Article by Chiara Chiesa,
International PR & Space Tech Transfer Commercialization Advisor, Interstellars

The European Rover Challenge has been a greatly inspiring, fabulous opportunity for participants, the general public of families and kids to get closer to the space world, with the winning match of hybrid online and in presence event, but most of all for the call to action to learn by doing, building real rovers and testing them also remotely on the surface of Mars re-created on the campus of the Kielce University of Technology.

I had the great honor to take part in this prestigious space & robotics event, combining international competitions of rovers and technological shows with top personalities from the space world, with a speech on Earth and Space Technology Transfer.

We have to keep in mind that every single technology developed for space can always have a huge impact on our daily lives on Earth, like autonomous vehicles derived from rovers, new materials, and improvement of risk management of disasters and the implementation of non-space companies’ productive processes through space tech transfer.

Events like European Rover Challenge are the steppingstone to involve the great space players and agencies to show youth that space is not only about astronauts, but it needs many other figures and professionals to develop and bring space benefits to Earth. Space is key for the technological development of a country and is becoming essential to boost economy and growth.

My career as a space professional started with my participation in a space hackathon – NASA Space Apps Challenge. I truly hope to see more and more girls and women approaching European Rover Challenge competition, this amazingly organized event, in the following years. I also hope that they can understand they can be a part of the space industry with both technical or different skills bringing their values and visions in a sector that is open for everyone.

My wish is that girls and boys will fall in love with space thanks to interactive events made by passionate people, because passion drives our future!