Górny Śląsk wants to turn its industrial heritage into an advantage in the race for space technologies. The former Wujek coal mine in Katowice, where extraction ended last year, may become a unique testing ground for robots, life support systems and technologies designed for lunar and Martian missions.
The project, developed by Dr. Tomasz Rożek and Krzysztof Kurdyła from the Science. I Like It Foundation, envisages using deep mine shafts to create a research installation that could achieve record‑breaking periods of weightlessness on Earth. The underground workings would serve as a realistic analog of extraterrestrial conditions – with high dust levels, no GPS signal, isolation and constant stress – without the need to build specialized laboratories.
A natural laboratory for space analog research
– Underground excavations of the mine provide an ideal testing environment. Unlike sterile laboratories, they allow realistic simulations of conditions on the Moon or Mars: high dust, lack of GPS, isolation, stress – explains Leszek Pietraszek, chairman of the Górnośląsko‑Zagłębiowska Metropolis (GZM).
The concept includes research on human functioning in isolation, management of limited resources, life support systems, as well as testing autonomous robots and technologies. The project also plans to retrain former miners as laboratory technicians, robot operators or specialists in maintaining space infrastructure. This would allow the region to retain skilled workers while avoiding labor market disruption.
– We have experience working in extreme conditions. For decades we have developed technologies that allow people to work safely in very difficult and hostile environments deep underground – adds Pietraszek.
Śląsk bids for the ESA technology center
On July 13, the European Space Agency (ESA) is expected to announce the location of its new technology center. Among the contenders is the Górnośląsko‑Zagłębiowska Metropolis, together with the city of Katowice, regional authorities and local partners. The region already hosts a growing space ecosystem: KP Labs in Gliwice develops AI for satellites, Future Processing and FP Instruments create software and electronics for space projects, Flytronic works on satellite communication and unmanned systems, and ICEYE plans to open an office in the Shaft K hub.
– Attracting ESA’s center to our region would be a development impulse for many years. Such institutions bring specialists, companies, startups, research projects and capital. For universities it means closer cooperation with the European space sector, for students career opportunities in the region, and for companies a chance to enter European supply chains. We have the potential to become one of the most important technology development hubs in this part of Europe – concludes Pietraszek.
According to the GZM chairman, the key next step is to quickly commission a feasibility study. The interest shown by ministries is crucial to speed up the process, as the mine is in the process of liquidation and the decision on its use cannot be delayed for several years.
Źródło: WNP.PL, Fot. SaskiaAcht / Shutterstock
