KTH Space Center coordinates and promotes space-related activity at several KTH departments, with an overarching objective of establishing KTH as a "Space University" and a hub for Swedish space research and technology.
Space Rendezvous Autumn 2024
The next Space Rendezvous is getting closer! On Friday 14th of November KTH Space Center hosts the next Space Rendezvous where you get a chance to come listen to speakers within the space field. This time the theme is space and defence and speakers from SNSA, SAAB, FOI, LTU, the Swedish Defence Institute and more will come to speak.
The even is between 13-17 in F2 followed by a space pub afterwards at the T-chapter (Drottning Kristinas väg 29).
Seminar: Beyond Launch: Engineering the Future of In-Space Operations through Propulsion, GNC, and Robotics
On 21st November 12:15-13:00 Dr. Arindrajit Chowdhury, CEO of InspeCity Space Labs and Professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, will visit KTH to give a seminar.
📅 When: 21st November, 12:15–13:00
📍 Where: V2, KTH
👤 Who: Dr. Arindrajit Chowdhury — CEO of InspeCity Space Labs & Professor at IIT Bombay
🎙️ What: Seminar on emerging technologies and entrepreneurship driving the next era of building and operating sustainably in space
As we transition from exploring space to building and operating within it, new paradigms of technology and entrepreneurship are emerging. This session, led by Dr. Arindrajit Chowdhury, CEO of of InspeCity Space Labs, dives into how propulsion, guidance-navigation-control, and robotic systems form the foundation of the next phase of In-Space Servicing and Assembly (ISAM). Blending engineering insight with startup lessons, Dr. Chowdhury will outline how his team is designing and demonstrating the enabling technologies for orbital sustainability. The talk will provide a behind-the-scenes look at developing deep-tech in a startup setting, bridging cutting-edge research with real-world implementation in one of the most challenging environments imaginable—space.
Dr. Chowdhury holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University and a degree in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Kharagpur. His research spans combustion, propulsion systems, and space technology, and he has extensive collaborations with organizations such as ISRO, DRDO, and ONGC.
He is a member of ASME, ISAMPE, and INACOM, and currently leads InspeCity Space Labs, a Mumbai-based company developing technologies for in-space infrastructure.
Job Opportunity: Research Student Assistent for the Mechanical Design of a Space Detector
A research student assistant is sought to work on the mechanical design of an X-ray detector which will be mounted in a CubeSat (earth-orbiting mini-satellite). The detector will be used for astrophysics and study the brightest explosions in the universe – gamma-ray bursts. The aim is to design and build a prototype mechanical structure and evaluate the performance in the lab. The position is placed within the particle physics, astrophysics and medical imaging Division at the Department of Physics, which is located at AlbaNova University Centre.
Requirements
You should be admitted to first or second-level cycle education at a Swedish university
Experience with mechanical design using CAD software.
Stefan Krämer is a Program Manager at the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC), where he has been active since 2014. He currently leads SSC’s Microgravity Services and the SubOrbital Express program, managing missions that enable advanced research in weightlessness. Stefan also oversees the development of microgravity experiment and flight systems for sounding rocket missions, drop towers, and related platforms. Previously, he was responsible for the REXUS/BEXUS student rocket and balloon program. Over the years, he has led eight microgravity missions and coordinated several stratospheric balloon launches, contributing significantly to SSC’s suborbital and educational spaceflight initiatives.
Why Microgravity? A Primer on Platforms and Experiment Design
Microgravity research enables scientists to observe phenomena that are otherwise obscured by Earth’s gravity—revealing new insights in physics, biology, and materials science. In this short lecture, we’ll explore why microgravity matters, what platforms are available to access it, and how to approach experiment design in this unique environment.
From drop towers to orbital missions, each platform offers distinct opportunities and constraints. While sounding rockets may be used as illustrative example for capabilities enabled in Sweden, the goal is to broaden understanding of microgravity capabilities and introduce key design principles such as duration, acceleration environment, and payload integration.
This talk is intended as a gateway for students and researchers curious about the potential of microgravity experimentation.
Seminar: Environmental Control and Life Support, the Long View
On 14th of August 14:15-14:45 KTH Space Center hosted its first space seminar of the school year.
This time Dr. Sherwin Gormly came to KTH to explore how we can keep humans alive in the most extreme environments—even on Mars. He spoke about the cutting-edge water recycling and life support systems making it possible, with insights that also have surprising benefits for life back on Earth.
Known as “The Urine King,” Sherwin Gormly is a former NASA researcher with over 30 years of experience developing cutting-edge water recycling systems for space. He is a senior advisor for Swedish company Hydromars and will, amomg other things, be talking about their current development efforts.
If you missed the seminar you can now watch it
here
!🚀
Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) are essential for sustaining human life beyond Earth’s atmosphere. These integrated systems manage critical functions such as air revitalization, water recovery, and waste recycling within closed habitats. They form the technological backbone for long-duration space missions and provide important models for advancing sustainable resource management on Earth.
In this lecture, Dr. Sherwin Gormly, Senior Advisor on Water ECLSS Engineering at Hydromars, provided a detailed, systems-level perspective on the design and operation of ECLSS. Drawing on decades of experience and data from spaceflight programs, including the International Space Station (ISS), Sherwin explored key engineering aspects such as metabolic mass balancing, system scalability, and the implementation of regenerative water technologies capable of supporting missions ranging from weeks to multiple years.
The talk covered critical trade-offs between expendable and regenerative components, the influence of gravity environments - from microgravity to lunar and Martian gravity - on system performance, and the use of modelingtechniques to optimize life support architectures for future space habitats.
Sherwin also presented Hydromars’ current development efforts focused on lightweight, energy-efficient water recycling systems designed to enable continuous human presence in space. This discussion will highlight how advances in ECLSS engineering contribute to the broader goal of sustainable space exploration while inspiring innovation relevant to environmental challenges on Earth.
Sherwin Gormly is a veteran researcher formerly at NASA’s Ames Research Center, where he led the NASA Water Recycle Laboratory for five years. With over 30 years of experience in Space Life Support (ECLSS) and regenerative water process research, Sherwin has hands-on expertise in the fabrication and engineering of ECLSS prototypes and flight experiment hardware, including membrane-based solutions for treating wastewater and urine in both microgravity and terrestrial settings.
Sherwin holds a PhD in Civil Engineering (Water Processes), is a Licensed Professional Engineer (PE), and previously served as a USAF Captain and launch officer. He has authored over 40 peer-reviewed publications, and earned the nickname “The Urine King”, popularized by Packing for Mars by Mary Roach. He also contributed to NASA’s technology innovation efforts, such as “Waterwalls for Life Support” (a 2017 NASA Invention of the Year Honorable Mention).
Winners of the best space-thesis work 2024
KTH Space Center has announced the winners of the best thesis awards at the advanced and basic levels for 2024!
At the basic level, we extend our congratulations to Amer Avdic and Alfred Mjörnheim, who each receive 5000 SEK for their study investigating how light pulses from neutron stars, caused by their magnetic and rotational axes, can be used to gather information about their properties and behavior.
The prize for the best thesis at the advanced level and 15,000 SEK goes to Simon Thor for his thesis focusing on improving simulations of tau lepton decays to enable more accurate observations of tau neutrinos with the IceCube detector at the South Pole, by integrating high-precision simulations from Tauola.
Congratulations to the winners for their interesting and valuable theses!
Take the opportunity to listen to Amer och Alfred's presentation during Space Rendezvous on Thursday the 20th of Mars! Simon Thor will be presenting his work later this autumn.
Interested in the use of AI for monitoring environmental changes?
During World Space Week 2024, KTH Space Center hosted a seminar titled "Earth Observation Big Data and Deep Learning for Global Environmental Change Monitoring," with
Dr. Yifang Ban
as the speaker. She presented groundbreaking
methods
for monitoring environmental changes using satellite data and AI, focusing on wildfires and urbanization.
If you missed the seminar, you can watch it here:
For those interested in delving deeper into the topic, KTH also offers several courses in geoinformatics and remote sensing, including these, where Dr. Yifang Ban is the course coordinator:
After completing one of these courses, it is also possible to do your thesis within this exciting field of research.
Support for space projects at KTH
We want to remind you that KTH Space Center offers the possibility to apply for financial support for groups or individuals at KTH who wish to carry out any space-related projects or operations.
The support is primarily aimed for new initiatives but ongoing projects and activities can also be considered. All employees and students at KTH are welcome to apply. Amounts of up to 50,000 kr is normal, in some cases higher sums can be considered.
Applications should be sent to rymdcenter@sci.kth.se
A look inside KTH Space Technology Laboratory
The KTH Space Technology Laboratory is a central part of KTH Space Center. The laboratory offers state-of-the art environments with laboratory equipment and technical staff with the aim is to strengthening the role of KTH within international research and space technology. Want to take a look inside the laboratory and what it has to offer? We now present our new video of the KTH Space Technology Laboratory!
