THIS PAST APRIL marked 60 years since Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space, successfully circling the Earth aboard Vostok 1 and changing history forever. 

The USSR-US space race is credited with advancing technologies and furthering our understanding of space but some six decades later, what can we expect the future of space exploration to look like? 

The pace of advancement has already begun to increase thanks to falling costs, new technologies, and more nations entering the fray – such as China and India. Entrepreneurs and companies have also emerged – many working in connection with national agencies – that are promising to provide new tourism options and better communications. 

Already, there is talk of establishing mining and fueling outposts on the Moon, Mars and beyond but where would you like the future of space exploration to head? 

Should we move away from commercial space exploration to a joined-up approach among nation-states? Or do you think the current model helps fuel competition? 

Are you concerned about the growing amount of space debris in our orbit? And now that space tourism is closer to becoming a reality would you like to go yourself?

Share your ideas in the comments below or reach out to us on Facebook or Whatsapp. We’ll use your responses to guide our output on this topic. 

As part of The Good Information Project, we’re looking to find out where do Ireland and the EU fit into the current space race. Whether you’re an amateur astronomer, an expert in the field, curious about the future of space exploration, or anything in between, we want to hear from you.

This work is co-funded by Journal Media and a grant programme from the European Parliament. Any opinions or conclusions expressed in this work is the author’s own. The European Parliament has no involvement in nor responsibility for the editorial content published by the project. For more information, see here.