Space is no longer the domain of imagination. It is a strategic reality, one that shapes security, economy, and the long-term future of humanity. Satellites guide agriculture, connect societies, and support disaster relief. And on the horizon lies the promise of a fully operational in-space economy. Yet space is also a fragile, contested, and resource-scarce environment. The question Hadler has built her career around is both simple and profound: how do we explore and use space without repeating the mistakes we have made on Earth?
"Developing approaches with the extremes of space forces us to think differently about our use of resources," she explains. "Creating approaches based on the principles of zero waste and sustainability."
It is a challenge that reframes what space exploration is really about. In the popular imagination, the race to space is a story of speed and ambition — of nations and companies competing to reach further, faster. But for Hadler, the more important question is not whether we can get there, but what kind of presence we build once we do.
"Space is a future-facing domain," she says, "that has the potential to transform space exploration and the space economy."
From orbit to the Moon — and beyond
At LIST, that vision is pursued through concrete science. Technologies designed for space must operate under conditions that dwarf any challenge faced on Earth: extreme temperatures, hard vacuum, micro and low gravity, and the complete absence of water or processed fluids. Every material, every sensor, every process must be engineered from the ground up to withstand environments where failure is not an option.
"Here at LIST, we're developing new processes, materials and sensors that will enable operation in orbit, on the Moon and beyond," Hadler says.
This means lightweight, radiation-resistant composites; advanced coatings that can endure thermal extremes; printed sensors capable of gathering data in conditions no off-the-shelf instrument could survive; and AI-powered navigation tools for missions where communication delays make real-time human guidance impossible. It is research that pushes the boundaries of materials science, engineering, and digital intelligence simultaneously — and that requires a rare capacity to work across all three at once.
Luxembourg's position in this field is no accident. The country launched its SpaceResources.lu initiative in 2016 and passed dedicated space resources legislation in 2017, among the first in the world to do so. ESRIC, the European Space Resources Innovation Centre, was formally established in 2020 as a joint initiative of the Luxembourg Space Agency and LIST, in strategic partnership with the European Space Agency. Today, Luxembourg's space ecosystem encompasses more than 80 organisations, making it one of the most concentrated hubs of space expertise in Europe.
Building an ecosystem, not just a technology
What sets LIST's approach apart is a conviction that technology alone is not enough. Shaping a responsible in-space economy requires researchers, entrepreneurs, and industry to work in concert — and that ecosystem must be actively built.
"At LIST, we are developing the next generation of scientists and engineers through our own research," Hadler explains. "In addition, at ESRIC, we have our own challenge, business incubation and acceleration programs supported by the European Space Agency."
These programmes — from ESA and ESRIC challenges to a dedicated start-up support programme and space resources accelerator — are designed to translate scientific advances into commercial and operational realities. The goal is not merely to produce research, but to ensure that research finds its way into the missions, companies, and infrastructures that will define the next era of space activity.
"This unique combination of research and building of the innovation ecosystem," Hadler says, "will position Europe at the forefront of this new space economy."
It is a pivotal moment for Europe in space. As global competition intensifies and market dynamics shift, the EU has recognised that it possesses the ingredients to lead: world-class research institutions, strong industrial capabilities, and an educated workforce. What is needed now is the will to bring them together and the frameworks to do so sustainably.
The answers we need, closer to home
There is one further dimension to LIST's work in space resources that Hadler returns to with particular passion. The lessons learned in orbit do not stay in orbit. Engineering for the most extreme environments humanity has ever attempted to operate in generates insights that flow directly back to Earth.
"Developing approaches with the extremes of space forces us to think differently about our use of resources," she reflects. "This is one of the most exciting things about what we do. Finding new solutions to some of Earth's biggest challenges."
In a research landscape often shaped by the ambition to reach further and go faster, it is a grounding thought — and perhaps the most compelling argument of all for why space resources matter.
Kathryn Hadler was on the stage of Voices of Innovation, LIST's annual flagship event, highlighting researchers and their work at the frontier of science and society.