‘Cyprus has unique potential for space exploration’

Cyprus has unique potential for space exploration, said space consultant and former head of the ESA’s Solar System Exploration division Dr Marcello Coradini on Thursday.

Coradini, a key contributor in space projects on the island, is currently in Cyprus to attend the launch of the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission, which was due to be launched late on Thursday from the ESA/CNES Kourou space centre in French Guiana.

The launch was however postponed until Friday just after 12 noon GMT due to the risk of lightning at the launch site.

The JUICE spacecraft is expected to reach Jupiter in July 2031 and aims to discover whether Jupiter’s icy moons are capable of hosting extra-terrestrial life.

“I am delighted to be in Cyprus, a country with unique potential in space exploration, which I support with my experience for the development of the domestic space sector and industry,” the Chairman of the International space advisory board and CEO of Space System Solutions told the Cyprus News Agency.

Coradini highlighted how space exploration can have a “significant impact on the country’s economy and technological development”.

Together with the Cyprus space exploration organisation (CSEO), the space consultant is designing new space projects for the island. One of the ongoing projects is the development of an instrument to measure the age of Martian sediments. This is being built and tested in Cyprus, in areas of Troodos that have a similar geological composition to Mars, before being sent to the planet on a future mission.

Regarding JUICE, Coradini said it is one of the most ambitious and challenging space missions ever attempted with an enormous scientific potential.

“The JUICE mission is of particular importance and I am excited to be part of it,” he said, noting how it will provide valuable information. It can answer some of the most fundamental questions about the origins of life in our solar system and beyond, he declared.

“The icy moons of Jupiter, Europa and Ganymede are particularly exciting targets for us as they have vast oceans of water that could provide an environment suitable for life,” he said.

In his own statements, the President of the Cyprus Space Exploration Organisation George Danos praised Coradini’s role in Cyprus and also highlighted the importance of the JUICE mission.

“The goal of exploring the icy moons of Jupiter, Ganymede and Europa makes the mission particularly important as it can answer one of the most fundamental questions of humanity: whether there are other forms of life outside Earth,” Danos said.

Referring to Dr Marcello Coradini, he said that he is a key contributor to the development of important space projects in Cyprus.