Summit Panel: Space Traffic Management

07/17/19 • 55 min

The growth in space activities has shifted space traffic management from an academic debate to real-world policy debate, yet there is still significant uncertainty about what it means and how to go about creating a workable regime. Should space traffic management be top-down with a global agreement on rules and standards? Or should it be done from the bottom-up with industry practices enshrined in national regulation? Who decides what the rules are, who they apply to, and how they are enforced? | Moderator: Chris Johnson, SWF Space Law Advisor

Panelists:

Didier Alary, University of Toulouse
Talal Al Kaissi, UAE Space Agency
Ron Lopez, Astroscale U.S.
Jennifer Warren, Lockheed Martin

Panelists:

Didier Alary, University of Toulouse
Talal Al Kaissi, UAE Space Agency
Ron Lopez, Astroscale U.S.
Jennifer Warren, Lockheed Martin

Previous Episode

Summit Panel: The Relationship Between Commercial Space and Counterspace

Over the last several years, there has been a growing focus on two different conversations: one about the commercial and economic development of space, and another about the risk of conflict on Earth extending into space. Yet there is often very little dialogue on how these two issues interact and what impact each may have on the other. How might greater geopolitical instability or actual war in space impact commercialization? Can the private sector play a role in deterring space conflict or providing more resilient capabilities? | Moderator: Brian Weeden, SWF Director of Program Planning

Panelists:

Joshua Huminski, Center for the Study of the Presidency & Congress
Pam Melroy, Melroy & Hollett Technology Partners
Bhavya Lal, Science and Technology Policy Institute
Doug Loverro, Loverro Consulting
Jeffrey Trauberman, VOX Space

This audio was recorded June 25th at the National Press Club in Washington, DC as part of the Secure World Foundation's Summit for Space Sustainability.

Next Episode

Space Weather as a Global Challenge 2019

Recorded in Washington, DC on September 26, 2019.

Since 2016, Secure World Foundation (SWF) has partnered with the U.S. Department of State to host multiple Space Weather as a Global Challenge events to facilitate discussions on the impacts of space weather across the globe, and plans to collaborate in observation, modeling, prediction, and mitigation of harmful effects. This year’s Space Weather as a Global Challenge will be held in coordination with the Next Step Benchmarks Town Hall, an event that supports the U.S. National Space Weather Strategy and Action Plan, on September 26, 2019.

The Next Step Benchmarks is an effort funded by NSF and NASA, and led by the IDA Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI), that has gathered 32 of the world’s leading space weather scientists to develop recommendations for improving the characterization of extreme space weather events. Initial characterizations of 1-in-100-year and theoretical maximum events for five space weather phenomena were described in the Space Weather Phase 1 Benchmarks report, released by the White House’s National Science and Technology Council in 2018. The Next Step Benchmarks team is developing a public report that will provide recommendations to improve the estimates found in the Phase 1 report. The Town Hall will be an opportunity for the space weather community to provide feedback on proposed recommendations and priorities for studies, data acquisition, and long-term research that would improve the characterization of extreme space weather events.

Following the Town Hall, SWF and the U.S. Department of State hosted an evening panel discussion and networking reception to share the general outcomes of the Town Hall and other U.S. and international space weather initiatives.

Speakers

Jean-Luc Bald, First Secretary, Space Global Issues & Innovation Section, Delegation of the European Union to the United States of America
Mark Harvey, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Resilience Policy, National Security Council Staff
Jeff O'Neil, Legislative Director, Office of Congressman Ed Perlmutter (CO-07)
Geoffrey Reeves, Research Fellow, Los Alamos National Lab
Moderator: Josh Wolny, Project Manager, Secure World Foundation

More details, including transcripts, can be found at the event page on the SWF website.