Joris Putteneers

E|A|S (Evolving Asteroid Starships) An experimental modular spacecraft for long-distance space travel. Created under the supervision of Dr. Angelo Vermeulen, a former NASA collaborator and current researcher at TU Delft.

The hostile and unpredictable environment of deep space requires a new conceptual approach for interstellar flight, one that differs radically from any current design in aerospace. Using biology as inspiration, E|A|S (Evolving Asteroid Starships) explores the concept of spaceships that physically grow and evolve during their interstellar journey. Resources extracted through asteroid mining are used to 3D print new components of the ship in an endless process of adaptation. A biological life support system based on the European Space Agency’s MELiSSA program is used to keep multiple generations of crew members alive. The DSTART (TU Delft Starship Team) team is currently developing detailed concept studies and computer simulations to test these ideas.

About the Artist

Joris putteneers is an architect and researcher, interested in speculating the anthroposcene through means of software, hardware and media technologies. His work has been exhibited at MomA New York, Londen design festival, Venice Biennale and multiple film festivals. He has been actively practicing as an architect and software engineer since 2017 where he develops solutions in building design, robotics, application development and embedded system engineering.