Please note: the text below is subject to changes.
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Admission requirements
This course is part of the LDE Space & Society Honours Programme (Leiden-Delft-Erasmus) and is therefore only open to students from Leiden University, Erasmus University, and TU Delft that are enrolled in this.
Topics
Application of interdisciplinary knowledge to real-world space challenges through collaborative problem-solving, innovation, and systems thinking. Emphasis on translating academic insights into actionable solutions with societal relevance.
Disciplines
- Space Applications & Exploration
- Space Business & Innovation
- Space Law, Governance & Society
- Space Engineering & Technology
Skills
- Analysing
- Generating solutions
- Project-based working
- Collaborating
- Oral communication
- Societal awareness
Number of students
Minimum of 35 and maximum 60.
Description
During the Space Challenge, students from different disciplines will work in small teams to solve real-life, interdisciplinary space problems. These challenges will address issues facing the space sector in its current or future activities.
For example, a challenge could involve addressing the growing risk of space debris, reflecting on the safety of human spaceflight, drafting a plan for the international exploration of the Moon or Mars, or creating a plan for monitoring climate change from space.
The students will learn how to apply the knowledge obtained during the LDE Space Fundamentals and Interactions,, through an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approach to researching and addressing the questions posed by the challenge. Through this process, the students will develop novel and actionable solutions to real-world issues.
A successful outcome of the Space Challenge would be a clear iterative improvement in the questions raised, with the student teams continuously developing their understanding of the problem and broadening their search for solutions. In terms of output, a successful result would be the proposal of new approaches and solution prototypes to relevant stakeholders.
Course objectives
Work effectively in interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary teams.
Analyse a real-life problem of the space sector from multiple perspectives.
Identify the relevant concepts from the disciplines introduced during the Space Fundamentals & Interactions and apply them to the challenge in a way that contributes to its solutions.
Combine insights from different disciplines to substantiate the design of solutions to the challenge.
Present the challenge outcome effectively, in oral and written form.
Programme and timetable
Classes run from 19:00 to 21:00 hrs. on Wednesdays. Sessions will take place on different locations at Leiden University (Leiden and The Hague), TU Delft, and Erasmus University.
The programme will include sessions of the following types:
Face-to-face coordination meetings with the student team
Student team meetings with the team's supervising instructor
Enrichment sessions designed to deepen the understanding of problem solving and project management through thematic discussions and hands-on activities
Progress meetings for receiving and giving feedback among the student teams and the supervising instructors:
- Problem statement review
- Mid-term review
- Final review
Meetings with relevant stakeholders at a frequency depending on their availability and the topic of the specific challenge
Presentation of the Space Challenge before the students, instructors and potentially invited experts
Course load and teaching method
This course is worth 8 ECTS, which means the total course load equals 224 hours:
10 sessions divided over 13 weeks of = 2 hours weekly (participation is mandatory)
Review sessions:
- Problem statement review: 4 hours
- Mid-term review: 2 hours
- Final review: 2 hours
Study/research time (incl. working on the final report and the final presentation): 10 hours/week
Final Public presentations: 4 hours
Assessment and attendance
Students will be assessed as a team based on participation and performance, the final presentation, and the final report. The team grade will be adjusted to an individual grade, following peer review from the team and assessment from the instructor. Students will receive a grade of 1-10, with a passing grade of 6. In case of a failing grade, students will be asked to submit and implement an improvement plan to reach a passing grade.
Please note the attendance requirement for this course. During the challenge, students are allowed to miss one session at most and with prior explanation. The absence cannot occur during the problem statement review, mid-term review, final review and the final presentations of the challenge.
Brightspace
The Brightspace environment of Leiden University will be used for this course. Students will be enrolled to the Brightspace module by the administration of the course.
Registration process
To participate in this course, you need to apply for the LDE Space & Society Honours Programme. The application for 2025-2026 is open from 1 September (9:00 hrs) until 5 October (22:00 hrs) through the Honours Academy of Leiden University. The application form will be published on their student website.
Please note that it is not possible to follow (part of) this programme online.
Please note that students are not required to register through uSis for this course. Registration will be done centrally.
Contact
Programme coordinator: Dr. Rene Olie, LDESpaceSocietyHonours@ha.leidenuniv.nl.