A Path to Resource Optimization and Technological Innovation: Advancing Space and Climate Research with Bidirectional Technologies
Yixuan Cheng, Maheen H. Mufti, Carrie He, Ying Cong Zuo
TL;DR
The paper introduces Bidirectional Technologies (BiTs) as innovations that simultaneously address space and climate challenges, arguing that cross-domain convergence can reduce duplication and accelerate progress toward Sustainable Development Goals. It identifies four shared technology categories and eight actionable traits, then translates these traits into concrete design and policy guidance to help engineers, policymakers, and managers deploy BiTs. The contributions provide a framework that links technical design with institutional and regulatory considerations, aiming to unlock cross-domain knowledge transfer and scalable solutions. Despite its promise, the work acknowledges limitations due to limited empirical data and signals the need for economic analyses, governance mechanisms, and equity-focused strategies to realize wide-scale adoption.
Abstract
This paper introduces Bidirectional Technologies (BiTs), which is defined as technology that addresses the challenges within the aerospace and climate sectors simultaneously. BiTs presents a means to meet global development agendas, in particular, the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Space2030 Agenda. These frameworks position aerospace innovations as tools to address climate change, explicitly highlighting the shared challenges between both fields. This overlap presents an underexplored opportunity to develop BiTs. To explore this potential, the study conducts an extensive literature review to examine the challenges within four categories in both Earth and space contexts: life support, energy systems, monitoring and exploratory systems, and novel technologies. Key traits that influence the successful development of BiTs are then extracted. Based on these traits, a set of actionable recommendations is proposed to serve as a starting point for policymakers and engineers to adapt technologies beyond single-domain applications. Ultimately, this study presents BiTs as a solution to the interconnected challenges on Earth and in space, offering strategies that advance innovation while contributing to global sustainability efforts.