With a distinguished career spanning over three decades at the European Space Agency (ESA), opens an external URL in a new window, Piero Messina has been at the forefront of some of the most groundbreaking space exploration projects. His expertise and leadership have been instrumental in shaping the direction of ESA's human spaceflight and exploration programs. As a lecturer in the Executive MBA Space Architecture program at TU Wien Academy for Continuing Education, Messina now shares his wealth of knowledge and experience with the next generation of space industry leaders.

Messina's passion for space exploration is rooted in his deep fascination with the vastness of the universe and the potential for human discovery. He firmly believes that exploring space is not only crucial for advancing our scientific understanding but also for fostering international cooperation and pushing the limits of human ingenuity. Through his lectures and mentorship, Messina inspires students to think critically about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in the realm of space exploration.

As an expert, why are you so passionate about Space Exploration?

Throughout centuries, history of humankind has been underpinned by humanity’s drive and ability to explore. Space is a dimension that all cultures have been reflecting upon but that, as a territory, was open to exploration only just over 60 years ago. The way we will go about exploring outer space and celestial bodies will greatly contribute to humanity’s future in the decades to come. This has always fascinated me in the over 20 years I have been dealing with space activities, and space exploration, in particular at strategic level.

Why is this topic relevant for leaders?

Space exploration is not only a great technical, scientific, and programmatic endeavour. It is also a complex ethical, political and societal challenge where leadership qualities of different types are required, can be forged and will be deployed. Both at individual level and at group levels (e.g. among Nations). In addition to hard knowledge this requires a number of soft skills, from multicultural sensitivity to resilience, from team-work to thinking out of the box. There is no better frame to test and sharpen these skills than while thinking about space exploration endeavours.

How does this topic effect companies or society?

Space economy is growing steadily either by taking advantage of other technologies (e.g. AI) or by being itself a driver for new technological solutions to overcome its inherent challenges (e.g. life support systems). With the return by humans to the Moon surface by second half of this decade both by US and China, commercial opportunities will see a growing trend. Permanent presence on the Moon also means increased changes of exploiting local resources which will also stimulate new markets and businesses.

What will our students learn from you?

After over 30 years in the management of and support to international space activities I will share my insight, experience and lesson learned in the conduct of complex, high-tech, multilateral and multi-stakeholders projects and programmes. Furthermore, my professional experience has been enriched continuous academic study and research as well as specialised training in problem solving and coaching which will underpin my sharing of actual experience making it more effective.

Discover the Executive MBA in Space Architecture

This program combines space tech, architectural design, and business skills to prep you for leadership in the booming space industry. Learn from top experts like Brent Sherwood and gain the know-how to make your mark on the final frontier.

Learn more: Executive MBA in Space Architecture