Zero Pressure

Helen Sharman continues the conversation with Dr Adam Baker and Dr Jill Stuart, delving deeper into the challenges and opportunities of a new space age. From space debris and satellite traffic management to questions of ownership, ethics, and sustainability, they explore how science, law, and global cooperation must come together to secure the future of exploration beyond Earth.

In part 1 of the final episode of series three, Helen Sharman is joined by Dr Adam Baker, a rocket propulsion expert, and Dr Jill Stuart, a leading authority on space politics and law, to explore the future of space exploration, from electric propulsion breakthroughs and cleaning up orbital debris to questions of ownership, governance, and ethics on the Moon and beyond. Discover how technology, regulation, and international cooperation will shape humanity’s next great adventure in space.

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).