Students and startups are building the next generation of space exploration technology | Space

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Hong Kong
CNN
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The launch of ventures like Blue Origin and SpaceX more than 20 years ago set off a wave of innovation in the space industry and drove down costs. Today, private companies dominate space launches and tourism, but entrepreneurs across the world are working on technology to make space exploration cheaper, more sustainable, and more efficient.

Companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin now work closely with federal agencies, who are more focused on performance than cost, Phil McAlister, the then director of NASA’s commercial space division, said in 2022. Obsessive focus on cost and business opportunities will be needed for the industry’s continued growth, he added.

On campuses and in classrooms everywhere, students are working on ideas that could seed a new generation of startups.

That includes students CNN met for this season’s Tech for Good, like those at ETH Zurich in Switzerland…