LDE Space & Society Honours Programme

Do you want to contribute to society and do you have affinity with space? In this honours programme, you will gain the knowledge and tools to become an innovative thinker, tackle a real-world challenge in the space sector and contribute to improving the use of space technology for the benefit of society. The LDE Space & Society Honours Programme welcomes students of all faculties, since space challenges have both technological and societal aspects. The programme is open to motivated second- and third-year bachelor’s students from LDE universities with interest in the topic.

The programme

The lecture programme consists of four modules:

  • Space Applications & Exploration
  • Space Business & Innovation
  • Space Law, Governance & Society
  • Space Engineering & Technology

In each module the lectures provide you with the key insights and fundamental knowledge of the module’s disciplines as well as basic understandings and examples of how the fundamentals interact with or influence the disciplines in the other modules. Combined, the modules will provide an understanding on the drivers and boundary conditions for space activities and the major global developments in and with the space sector. Besides the lectures, you will also partake in sector visits, workshops and an interdisciplinary team project. The programme runs from November to June.

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LDE Space Challenge team project

In the second part of the programme, the Space Challenge, you wil team up with the students of the other three universities to take on real-life space challenges. You will apply your newly acquired knowledge from the space disciplines fundamentals and interactions to a current, relevant problem that the space sector is facing that requires an interdisciplinary approach to define a solution. The interdisciplinary teams design and present novel integrated solutions for an evolving space sector.

Why join the LDE Space & Society Honours Programme?

  • The space sector is rapidly evolving, out of the niche of exceptional technology into a regular part of society. Most of us use space technology and space data on a daily basis (weather data, GPS). 
  • Space is seen as an important way to tackle climate change. It is therefore of increasing importance for students to learn about the technological, economic and social developments that will help shape the space sector.
  • The current geopolitical tensions in the world underline the importance of space: space is increasingly seen as ‘the next frontier’.

What will I learn?

  • You will learn the fundamentals of space technology, space law, space business and much more.
  • You will learn how to work effectively in an interdisciplinary team of students.
  • You will learn how to analyse a space sector problem or challenge from multiple perspectives and identify possible conflicts of interest.
  • You will learn how to combine insights from different disciplines to design solutions.

Registration process

Registration for 2024-2025 is open from 2 September (9:00 hrs) until 6 October (22:00 hrs). All information about application, admission and deadlines can be found here:

More information

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