Top of the space pops

The Autumn 2025 issue of ROOM Space Journal of Asgardia has just been published, delivering another wide-ranging exploration of the ideas, technologies and policies shaping humanity’s future in space.

On the cover, ‘Cyber safety in Earth orbit’ signals one of the issue’s central themes: how artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming space operations while simultaneously creating unprecedented vulnerabilities.

In his special report, Sylvester Kaczmarek dissects the complex web of risks associated with AI-driven spacecraft and ground systems, from adversarial attacks and data poisoning to the possibility of hostile control. His analysis underscores the urgent need for resilience and governance in this new era of spaceflight.

Editor-in-Chief Clive Simpson sets the scene in his Foreword, describing the sector as entering a “season of reckoning.” With the European Space Act newly tabled and the fifth European Space Forum in Brussels framing debates, Simpson warns of the dangers of “sleepwalking into orbital anarchy” without clear international rules. His report from Brussels details Europe’s bid to unify fragmented governance and enhance competitiveness while ensuring sustainability in orbit.

Policy and law are major threads throughout this edition. UK Member of Parliament George Freeman argues for a “Geneva Convention for Space” in a wide-ranging opinion piece, stressing that regulation is not the enemy of innovation but a necessary foundation for the commercial space age.

Legal specialists Molly Doyle and Lauren Napier examine what happens when space debris falls back to Earth, using a recent real-life case in Florida to test the adequacy of international liability frameworks.

Meanwhile, Stephen Carr-Baugh explores the challenges of regulating high-altitude platforms that operate in the poorly defined zone between aviation and outer space.

Other features look outward across the solar system. Former NASA Chief Scientist James Green introduces readers to the concept of cosmic weather – vast, long-term cycles of galactic forces that may influence Earth and life itself. 

Dr Ingrid Daubar, Project Scientist for NASA’s Europa Clipper mission, explains why Jupiter’s icy moon remains one of the most tantalising targets in the search for extraterrestrial life. In another conversation piece, ROOM’s Steve Kelly speaks with MIT astrophysicist Sara Seager about the prospects for discovering signs of life beyond our solar system.

Closer to home, ROOM continues its tradition of in-depth reporting on Europe’s space ambitions. Simpson also covers Vigil, ESA’s planned space weather mission at the strategically important L5 Lagrange point, which is expected to gain the approval of European ministers later this year.

The issue also includes Nick Spall’s assessment of the UK’s shifting role in human spaceflight, James Woodburn’s survey of the transformation of satellite technology, and Rico Behlke’s look at the revolution promised by software-defined satellites.

International perspectives are provided by veteran space writer Brian Harvey, who charts Iran’s steady progress as a space power despite decades of sanctions, and by contributions from Russian researchers Yuri Bubeev, Alexander Smoleevsky and Olga Manko on the biomedical mystery of how long-duration spaceflight affects astronaut vision.

As always, ROOM’s Space Science and Space Lounge sections bring conceptual and speculative thinking into the mix. Kelvin F Long suggests turning orbital debris into a vast artificial ring system, while Luigi Vacca revisits the “galactic zoo” hypothesis to ask why humanity is still waiting to meet aliens.

With its blend of hard science, policy insight, industry developments and visionary ideas, Issue 37 reinforces ROOM’s international reputation as the forum where space professionals, policymakers and enthusiasts meet.

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For further information: ROOM Space Journal

UK Space Agency to be deorbited

 

The UK Space Agency (UKSA) is to become part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

The change is scheduled to take place by April 2026, aimed at streamlining government support for the UK’s space industry.

It follows the agency’s recent announcement that it will provide over £2.5 million for five projects aimed at using satellite data to support public services, and its launch of Europe’s first satellite dedicated to carbon dioxide monitoring.

Space Minister Sir Chris Bryant said: “Bringing things in house means we can bring much greater integration and focus to everything we are doing while maintaining the scientific expertise and the immense ambition of the sector."

UKSA was founded in 2010 and currently operates as an executive agency of DSIT. It catalysed investment and revenue of at least £2.2 billion for the UK space sector in 2024-25.

Despite the BBC's attention-grabbing and not strictly true headline "UK independent space agency scrapped to cut costs" this seems like a sensible decision.

UKSA has mostly punched below expectations and has essentially been a quango (quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisation) with little real clout.

Today's announcement follows a commitment from Prime Minister Keir Starmer to reduce costs and cut the number of arms length government bodies.

The agency, its budget and activities will now be absorbed into DSIT which will also coordinate/oversee other space-related activities for the country.

Overall, the UKSA "brand" will continue - just without the extra layer of bureaucracy.

Former CEO of the UKSA, Katherine Courtney said she could understand why the government had taken this decision but didn't believe the change will achieve the stated aims.

"My time in Whitehall taught me that restructuring doesn’t drive efficiency and effectiveness in pubic sector organisations," she added.

"In my experience, ever administration hopes they can reduce costs through restructuring - but what really would make public sector organisations leaner and more effective are clear strategic priorities and greater continuity of ministerial leadership.

"UKSA hasn’t had either of those for over a decade and until the current government recognises the vital strategic role space plays for UK economic growth and national security, that’s unlikely to change."

The British Interplanetary Society (BIS), a long-time advocate of a UK space agency, welcomed the commitment to retain the UKSA’s identity and scientific expertise. 

In a statement issued on social media it said: "We believe efficient and accountable public structures are essential to ensure that British excellence in space continues to flourish. 

"A unified approach is vital to making rapid progress on national space goals - from innovation in small satellites and in-orbit servicing to leadership in space sustainability.

"The BIS is confident that this transition, when implemented consultatively, can preserve the dynamic, pioneering spirit that has characterised the UK’s space endeavours since the 1930s. 

"We urge government and industry to work together in ensuring that the UK’s visionary projects - supporting an £18.6 billion sector and 55,000 highly skilled jobs - continue to receive the focus and clarity they deserve."

Watch this space!

Climate scepticism is a killer

The small city of Silopi in Turkey’s Şırnak province made unwanted history on 25 July 2025 when temperatures surged to 50.5°C (122.9F) – a record not only for Turkey but for continental Europe. 

This broke the country’s previous record of 49.5C set just two years earlier and came amid a wider pattern of searing heat across the region. 

But just as the atmosphere cracked under the weight of heat and smoke, a parallel blaze of apathy dominated the comments of social media posts. 

This is not just weather. It is signal and the fact that so many brush it off as meaningless should alarm us as much as the rising mercury.

The numbers are startling:

•    50.5C in Silopi, verified by Turkish meteorological authorities, marking the hottest temperature ever recorded in the country

•    132 weather stations reported record highs or lows across the country on the same day

•    in cities like Bursa and Karabuk, more than 3,500 residents were evacuated due to wildfires

•    over 80 blazes burned simultaneously in southern and western provinces

•    the death toll – still rising at the time of writing – included firefighters, volunteers and civilians, some overcome by flames, others by the heat itself.

Turkey was not an isolated flashpoint but more akin to the leading edge of a continental burn. In Greece, Italy and across the eastern Mediterranean, similar conditions have prevailed. 

And yet: “Just a hot day.”

Scrolling through the UK Met Office’s Facebook post about Turkey’s record heat, one might expect concern, curiosity or even a sober call for concerted action. 

Instead the voices of indifference seem to shout loudest with many of the top comments veering toward minimisation:

    “It’s Turkey. It’s always hot.”
    “It’s summer. Get over it.”
    “Every year you say it’s the hottest ever – so what?”

Such remarks aren't surprising anymore but they are disappointing and dangerous.

What we’re seeing isn’t a few keyboard cynics. It’s a growing climate indifference – a conditioned reflex to ignore or downplay events that no longer feel shocking. 

It’s as if the extremes scientists have warned about have become background noise. But to those on the ground – displaced, grieving, choking in smoke – it’s all very real.  

Climate context
This summer’s heat in the northern hemisphere is part of a wider and well-documented trend:

•    Europe is warming twice as fast as the global average.

•    the frequency and duration of heatwaves across the Mediterranean has tripled in the past 20 years.

•    attribution science has made it clear – events like Turkey’s 50.5C day are virtually impossible in the short term without human-induced climate change.

So, no, this is not just “a hot day” for the record books. It is part of a pattern that is remaking our seasons, our safety and our stories of the future. 

Survivability
As global temperatures rise, there’s a growing and often overlooked truth: above certain thresholds, the human body simply cannot survive for long without artificial cooling. 

It is widely accepted that a 35C wet-bulb temperature – a combination of heat and humidity – marks the upper physiological limit for humans. 

Beyond this, sweating becomes ineffective, the body can no longer cool itself and death can occur within hours, even in the shade. In dry heat, conditions above 45-50C without shade, ventilation or hydration can lead to heatstroke, organ failure, and death. 

Turkey’s new record is dangerously close to these thresholds and in a world where access to air conditioning and reliable electricity is not universal, especially in rural or low-income communities, this is no longer just a matter of discomfort.  

Complicit indifference 
It’s tempting to see social media as a misinformation sideshow. But the stories we tell – and the ones we ignore – shape public discourse and political will. 

If each new heat record becomes a meme or a punchline, we lose the urgency. And without urgency, we lose momentum. Indifference breeds delay. Delay costs lives.

That’s why this blog post is not just about numbers. It’s about meaning – about connecting the dots before the hairline cracks become fault lines.

In a moment like this, it's not enough to track the rising heat. We must also track the rising silence – the space where concern should be but isn’t. If records like Turkey’s 50.5C don’t register as wake-up calls, what will?

This is not hyperbole. It’s our future history and the tragedy is already unfolding more quickly than was predicted.

Transformation, if it comes, will demand not just awareness but imagination – a capacity to think far beyond fossil futures and current lifestyles.