Marat Airapetyan speaks at the National Centre RUSSIA about exploring new worlds
The next stage in the evolution of humanity will be the exploration of other worlds. This view was presented at the National Centre RUSSIA by space engineer and ambassador of Techprosvet at VKontakte Marat Airapetyan. In his talk on 11 April at the Open Lecture Hall "Inventing the Future: Geography", he focused on the space "economy" and the role of unexplored worlds in the development of humankind.
Responding to the question of why humans should venture into space at all, a member of a satellite development team, head of a Mars simulation mission control centre, and author of the blog "Yura, we can do it!" Marat Airapetyan recalled the words of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, which today sound both prophetic and simple.
"As Tsiolkovsky said, "Earth is the cradle of the mind, but one cannot live in a cradle forever". Humanity, as a biological species, is taking its first steps: we are already living comfortably aboard the International Space Station, and the next stage is the exploration of new worlds," said Marat Airapetyan.
Developing his point, the expert emphasised that the physical presence of humans can advance space research far beyond what even the most advanced automated systems can achieve. In his view, robots are useful assistants, but they cannot replace a human explorer.
"Robots and rovers are actively exploring Mars and the Moon; however, a human spaceflight is far more scientifically valuable than the work of all robots combined. A rover, for example, travels only about 50–60 kilometres over its entire 'lifetime', is equipped with a relatively limited camera, and its capabilities are constrained by signal delay. This is not sufficient for fundamental research," the space engineer is convinced.
Marat Airapetyan also shared his forecasts: in the future, permanent facilities will appear on Mars, and space will become a fully-fledged economic zone working for the benefit of life on Earth. Most importantly, he stressed, new worlds must be studied and developed carefully and thoughtfully, with a sense of responsibility to future generations. It is precisely this awareness that defines a true explorer of the twenty-first century.
The Open Lecture Hall "Inventing the Future" is an educational track of the International Symposium "Inventing the Future". It is held quarterly and brings together experts from different countries to jointly design positive scenarios for the future. The speakers' ideas form the basis of neural videos, which audiences can evaluate, thereby becoming co-authors of inspiring concepts for the development of society.
Participants will explore a synthesis of traditional flavours and cutting-edge technologies.
From 20 to 22 April 2026, the International Industrial Trade Fair "INNOPROM. Central Asia" will take place in Tashkent.
