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How Humanity Will Live, Work and Make Drugs off-planet

13 October 2025

About this episode

A special episode all about the future of space exploration, recorded in front of a live audience at the Royal Society in London.

Earlier this year, the Royal Society published ‘The Space: 2075 report’, which recognises the huge changes we’re seeing in space exploration, and urges for action to be taken to make sure the next 50 years of activity in space is sustainable and benefits all of humanity. We brought together a panel of space experts to discuss the accelerated advances we’re seeing.

Helen Sharman, the first British astronaut, blasted off Earth on a Soyuz rocket in 1991. She explains what it’s like to journey into space, the various ways it impacts the body and why humans still have the edge over robots for certain missions.

Irene Di Giulio is a Biomedical Engineer at King's College London. She explores her work helping to get the first disabled astronaut to space and why it’s critical we push towards making space flight accessible.

And Katie King is Co-Founder and CEO of BioOrbit, a pharmaceutical company which plans to make drugs in space. Discover why space is the perfect place to create drugs - potentially bringing at-home cancer treatments to the market.

Hosted by Rowan Hooper and Abby Beall.

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