Rocket science – live from the Great Exhibition Road Festival

On Sunday, 8th of June, The Zero Pressure podcast hosted a live panel session titled "Rocket Science and the New Space Race, a sold-out event in the Spotlight Talks at the Great Exhibition Road Festival 2025. Chaired by Helen Sharman, the event brought cutting-edge space science and engineering to a packed and enthusiastic public audience. The session featured two of the UK’s leading voices in space innovation: Dr Adam Baker, a renowned rocket propulsion engineer and co-founder of UK Launch Services, and MatthewArcher, Director of Launch at the UK Space Agency. The panel explored the exciting evolution of space technologies, from high-thrust chemical rockets to innovative propulsion systems like the Magdrive, an in-space engine that utilisesmetallic fuels and plasma acceleration.

This time, we're diving into the rise of high-energy laser systems and the game-changing potential of their high-powered lasers. Since their invention, lasers have revolutionized science and technology, enabling precision surgeries, driving advanced manufacturing, and transforming global communications. High power lasers, once confined to science fiction, are now capable of taking down drones and missiles with remarkable precision and efficiency.Helen Sharman is joined by Jessica Glenn and Jae Daniel, the co-founders of Aim Defence, and also Professor Richard Thompson. Richard is a professor of experimental physics at Imperial College London, with particular expertise in atomic physics, spectroscopy and quantum optics.

In the last of our series of special bonus editions, Helen Sharman is joined by Swedish physicist and ESA astronaut, Christer Fuglesang, who spent 26 days on board the ISS, and in that time conducted 31 hours of extravehicular activities (that’s space walks).

Welcome to another special bonus edition of the Zero Pressure Podcast, presented by Imperial College London and Saab. For our recent episode on the future of space stations, we were lucky to be joined by 3 astronauts. To kick off 2025 we are releasing each of those conversations in full, bringing you even more leading insight into our future in space.This time we are hearing Helen Sharman's full conversation with Soyeon Yi, biotechnologist, and South Korea’s first astronaut, who spent 10 days on board the ISS.  

Welcome to a special bonus edition of the Zero Pressure Podcast, presented by Imperial College London and Saab. For our recent episode on the future of space stations, we were lucky to be joined by 3 astronauts. To kick off 2025 we are releasing each of those conversations in full, bringing you even more leading insight into our future in space. To start with, here’s Helen Sharman's full conversation with German physicist and astronaut, Reinhold Ewald. Reinhold is President of the Association of Space Explorers and spent 18 days on the Mir space station. 

This is a very special edition of the Zero Pressure Podcast series as Helen Sharman is joined by 3 fellow astronauts to discuss the future of space stations. Since the 1970s, humans have been using orbiting space stations as places to live and work in microgravity. More than engineering and life support marvels, they are platforms for ground-breaking experimental research, expanding our knowledge of science and our ability to explore further. Helen is joined by Reinhold Ewald, German physicist and astronaut, now President of the Association of Space Explorers, who spent 20 days in space, 18 days on the Mir space station.  Soyeon Yi, biotechnologist, and South Korea’s first astronaut, who spent 11 days in space, 9 on the ISS. Soyeon is now a lecturer and businessperson, currently with a particular interest in medical devices.  And Christer Fuglesang, physicist and the first Swedish astronaut, who spent 26 days over 2 missions in space, 17 days on board the ISS, with five EVAs, or spacewalks.

What does a technical roadmap to sustainable aviation look like, and what role will innovative technologies, sustainable aviation fuels, and new propulsion methods play in this transformation? We explore the costs, timelines, and infrastructure changes needed, and consider how these shifts could reshape not just the industry, but our global approach to climate resilience. Britain's first astronaut, Helen Sharman, is joined by Professor Christer Fureby. Christer is a professor at Lund University in Sweden, specialising in computational fluid dynamics, with a focus on sustainable energy solutions. With extensive expertise in advanced propulsion systems and sustainable aviation, his research aims to improve the efficiency of energy use and to reduce the climate impact of aviation.

This time we delve into the world of asymmetric warfare, a term used to describe imbalances in conflict. From geopolitics to cutting-edge technology and even the growing divide between humans and machines, asymmetry is reshaping the battlefield of today and tomorrow. We are delighted to be joined on Zero Pressure by Paul Scharre. Paul is an author, scholar, and expert on defence technology, artificial intelligence, and future warfare. He currently serves as the Vice President and Director of Studies at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). Paul is the author of the books - Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intellligence, and Army of None: Autonomous Weapons and the Future of War. In 2023 TIME Magazine named him as one of the 100 most influential people in AI.  

This time we are exploring how the interplay between the commercial and military sectors - as well as the financial system, can foster innovation. In recent decades there has been a seismic shift in how aerospace, defence and security technologies are funded, with a drastic move from public to private investment. This surge in private funding not only accelerates the production of advanced technologies but also unlocks previously restricted public projects, paving the way for dual-use applications, market efficiency, open-source advancements, and a wealth of commercial opportunities. Helen Sharman is joined by Clayton Williams, Managing Director of IQT International UK Ltd. IQT is a not-for-profit strategic investor that accelerates the development and delivery of cutting-edge technologies to intelligence and national security agencies of the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia.

Professor Yang Gao joins Helen Sharman in the studio for a deep dive into robotics. Professor Yang heads the Centre for Robotics Research at King's College London. We'll also be hearing excerpts from our recent Zero Pressure live event at the Great Exhibition Road Festival, where a panel discussed the technologies on Earth that may help humanity thrive on other planets.