then robotics to go and deliver pesticides or deliver more water or things like that.
00:07:22 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Yeah.
00:07:23 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
And also on the sense of security and critical infrastructure, if you go, because border monitoring now in this geopolitical situations, it's one of the heavily areas where, you know, this iris too is more active right now from the European side.
00:07:41 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So we are not only monitoring borders, but also thinking about the cybersecurity support and aspects of it.
00:07:48 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So critical infrastructure surveillance,
00:07:52 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
for this border monitoring kind of situations, we need to see into this space data ecosystem and especially space tech ecosystems in these areas.
00:08:04 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So if you consider Finland, where it has the strong potential, so there are several sectors where Finland is right now focusing, and it's on forestry and bioeconomy, smart cities, energy systems, manufacturing and industry ecosystems, mining and critical minerals,
00:08:21 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Logistics and mobility, cybersecurity, robotics, and automation.
00:08:25 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Of course, when you are talking about, let's say, cis-lunar economy and creating a lunar base in the space right now, so heavily there will be investments in the robotics.
00:08:38 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
And right now, in the upcoming like times, we are also organizing in Finland like Space Economic Forum that will be an inviting the governments and the leaders into one platform to make a global standard that we will talk.
00:08:57 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
That's just before we jump on to
00:09:00 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Onto the basic economic forum.
00:09:02 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
If you could just kind of just give us a bit more about on Iris 2, just for our listeners who maybe aren't aware of what Iris 2 actually is, are you able to give us a kind of a high-level overview or a brief summary of it?
00:09:16 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Actually, if you see, IRIS-2 is basically a planned multi-orbit satellite internet constellation to be deployed by the European Union by 2027.
00:09:29 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So the initial government services are expected to start in 2030, which will consist of 264 satellites in the low Earth orbit, which is LEO, at an altitude of 1,200 kilometers and 18 satellites in the MEO, which is the
00:09:46 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Medium Earth orbit, so basically it's the, if you talk about the Iris 2 in general, it's the infrastructure for resilience, interconnectivity, and security by...
00:09:58 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
and the use of satellite constellation.
00:10:00 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So it's the European Union's answer to pressing challenges ahead, offering enhanced communication capacities to governmental users, businesses, while ensuring high-speed internet broadband to cope up with connectivity dead zones.
00:10:15 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
The need for a secure and resilient global connectivity increases with the digitization of the economy and society, and the increasing geopolitical and cybersecurity threats.
00:10:25 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So this multi-orbital constellation
00:10:28 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
will combine the benefits offered by the low earth, geostationary and medium earth orbit satellites.
00:10:34 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So it is set to provide secure communication services to the EU and its member states, as well as broadband connectivity for European citizens, private companies and governmental authorities.
00:10:45 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So IRIS-2 will put an end to the dead zones in Europe as well as the whole of Africa using the constellations north-south orbits through a resilient and ultra-secure space and ground-based systems.
00:10:58 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Yeah, fascinating.
00:10:59 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
I mean, it feels very 21st century, when we talk about signal dead zones, for example, I kind of alternate my time between Estonia and the UK, and Estonia's got very little in terms of dead zones.
00:11:10 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
UK, sometimes you just go 10 minutes outside of London, you can't get phone signal for half an hour.
00:11:19 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Exactly.
00:11:20 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
It's a 21st century problem where you're like, where's the phone signal gone?
00:11:24 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Where's it going to come back in?
00:11:26 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Yeah, anyway, thank you so much for that.
00:11:28 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
That's certainly educational for me.
00:11:31 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
I wanted to jump onto something which you're heavily involved in, and that is the fierce ecosystem building programme.
00:11:39 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
I just want to kind of understand a bit more and how do you come to be involved in it?
00:11:44 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
First of all, let me introduce what is FEARSE.
00:11:47 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So FEARSE is a three years coordination and support action running from last November 2024, and it will run until October 2027.
00:11:56 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So it's one of the funded projects by the European Union under the Horizon Europe Framework Program for Research and Innovation.
00:12:04 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So the mission is to accelerate Europe's green digital transition, mobilize 2.5 million EUR in financial support for 70 SMEs, startups, and scale-ups to fuel the development, demonstration, and commercialization of green space-enabled solutions.
00:12:22 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So
00:12:23 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
how we are involved as the layer.
00:12:25 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So we are the player who are connecting the SMEs to this financial support programs as the first.
00:12:32 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
And 2nd, we are creating this ecosystem building program locally here in Tampere.
00:12:39 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So one of the programs that we are supporting is this particular ecosystem building is by creation of new startups and companies
00:12:49 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
in locally in Finland, in local context.
00:12:53 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So we are, because there is a need for those kind of startups and innovative companies in the sector in order that we also fulfill the needs of the European space economy and space sector for the businesses.
00:13:09 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So we have done our space innovation cafe
00:13:13 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
to support this kind of needs and demands that the companies and research institutes and startups have in the very initial stages.
00:13:23 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
And we have the plan to make it broader in the sense that we will be generating or helping to generate this kind of European level.
00:13:35 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
innovative companies in Finland and in the local context in order so these companies can grow bigger and capture the European markets and rest of the world.
00:13:47 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Yeah, fascinating.
00:13:48 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
I love the sound of a space cafe.
00:13:51 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
I mean, literally,
00:13:54 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
My cup at the moment is actually a NASA mug, which you got from New York a while back.
00:14:00 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
And the idea of drinking, like combining coffee and space is literally like my dream come true.
00:14:04 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
So I can't think of anything.
00:14:05 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Exactly.
00:14:06 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
I think it came from the concept that when we go to the cafe, you have conversations, right?
00:14:11 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
And these conversations turns into the potential
00:14:16 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
for, let's say, businesses, and the businesses can come and talk to each other, exchanging contacts and sending information and new ideas can come up that might lead to idea of a successful startup in the future.
00:14:31 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So and also and also in the context of, let's say, universities and skills development, you know, people are not thinking about a lot of skills development these days because there is skills gap.
00:14:42 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So
00:14:43 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
There are also European projects that fulfill the space skill gap, and one of the projects that we invited to our space cafe was AeroFuse project, focusing on the upstream part of this.
00:14:57 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
skills development.
00:14:58 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
And then in the coming times, I'm also looking into the downstream part, which is a European project called Space Vantage, where they focus on the downstream skills.
00:15:09 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
For example, if you are an aerospace engineer or if you are still looking for new courses or your skills so that you can contribute to the space sector, then definitely there should be tailored courses that helps people to upskill in the space sector.
00:15:26 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So
00:15:27 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
In order to support that, we also kind of invited this European research and strategic research projects to come and talk about like when there is a need for any business, there is also a need for people to work on that business.
00:15:44 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
And to fulfill this gap, we are also kind of helping people to get upskilled or re-skilled.
00:15:52 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
through our innovation cafes and through our platforms that we are creating locally here.
00:15:57 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Yeah, fascinating.
00:15:58 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
I guess what's the kind of format of the Innovation Cafe then?
00:16:02 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Is it, I guess you have speakers, do you just kind of set everyone off to mingle and network?
00:16:08 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Yeah, so the format of the Innovation Cafe comes like we call industry players, we call the university partners, we call the local strategic
00:16:21 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
EU stakeholders, and also invited guests who have shown potential in using the space data into their products and services.
00:16:31 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So, in the last Space Innovation Cafe, we have all kinds of industry people, research institutes, and also local stakeholders who might involve
00:16:43 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
With each other, discuss and network, so this was the idea of the first Innovation Cafe to bring everybody on the board and understand their needs much further.
00:16:52 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So, as a next step, where I'm thinking is micro co-creation process that might happen on the more university level, university research level, and...
00:17:03 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
mapping out, let's say, the research to business cases, which might help to spin out those companies from the universities and take them apart of, let's say, very ideal level startups and the growth startups later on.
00:17:20 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Yeah, fascinating.
00:17:21 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
When is the next Innovation Cafe?
00:17:24 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
The next innovation cafe is coming down the line, so it has been planned, but the dates are not out yet, but we will be able to make it in the coming autumn.
00:17:35 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Yeah, brilliant.
00:17:35 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Well, we'll try and get across and photograph it if, you know, if we're kind of like in the region, we'll see if we can bring some outside ideas to it as well.
00:17:46 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Sounds brilliant.
00:17:46 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Absolutely.
00:17:47 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Absolutely.
00:17:48 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Sounds good.
00:17:49 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Great stuff.
00:17:50 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
And it is going to be on to my next question, actually, looping back around to the first Space Economic Forum that's happening in Helsinki this December.
00:17:57 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Can you tell us a little bit more about that and what it involves, who's speaking, who's going?
00:18:02 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Yeah, so Space Economic Forum is inspired by the World Economic Forum in Davos that happens in Switzerland, which will be a premier global gathering for the leaders.
00:18:14 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
shaping the space and lunar economy.
00:18:16 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So it's scheduled to be in December, and it's designed as a platform for representation, collaboration, investment, and strategic decision, moving beyond technology alone to address the market dynamics, investment opportunities, and the policy frameworks required to support responsible growth in the sector.
00:18:37 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So the core mission of SCF is to alleviate key space and aerospace stakeholders, strengthening
00:18:44 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
public-private partnership, accelerate innovation, attract investment, and support the responsible and sustainable development of the space economy.
00:18:55 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So the crucial element of the SAFE
00:18:57 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
is its role as a platform for nations, institutions, companies, and mission-driven organizations to present their plan and projects, represent their space and aerospace ecosystems, and engage a global audience of decision makers.
00:19:14 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
But also, on the other hand, we are pushing the solar system global standards as the way for this inside the Space Economic Forum in order to, let's say,
00:19:27 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
push these kind of standards which make things enabled for the space economy and empowering the cis lunar economy.
00:19:37 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Yeah.
00:19:37 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Are you able to go into a bit more detail about what the solar system global standards are?
00:19:42 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Is it a set of standards around like quality or like radio band usage or something?
00:19:48 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So, this standard establishes A unified and comprehensive framework for the governance, regulation, and facilitation of commercial and industrial activities across all regions of the solar system, including low Earth orbit, cislunar space, the Moon, Mars, and the other planetary bodies.
00:20:07 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So, it's a purpose to ensure that space commercialization and industrial
00:20:12 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
are conducted in a peaceful, sustainable, and equitable manner for the benefit of all humankind.
00:20:19 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
States, corporations, institutions, sovereign entities, financial organizations, and participating operators are strongly encouraged to align operational, regulatory, financial, environmental, and industrial frameworks with this SSGS architecture in order to ensure interoperability, investment, compatibility,
00:20:42 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
legal predictability, safety, harmonization, and long-term participation in the emerging multi-planetary economy.
00:20:49 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So these standards complement UN instruments and international treaties governing space activities which are to be intermediated in harmony with them.
00:20:59 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Yeah, fascinating, fascinating.
00:21:01 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
And so what
00:21:03 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
I realise you've kind of like spoken a bit in quite detail about the kind of the SEF.
00:21:07 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
What, as a visitor, what would attract people to come to the SEF?
00:21:12 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
I mean, I mean, it's obviously you'd obviously you've got the option opportunity for networking, for kind of understanding the space economy on a much more kind of broader scale.
00:21:22 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Is there anything else kind of might have missed out there?
00:21:26 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So basically there will be different kinds of conference tracks which will be which will be focused on.
00:21:37 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
let's say, creating an architecture for a seamless cislunar economy, securing resource sovereignty beyond Earth.
00:21:44 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So there are different tracks where people, there are five different tracks that people can involve.
00:21:49 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
And as an, let's say, if you are a startup and if you are a growth company or if you are a company who is focused on the space economy and want to see how the cislunar economy is growing, you are able to join.
00:22:03 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
And also there will be different
00:22:06 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
layers where we can also involve startups and convening leaders.
00:22:13 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
But also on the agenda side of things, I'm also responsible for partnerships for the Space Economic Forum.
00:22:22 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So the idea would be to bring, let's say, partners from the industry, from the space economy industry together and see how they see this
00:22:34 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
way of the global dialogue for these SSGS standards.
00:22:39 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Yeah, okay.
00:22:40 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
And just to clarify, so a track, when you see there's five different tracks, a track is, I guess, the subject or the interest area.
00:22:47 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
So you've got, you'd have basically 5 different interest areas that are running concurrently and people could, visitor could jump between different tracks and say, step into a different kind of subject where speakers are talking about kind of different problems.
00:23:01 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Is that correct?
00:23:03 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Yes, it's correct.
00:23:04 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So, basically, these tracks will be focused on them, and then they will be followed by the panel discussions, as it does in the specific, so it's not like a regular conference, as you know, so it's the convening dialogue between the world leaders and...
00:23:22 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
from top down and bottom up approach.
00:23:24 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So basically thinking about the tracks.
00:23:28 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So I'm specifically talking about the tracks now.
00:23:30 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So let's say the track of, let's say, ensuring human resilience, right?
00:23:36 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So ensuring human resilience for at the frontier level.
00:23:40 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Right, so we initiate centered on healthcare and human adaptation functions required for sustained frontier operations, including standard gaps, emergency care pathways, medical escalation, and the role of robotics and digital health.
00:23:55 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
For example, there is tracks which says about unlocking the next industrial revolution, like, for example, focused on capital.
00:24:03 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
stack design for cislunar industrialization, focusing on how sovereign capital, venture capital, export credit, and industrial finance can be structured to support scalable frontier infrastructure design.
00:24:18 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Then there are tracks about securing resource sovereignty beyond Earth.
00:24:21 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
As I said, starts with how talks on standardizing the cislunar water market by defining market-grade purity thresholds, legal ownership transfer, contamination, liability, and
00:24:33 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
trade ready custody systems for lunar water.
00:24:37 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
And then there are tracks which are focused on the multi-planetary society, safety zone corridor including baseline safety zones, right-of-way conventions, proximity operations, notification pathways and conflict escalation protocols for operators working in proximity on the moon.
00:24:57 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So these kind of tracks will be there and there will be also a section for the children's.
00:25:04 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Then there will be also section for astronauts.
00:25:08 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Like they have the astronaut candidates.
00:25:10 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So it's this SEF is organized by a US-based firm known as Titan Space Industry.
00:25:16 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So it's a private agency that is hosting.
00:25:21 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
This is Helsinki Mesokeskus.
00:25:23 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So it will be really fun to see those structure and tracks and how world leaders, startups,
00:25:33 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
global stakeholders in the space economy who want to empower the cislunar economy and support it for the future.
00:25:42 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
As you know, also NASA announced their own, let's say, set up for this lunar base by certain years.
00:25:51 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So there's going to be a potential right now for this
00:25:55 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
standards to be pushed through a platform and that's the Space Economic Forum.
00:26:01 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
So it sounds fascinating.
00:26:02 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
I guess if anyone's been to slush in Helsinki, you'll know that Finland knows how to put on a really good conference.
00:26:11 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
So it sounds fascinating.
00:26:12 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Hopefully we'll be able to make it as well and we'll come across and kind of amplify it to the rest of the space community.
00:26:19 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
So sounds absolutely fascinating.
00:26:22 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
I just wanted to kind of switch track and jump on to something slightly different now.
00:26:27 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
And that's kind of to ask, what do you see as the current problems and opportunities when working in the global space industry?
00:26:35 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Yeah, so I think the global
00:26:38 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Space industry is taking its own form, according to the current geopolitics happening in different parts of the world, and Europe is really making a good progress in catching up with the global space economy, right?
00:26:58 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
And the challenges...
00:27:01 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
are also related with the satellite launch systems and the global standard for the satellite launch systems.
00:27:11 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So according to the space, the space is about everyone.
00:27:17 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
It's not about like how you see as a player to go into the space, but it's related with, let's say, all the
00:27:28 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
elements of the space economy and there are problems and challenges.
00:27:32 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
For example, satellite from satellite manufacturing, launch services, satellite communications in every sector there are challenges.
00:27:41 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
I would say also there are challenges in the skills which is acquired by the people to work in the space sector.
00:27:49 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So if you have to catch, let's say this 1 trillion
00:27:55 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
forecast which is coming right now by 2040, you have to work on these elements of the space economy, right?
00:28:04 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So it's not only about satellite manufacturing launch services, but also about the analytics which comes.
00:28:12 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
For example, if you're sending the satellite, then what's next?
00:28:15 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
What should be the business model for these companies?
00:28:18 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Like we have really great companies for Earth observation like ISI.
00:28:23 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Who is focusing on, let's say, how to make these services for their own customers, and then there are also companies like Reorbit, who is making their own satellites, right?
00:28:37 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So, in order to...
00:28:39 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
understand much better the space economy, you need to also understand the services, you need to also understand the ground infrastructure.
00:28:47 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So let's say we have also the ground station companies based here in Finland, which also provide a very key element and an intersection for this, like utilizing the satellite data.
00:29:03 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
right, through the ground infrastructure.
00:29:05 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
And this ground infrastructure indeed needs the security and all kinds of cybersecurity things to be make it secure.
00:29:13 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So emerging lunar and cis economy is also one of the ways we can see how we can catch up with the global European space market.
00:29:25 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
And I think we will be really catching up with those kind of
00:29:33 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
in the coming times.
00:29:34 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So I'm very excited.
00:29:36 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Yeah, fascinating.
00:29:37 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
I wonder if I could just get you to expand a little bit on those skills you mentioned earlier.
00:29:42 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
I realise that this is probably quite an abstract question, so apologies.
00:29:46 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
You know, I'm kind of thinking from my perspective, you know, the skills for...
00:29:50 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
The skills we need for the space economy is quite broad.
00:29:53 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
It's not just a case of like classic engineering or classic, kind of like business skills.
00:29:59 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
It encompasses a lot more, a lot more things in it, given the current delicate geopolitical situation as well.
00:30:05 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Yeah.
00:30:05 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So see, the modern space economy requires a broad mix of technical, business, policy, and entrepreneur skills.
00:30:12 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So it's not one set.
00:30:14 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So indeed, if you think about technical skills, let's say considering satellite engineering, there are spacecraft systems, payload development, satellite operations, CubeSat development, systems engineering.
00:30:25 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Then one sector will be with the space communications, RF engineering, antenna design, GNSS technologies, satellite communication, non-terrestrial networks,
00:30:35 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
5G 60 integration.
00:30:36 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Then there is space optics and photonics.
00:30:39 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
And I'm super excited about this section because we have developed the optical systems, laser communications, hyperspectral imaging, remote sensing instruments, and quantum photonics.
00:30:49 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Then the other sector involves the Earth observation and data skills like GIS, remote sensing, satellite image processing, geospatial analytics, climate intelligence, environmental monitoring.
00:31:02 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So you have to use all sorts of
00:31:04 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
like programming tools for this analysis, and then the applications are in the non-space sectors, agriculture, and also dual use cases like for defense sector is also growing, then you can't miss robotics and autonomous systems because you're highly involved with, let's say, artificial intelligence these days.
00:31:27 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
And, you know,
00:31:29 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Drone technologies, kind of right now using also this kind of data sets, drone swarms, and all these kinds of security and resilience things which is increasing at the moment, so, and coming back to the main part of the business.
00:31:50 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So you need people also with the skills of business development, technology commercialization, market analysis, investment readiness, startup creation and international partnership.
00:32:02 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Because without this layer, the other layers are not happening because ultimately this is the layer that takes things forward.
00:32:11 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Yeah, I agree.
00:32:12 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Yeah.
00:32:12 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
I mean, one of the things we commonly talk about actually is
00:32:16 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Helping to make complex ideas understandable by people who are time poor or, they're in very high level positions and don't have the ability to kind of go into a lot of detail about, CubeSat or RF theory or things like that.
00:32:31 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
And actually they need very complex ideas breaking down, but still, correctly and still discussing, like, the importance of it without going into kind of like
00:32:42 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
unnecessary details.
00:32:44 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
I think that's, we can definitely kind of empathise that with such a technical area that the ability to cut through and deliver complex ideas that people understand a lot quicker would be something that, will be needed, especially for, like you say, a global space economy where you've got to communicate across cultures, across languages, across many different
00:33:07 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
industries and markets to actually help get to get to the customer or the partner that you can that you can collaborate with.
00:33:17 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
And another point that I would like to mention here is
00:33:22 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
without the policy people, regulation people, and governance, this is not going to be adopted.
00:33:27 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So the space economy increasingly requires also expertise in space law, sustainability, spectrum regulation, export controls, space traffic management, ESG, and responsible innovation.
00:33:40 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So basically, without this layer, it's not going to be adopted, right?
00:33:44 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So this is also very critical and important if you have to
00:33:49 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
like empower this global space economy.
00:33:52 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Yeah, I completely agree.
00:33:55 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Well, I realize it's we're kind of getting on now.
00:33:57 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
So jump on to my final question.
00:33:59 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
And it's quite open one.
00:34:01 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
What's the future for the European space economy, do you think?
00:34:05 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Yeah, I think the future is bright.
00:34:07 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Like, if I look into the European space economy, and if I told, like, it's one
00:34:15 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
trillion dollar market.
00:34:17 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So in order to catch that, we have to focus on different kinds of visions.
00:34:24 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
And the vision comes with space data and earth observation, space resilience and cybersecurity, space optics and photonics, GNSS drones and autonomous systems, space entrepreneurship and commercialization.
00:34:36 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So if you focus on these set with the combo of policy governance
00:34:44 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
and law and push these standards, then it's possible that Europe will catch up this $1 trillion market by 2040.
00:34:56 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Just to collaborate there before I let you go a second.
00:35:00 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Essentially, we're kind of inferring that Europe is lagging behind kind of other market.
00:35:05 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Are you able to kind of like just dive in a little bit deeper, deeper into, I mean, this kind of obvious we're a bit behind the US when it comes to this stuff.
00:35:11 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Are we behind that kind of other markets as well, do you think?
00:35:15 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Yes, I think right now
00:35:18 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Europe has to catch up.
00:35:20 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So I'm definitely sure compared to the other market players.
00:35:25 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So we are also lagging in the global space race.
00:35:28 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
For example, if you compare it with SpaceX, Chinese state and commercial launch providers, Europe has fewer launches per year, higher launch costs, less reusable launch technology, like maturity.
00:35:42 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So we are lacking in this kind of areas.
00:35:46 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
And there are some companies like Iser Aerospace, PLD Space, and Rocket Factory, Osberg, they are emerging in the Europe and still catching up with the commercial launch competitiveness.
00:35:57 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
And also another layer you have to think about, venture capital and scale up funding.
00:36:02 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So the challenge is less risk capital than the US and other markets, smaller late stage funding rounds, more fragmented ecosystem, and slower way of commercialization.
00:36:16 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
For example, if you consider the large commercial constellations, like US leads in mega constellation through SpaceX, Amazon, and Europe is responding through only, like Iris too, but remains
00:36:27 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
behind in scale and deployment speed.
00:36:29 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
And then, for example, thinking about the human space flight and lunar programs, Europe has world-class astronauts and contributes extensively to international missions, but it doesn't have independent human launch capability, independent cruise spacecraft, independent lunar transportation systems, where, for example, the private companies
00:36:51 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
can come in and help.
00:36:53 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
For example, Europe participate also strongly in programs led by NASA and international partnership.
00:37:00 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
But this is not the way to primary deliver of the human exploration missions.
00:37:06 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Defense space investments have to be increased.
00:37:09 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Also, we have the NATO Fund, which is a very good it's going really nicely.
00:37:17 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
And then there are
00:37:18 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
various on the university level and the Horizon Europe level, we are catching up with those funds and investments in order to make this space economy boom.
00:37:28 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So whatever I can say is the commercialization speed needs to be excellent.
00:37:34 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Research, engineering, technology development, we are doing all fine with that.
00:37:40 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
But
00:37:41 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
rapid market adoption, scaling of the startups, creating global technology champions is what we need to do, which is also known as the innovation to market gap.
00:37:53 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So if we work on those, definitely we are catching and catching up with the space that the global space economy is growing.
00:38:03 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
And Europe has the answers to it, but we need to definitely work on those.
00:38:09 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Yeah.
00:38:10 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
And I guess if I can pose one final question, actually develop on what you just said then, is how can we leverage capitals to help get those startup, those scale ups kind of to cross the gap, you know, out of the sandbox, so to speak?
00:38:24 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Yes.
00:38:25 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So I think what we need to focus right now is creating specific venture capitals or the LPs need to decide
00:38:39 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
why the space economy is important at this case, though when I talk about the space economy, people have no idea what we are bringing in, but it's completely new, it's emerging, but they don't see the future, where it will go in the future, right?
00:38:56 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
So lots of investments have been towards AI, but if you...
00:39:02 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
let's say combine these two sectors together, it's very powerful.
00:39:05 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
And they need to realize like it's going to be the next thing which is coming.
00:39:11 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
And significant investments have come, as you have seen globally, that in the space sector, there has been very recently significant investments.
00:39:22 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
And this is the investment for the future where we can head to or where we look into.
00:39:30 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Yeah, fascinating.
00:39:31 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
And just go back through some of the notes here about precision farming and smart cities, traffic management and stuff.
00:39:37 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
It's quite obvious now how actually investing in the space economy is something that provides strategic benefits, but also opportunities as well.
00:39:46 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
So fantastic stuff.
00:39:48 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Well, Devanjan, thank you so much again for giving up part of your morning.
00:39:52 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
I appreciate it's still very early on a Monday morning.
00:39:54 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
So yeah, huge appreciation.
00:39:56 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
And I wish you the very best with your work.
00:40:00 Dipanjan Das, a Space Ecosystem builder for the Nordic region, based in Helsinki, Finland
Thank you so much, Chris, and looking forward for the European Space Economy today.
00:40:05 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
Same there.
00:40:07 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
It's really great chatting with Dipanjan.
00:40:09 Chris Shirley MA FRGS, Website Developer, Communications Specialist and Brand Designer at HIATUS _ Design and Communications For Strategic Industries
If you want to hear more about the Space Economic Forum and the projects he's working on, check out the show notes below, and we'll see you next time.
