Study location	Netherlands, Maastricht
Type	Summer Courses, Full-time
Nominal duration	1 week (2 ECTS)
Study language	English

Tuition fee	€399 one-time

Entry qualification	Enrolled as an Undergraduate student or Undergraduate diploma The entry qualification documents are accepted in the following languages: English. Often you can get a suitable transcript from your school. If this is not the case, you will need official translations along with verified copies of the original.

Language requirements	English The language of the course is English, so we expect a fluent level and the ability to follow and participate in class.

More information	maastrichtsummerschool.nl

Overview

Course Description
Space exploration commercialization progresses at high speeds. Twelve people walked on the moon until 1972 and returned to Earth with lunar soil and rocks. Since 2021, China’s Manned Space Agency (CMSA) has been operating Tiangong (天宫) in Earth’s orbit. Since 2022, the U.S.’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) mission Artemis aims to establish humans’ long presence on our natural satellite. In 2023, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) landed a module for the first time in its south pole region. In 2024, Japan became the fifth country to successfully land its Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) probe. The European Space Agency’s (ESA) fleet in the solar system is constantly expanding.
Once only a feat of governments, today, Blue Origin, SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, among others, systematically conduct space-related activities such as spaceflights bringing private astronauts beyond the limits of our planet. The discussion continues with companies establishing themselves on craters and lunar real estate being in dispute.

Goals
After completion of this course students should be able to respond to the following questions:

• What are the ethical dimensions of space settlement?
• What is the history of space travel, and which public organizations are responsible for space exploration?
• How does the private space industry ecosystem contribute to the development of the space economy?
• What are the economic elements of going to space, and who might benefit from them?
• Are there control tensions and conflicts between countries, and can space militarization be avoided?

Recommended Literature
Gaubert, A., & Lebeau, A. (2009). Reforming european space governance. Space Policy, 25(1), 37–44.
OECD. (2022). OECD Handbook on Measuring the Space Economy, 2nd Edition. Paris, France: OECD Publishing
Weeks, E. (2012). Outer space development, international relations and space law: a method for elucidating seeds. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Teaching Methods
Lectures, PBL Skills training, VR immersion, Scenario exploration activities, Optional Space Expo visit

Assessment Methods
Assignment, Oral exam, Presentation

Course Coordinator
Athanasios Tsarouchas