Ruskin Felix Consulting LLC prepared a strategic plan for COVID-19 response by European Space Agency (ESA), while also assessing the strategies and the current scenario. The report lays emphasis on the current COVID-19 issue and assesses the duration of impact in the long-term and short-term. A clear understanding of the behavioral aspects and the global measures taken by other agencies is highlighted in the report. The response to the current COVID-19 situation and strategies post COVID-19 is highlighted in the report.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, all industries, worldwide, were striving to ameliorate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. That was a particularly sensitive issue for the space activity industry, which must be proactive to safeguard the high value and influence it has on the world economy. The sector will continue to bear some significant consequences from this global crisis. Space science, its operations, missions, research practices, and so on are mostly conceived for face-to-face work. As an immediate consequence, confinement impedes efficient collaboration and forces engineers, scientists, and other personnel to work remotely. It is unprecedented for space agencies or sophisticated engineering organizations to work this way. There are security and privacy risks, as well as an ongoing process of troubleshooting that arises from a culture of face-to-face employment.
Given the COVID-19 situation, European Space Agency was forced to temporarily scale down and even stop some of its key operations and missions, the recent four-spacecraft Cluster mission, for example. This led to a real, pressing dilemma for the upper management of the ESA and other agencies. They have taken concrete measures to minimize risks to employees, but the question is whether the measures should continue as they are or if there are ways to improve the productivity of the agency. Under the unprecedented conditions, a research-based road map that outlines potential solutions and best practices could be especially helpful. The goal of this report is to highlight and address this issue for bringing efficiency and effectiveness into existing systems and procedures.
The aim of the whole strategy is not just to prevent damage to the operations of the agency in the present and from similar epidemics in the future, but also to create an environment to sustain growth, bring in innovation and designing and assembling machines and technology. Innovation should be at the forefront of the agency and should hold the main responsibility for taking ESA to the next level. A special cell should be created for design innovation, its strategic implementation, creating technologies to monitor them.
ESA should aim to become the agency of the future by bringing a higher sense of conviction in its operations and efficiency. The Digital etiquette of all stakeholders must be bettered to introduce more reliance and sustenance of operations during any collapse. A disaster management unit should be made to set up policies and procedures taking all aspects into account – Biohazard, Epidemics, Natural Disasters, etc. ESA should be the most prepared when it comes to its response against any odds and should have contingencies to guide itself through each storm.
By 2025, in a short span of 5 years, ESA should demonstrate successful project completions with proper integration of technology, additive manufacturing, A controlled use of AI, and partial virtual co-working.
