By Adrian Flynn
2025 Karman Fellows and Space Leaders Elevate Collaboration Amidst Complexity
The 2025 cohort of Karman Fellows kicked off July with their third virtual gathering, featuring two very special guests: Chair of The Karman Project and CEO of The Exploration Company Hélène Huby, and Former ESA Director General and Chair of the Karman Selection Board Jean-Jacques Dordain. Managing Director Hannah Ashford led an introductory session on navigating a world and a space sector defined by VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity), which sparked thoughtful exchange among the Fellows.
The challenges facing international cooperation in space are numerous, but so are the potential solutions. Fellows opined that VUCA is indeed the price of entry in space, and is precisely what allows people to accomplish amazing feats. Though space activities often carry grandiose connotations, Fellows shared that it may be small, nimble, and innovative endeavors that are best equipped to navigate the present climate. Huby and Dordain offered their own leadership experience to reinforce that one should “navigate complexity with simplicity,” and stick to core values as a basis for action. Dordain, one of the architects of the International Space Station (ISS), emphasized that no matter the scale of a collaborative project, it’s all about people. While pragmatically recognizing political realities, one should accordingly focus on people, not solely institutions, as the primary nodes of collaboration.
Both esteemed leaders of the space community know very well that it is crucial to highlight common interests, not the areas of contention, when building cooperation. Dordain shared his perspective as the first member of his immediate family in generations to not have had firsthand experience with war, imploring Fellows to “invent the future, not reinvent the past.” He emphasized that there are no spectators in the present democratized state of outer space affairs, and it is incumbent upon all of us to act. Huby underlined the numerous opportunities for sustainable peacebuilding in space, which, by its very nature, can unlock a unique collective joy of accomplishing difficult things together.
Looking ahead to Karman Week 2025, this Cohort is ready to meet complexity with the simple joy of collaboration, and shape the future of space together.
