HiLASIAN Michael Písařík, team leader of Special Purpose Lasers, participated in the “Challenges and opportunities for Czech researchers and technicians in relation to the national space mission” seminar at the Upper House of the Parliament of the Czech Republic. He represented the Institute of Physics and the Council for Space Activities of the CAS, with the goal of advocating for the importance of piloted missions in relation to the growth of interest in the Moon (within a number of missions such as Artemis, Lvice2 and LuGO) and the related emergence of space economics.
The seminar was organised by the Committee for EU Affairs and its participants from academia and business reached an agreement on the unique opportunities for Czech research and industry that would stem from an expedition of a Czech astronaut into space. This was a topic of discussion following the inclusion of Aleš Svoboda among the European Space Agency (ESA) astronauts and an offer for a piloted flight to the International Space Station for the Czech Republic.
For the HiLASE Centre, space-borne laser research is an important strategic area for the upcoming decade. The uses of such lasers include communication, navigation, surface prospecting, space traffic management, and even laser propulsion of rockets and spacecrafts. These technologies offer immense added value not only to the Czech Academy of Sciences, HiLASE Centre, and Institute of Physics, but to the Czech Republic as a whole.
“The Moon is a particularly important milestone for all of the abovementioned applications,” adds Michael Písařík.
More information can be found in the press release (in Czech).
