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Space projects push boundaries, aiming to give teams a better understanding of our own planet and to explore what’s beyond. But these efforts are full of complexity, with evolving risks, new innovations, long timelines and fluctuations in funding. We discuss this with:  

Kenneth Harris II, PhD, senior project engineer, The Aerospace Corporation, Upper Marlboro, Maryland, USA: The 2020 Future 50 leader discusses how the increasing number of crewed missions—and missions closer to Earth’s orbit—have changed the risk landscape for space projects, how he and his teams manage fast-paced change and tech innovations throughout years-long initiatives, what he sees as the top project management challenge for project professionals in the space sector, and how impact, curiosity and exposure have driven him throughout his career as a space project leader. 

Kay Lingenauber, project manager and system engineer, Institute of Planetary Research at the German Aerospace Center, Berlin: Lingenauber discusses how he and an international team created the Ganymede Laser Altimeter, or GALA, over 15 years, how he and the team managed changing resources and technology with a fixed launch date, good practices for collaborating with institutes and agencies across the globe, and his advice for other project professionals managing initiatives with plenty of complexity. 

Key themes 

[02:30] More crewed missions—and more missions closer to Earth—are changing the risk landscape 

[05:51] Managing fast-paced change and innovation with years-long timelines 

[09:56] Top project management challenges in space projects: Collaboration with new and established agencies and contending with tight budgets 

[14:17] Creating GALA, an instrument now headed for Jupiter’s moons 

[16:34] Leaning into adaptability and problem-solving in space projects 

[18:21] Boosting collaboration through requirements management, trust-building and transparency