Reaching for the stars: Hungary's space education program has lift off

Hungary is investing in the future of space exploration as a network of 21 universities has joined under a single national program. The goal is to train a new generation of engineers, scientists, and policymakers for space.

At the Ludovica University of Public Service, instead of studying diplomacy or law in the traditional sense, students are learning about the laws that govern outer space.

"We've launched a specialized training initiative called the UniSpace Program, which is a collaboration among 21 Hungarian universities," said Balazs Bartoki-Gonczy, Director of the Institute of Aerospace and Telecommunications. 

Growing interest

"It focuses on four key areas: space policy, space medicine, space engineering, and space sciences. Our university is proud to lead this consortium," he added.

Hungary's growing interest in space is built on education. Bartoki-Gonczy said that for small countries, knowledge is the most powerful tool.

"Building a serious space industry, even in a small country like Hungary, is a complex undertaking," he said. "One of its key pillars is education. It begins in elementary school, continues through high school, and, of course, higher education plays a vital role as well."

This year, Hungary's space ambitions reached orbit. Astronaut Tibor Kapu completed a 20-day mission to the International Space Station. His capsule carried 25 Hungarian experiments, many created by students at the University of Szeged.

"You need specialists, people who know about space law, space science, space engineering, even biology," said Dezso Horvath, Dean of the Faculty of Science and Informatics. "This is a program comprising four separate courses, and the one we are mostly involved in is space science."

Exploring possibilities

One of those student projects came from Monika Csontne Kiricsi, an associate professor whose lab studies how life reacts to radiation.

"Everybody knows that cosmic radiation can damage the DNA in our cells," she said. "So it is really important to find out those mechanisms that we can use to protect the DNA of the astronauts from these types of damage."

Her research also looked at how space travel changes the human microbiome. "The microbiome analysis can be used to treat various diseases," she said.

Horvath believes this effort will inspire more young Hungarians to look up. 

"I think the younger generation will be excited," he said. "So when they come to the university, we can bring up the possibilities that they can join something that can be related to space."

The government is backing that vision with funding. 

"With this program, Hungary is investing $99 million," said Peter Kristof, Co-chair of the Infoter Space & Defense Council. "Not only to send one Hungarian to the International Space Station, but to help at least 25 companies to get their research to space."

From classrooms to orbit, Hungary's new space network is teaching that the next frontier begins here on Earth.