This morning, fifty students from Seville’s Ramón Carande and Heliópolis secondary schools took part in a new edition of ‘Coffee with Science’, an initiative organised by Fundación Descubre and Sevilla Tech Park as part of World Space Week 2025 (WSW).
During the meeting, three Andalusian researchers shared breakfast and conversation with the young people, introducing them to their scientific work and sparking their interest in aerospace careers. In a friendly and relaxed atmosphere, the students were able to find out first-hand what day-to-day research in space, engineering and space law is like.
Sergio Esteban Roncero, a researcher from the Higher Technical School of Engineering at the University of Seville, explained his work designing unconventional aircraft, including planes and drones powered by clean technologies such as hydrogen or electric batteries, and the aerodynamic tests he carries out in wind tunnels.
Rafael Vázquez Valenzuela, also from the University of Seville, spoke about space surveillance and the detection of debris in orbit. He highlighted the important role played by the Morón de la Frontera radar in tracking space objects and predicting their trajectories.
The third guest, Rocío Caparrós del Moral, an expert in extraterrestrial space law and policy, surprised the students by sharing her vision for the future of ‘space-related’ professions, ranging from space medicine and psychology to architecture in extraterrestrial environments. She also explained how terrestrial research enables space conditions to be simulated in locations such as the Atacama Desert, the volcanic caves of Lanzarote and Antarctica.
Caparrós also emphasised the constant presence of space in our daily lives, reminding us that ‘there are about 100 satellites per person participating in our daily activities in some way’.
Through this event, the Descubre Foundation and Sevilla Tech Park are participating in the World Space Week 2025 programme, which runs until 10 October. The aim is to bring space science and technology closer to the public and highlight Seville’s role as the Spanish Space Capital.
