3rd Summit for Space Sustainability

Virtual

June 22-23, 2021

Event Summary

The Secure World Foundation (SWF) held its 3rd Annual Summit for Space Sustainability as a virtual conference between June 22-24, 2021. The conference continued to establish itself as an indispensable forum in the space community, this year offering a platform for robust dialogues on key issues, such as climate action, low Earth orbit constellations, and space debris removal.

Young Professionals Take Center Stage

This year's conference had a special focus on Young Professionals (Y.P.s), launching initiatives like the Next Generation video campaign and a Y.P. essay contest. The contest winners, representing academic and corporate sectors, contributed fresh perspectives on space sustainability issues.

Mentorship & Career Development

On the final day of the conference, professionals from our sponsor organizations conducted mentoring sessions, providing invaluable career advice to young professionals across the globe.

Panel Highlights

  1. The first panel addressed the critical role of space technology in combating climate change, advocating for increased cross-sectoral collaboration.

  2. The rise of low Earth orbit constellations sparked a discussion on their sustainability and the need for effective regulation.

  3. A significant portion was dedicated to devising economically viable strategies for active debris removal.

  4. Experts debated the concept of a 'space race' amidst current geopolitical tensions, advocating for a more cooperative approach to space exploration.

  5. Conversations around the newly established U.S. Space Force focused on clarifying its mission and the need for collaboration with allies and commercial partners.

Keynote Speakers

Two special keynote addresses were delivered: One by Tory Bruno, CEO of United Launch Alliance, who emphasized the need for norms and penalties for irresponsible behavior in space. The other was by Bhavya Lal, Senior Adviser at NASA, who underlined the importance of coordinated growth in Low-Earth Orbit activities.

A Look Ahead

SWF's Executive Director, Dr. Peter Martinez, concluded the conference by celebrating the community's resilience and growth, even in the face of a global pandemic. Looking forward, the 4th Summit for Space Sustainability aims to continue these vital conversations with representation from the U.S. and U.K. governments and industry leaders like Amazon Project Kuiper and OneWeb.

2021 Conference Agenda

Day One

09:00

Opening Remarks

09:15

Can Space Do More to Support Action on Climate Change?

Space technologies can contribute significantly to global efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Indeed, these technologies were instrumental in helping scientists gain a better picture of the urgency of climate change. But where are the knowledge and technology gaps? What’s needed in terms of developing new technologies and in how we process and manage current data to ensure that humans have a full understanding of the problems and are able to take informed action?

Spotlight Talk Speaker: Waleed Abdalati, Director, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at University of Colorado Boulder (CIRES)

Moderator: Krystal Azelton, SWF Director of Space Applications Programs

Panelists:
  • Dr. Mariane Diop Kane, Programme Manager for the African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology (AMCOMET), WMO Regional Office for Africa
  • Lori Garver, CEO, Earthrise Alliance
  • Steve Hamburg, Chief Scientist, Environmental Defense Fund
  • Thelma Krug, Vice-Chair, The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

    • 10:15

    BReak

    10:30

    Megaconstellations: The Train Has Left the Station. Now What?

    While the early radio-frequency spectrum interference issues were addressed, the regulatory system has largely failed to address the broader public interest concerns from the deployment of LEO megaconstellations. Businesses are operating in a condition of uncertain future regulatory risk. Other users of the space domain question the long-term impacts of these operations on the viability of the environment. Terrestrial communities question whether the night sky is forever changed. This session asks whether it is too late to solve this failure - and what we can learn for future evolution of policy, business, and regulation.

    Spotlight Talk Speaker: Timiebi Aganaba, Assistant Professor, School for the Future of Innovation in Society, Arizona State University

    Moderator: Chris Johnson, SWF Space Law Advisor

    Panelists:
  • Tim Farrar, President, TMF Associates
  • Hugh Lewis, Professor of Astronautics, University of Southampton, UK
  • Randy Segal, Partner, Hogan Lovells LLP
  • Andy Williams, External Relations Officer, European Southern Observatory (ESO)

    • 11:30

    Activating Active Debris Removal

    Between 2008 and 2011, international scientists authored several studies showing that removing 5-10 large space objects a year by 2020 was necessary to mitigate the Kessler Syndrome. Yet a decade later, only a few small pilot programs are underway to develop the technology. This panel will discuss why that is the case and what we can do to spur governments and industry alike to get serious about removing orbital debris.

    Spotlight Talk Speaker: Darren McKnight, Senior Technical Fellow, LeoLabs

    Moderator: Ian Christensen, SWF Director of Private Sector Programs

    Panelists:
  • Asha Balakrishnan, Research Staff Member, Science and Technology Policy Institute
  • Clelia Iacomino, Research Fellow, SEE Lab SDA Bocconi
  • Luc Piguet, CEO & Co-founder, ClearSpace SA
  • Charity Weeden, Vice President, Global Space Policy, Astroscale US

    • 12:30

    Close

    Day Two

    09:00

    Opening Remarks

    09:15

    It's Not a Race: A Cross-Sector Discussion of Competition in Space

    As an increasing number of countries develop counterspace capabilities and geopolitical rivals seek to position their space programs as drivers of economic growth, diplomatic leverage, and security advantage, there is an emerging narrative that there is a new space race underway. This is evocative of the Cold War’s U.S.-Soviet competition and suggests a “winner take all'' struggle for future domination of space. But is this too simplistic an approach? If there is a race, to where and for what end? Is it better to frame it as a long-term competition driven by national, regional, and geopolitical goals? Is there still room for cooperation and collaboration?

    Spotlight Talk Speaker: Aaron Bateman, PhD candidate, Johns Hopkins University

    Moderator: Victoria Samson, SWF Washington Office Director

    Panelists:
  • Aarti Holla-Maini, Secretary General, EMEA Satellite Operators Association
  • Claudio Leopoldino, Head of Disarmament and Sensitive Technologies Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Brazil
  • Chelsea Robinson, Chief Operating Officer, Open Lunar Foundation
  • Riqiang Wu, Associate Professor, Renmin University of China

    • 10:15

    Keynote

    Keynote Transcript

    Keynote Speaker: Tory Bruno, CEO, United Launch Alliance (ULA)

    Keynote Interviewer: Marina Koren, Staff Writer, The Atlantic

    11:00

    BReak

    11:15

    What is the Space Force's Prime Directive?

    Panel Transcript
    The Space Force is here to stay, but now the question is, what will it do? There is an on-going debate over whether the focus of the Space Force should still be the historical one of supporting terrestrial military operations and national security or whether it should instead focus on conducting operations and providing capabilities that have effects in space and extend beyond Earth orbit. This session will debate the pros and cons of both approaches and the implications for U.S. national security and geopolitical relationships.

    Spotlight Talk Speaker: Sarah Mineiro, Adjunct Senior Fellow, Defense Program, Center for a New American Security (CNAS)

    Moderator: Brian Weeden, SWF Director of Program Planning

    Panelists:
  • Colonel Casey M. Beard, Commander, Space Delta 9 (Orbital Warfare), U.S. Space Force
  • Bleddyn Bowen, Lecturer, University of Leicester, UK
  • Kaitlyn Johnson, Deputy Director, Aerospace Security Project, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
  • Mir Sadat, Founding Editor-in-Chief, Space Force Journal

    • 12:15

    Keynote

    Keynote Transcript
    Dr. Bhavya Lal, Senior Advisor to the NASA Administrator, NASA
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    2021 Conference Speakers

    • Headshot of a woman with shoulder-length black hair smiling in front of a plain gray background, wearing a black blazer, purple top, and a silver necklace.

      Asha Balakrishnan

      Research Staff Member, Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI)

      Bio
    • Portrait of a smiling male United States Air Force officer in uniform, standing in front of an American flag.

      Colonel Casey M. Beard

      Commander, Space Delta 9 (Orbital Warfare) , U.S. Space Force

      Bio
    • A young man with glasses, a beard, and mustache, wearing a checkered shirt and a beige sweater, looking downward in an indoor setting.

      Bleddyn Bowen

      Lecturer, University of Leicester, UK

      Bio
    • A woman wearing glasses, a black headwrap, gold hoop earrings, a red top with a decorative detail, and a black cardigan, standing against a white background.

      Dr. Mariane Diop Kane

      Programme Manager for the African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology (AMCOMET), WMO Regional Office for Africa

      Bio
    • Close-up of a middle-aged man with gray hair, beard, glasses, wearing a blue checkered shirt, smiling, with a neutral background and some greenery.

      Tim Farrar

      President, TMF Associates

      Bio
    • A middle-aged woman with light brown hair, wearing a blue blazer, black top, and a silver pearl necklace, smiling with arms crossed, standing indoors.

      Lori Garver

      CEO, Earthrise Alliance

      Bio
    • Close-up of a middle-aged man with gray hair and beard, wearing a light blue plaid shirt, smiling indoors.

      Steve Hamburg

      Chief Scientist, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)

      Bio
    • A woman with dark hair, glasses, and a small nose piercing smiling slightly, wearing a sleeveless black dress with pinstripes, standing against a plain white background.

      Aarti Holla-Maini

      Secretary-General, EMEA Satellite Operators Association

      Bio
    • A young woman with wavy brown hair and light skin, smiling with arms crossed, wearing a white blazer over a blue top and pearl earrings against a plain white background.

      Clelia Iacomino

      Research Fellow, Space Economy Evolution Laboratory (SEE Lab), SDA Bocconi School of Management

      Bio
    • A woman with light skin, long blonde hair, and blue eyes smiling at the camera. She is wearing a blue lace top and a black lanyard.

      Kaitlyn Johnson

      Deputy Director, Aerospace Security Project, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)

      Bio
    • A smiling woman with short blonde hair and glasses, wearing a white top and a colorful beaded necklace, standing next to green plants.

      Thelma Krug

      Vice-Chair, The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

      Bio
    • Close-up of a man with short dark hair and a beard, wearing a suit and tie, against a wooden background.

      Claudio Leopoldino

      Head of Disarmament and Sensitive Technologies Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Brazil

      Bio
    • Portrait of a smiling man with short gray hair, wearing a dark jacket, standing in front of a dark background with blue and white lights.

      Hugh Lewis

      Professor of Astronautics, University of Southampton, UK

      Bio
    • Headshot of a man with blue eyes, short hair, wearing a suit, smiling against a dark background.

      Luc Piguet

      CEO & Co-founder, ClearSpace SA

      Bio
    • A woman with brown hair, glasses, and a blue top smiling at the camera against a white background.

      Chelsea Robinson

      Chief Operating Officer, Open Lunar Foundation

      Bio
    • Black and white photo of a man looking to the side outdoors.

      Dr. Mir Sadat

      Founding Editor-in-Chief, Space Force Journal

      Bio
    • A woman with blonde hair, glasses, and a black blazer, smiling indoors.

      Randy Segal

      Partner, Hogan Lovells LLP

      Bio
    • Professional woman with short dark hair, wearing a navy blue dress and a pearl necklace, smiling against a black background.

      Charity Weeden

      Vice President, Global Space Policy, Astroscale US

      Bio
    • Portrait of a man with short, dark hair and a beard, wearing a dark blazer and a striped shirt, smiling in an office setting.

      Dr. Andy Williams

      External Relations Officer, European Southern Observatory (ESO)

      Bio
    • Close-up portrait of an Asian man with short black hair, glasses, light facial hair, wearing a white shirt against a black background.

      Riqiang Wu

      Associate Professor, Renmin University of China

      Bio

    Spotlight Talk Speakers

    • Close-up of a smiling man with short, receding hair, wearing a light blue collared shirt, against a dark background.

      Waleed Abdalati

      Director, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at University of Colorado Boulder (CIRES)

      Bio
    • A woman with dark skin, wearing glasses, pearl necklace, earrings, and a colorful patterned dress.

      Timiebi Aganaba

      Assistant Professor, School for the Future of Innovation in Society with a courtesy appointment at the Sandra Day O Connor College of Law, Arizona State University

      Bio
    • Black and white portrait of a man with a beard, wearing a button-up shirt, standing against a plain wall.

      Aaron Bateman

      PhD candidate, Johns Hopkins University

      Bio
    • A middle-aged man with glasses, short gray hair, smiling, wearing a light blue collared shirt, standing against a plain beige wall.

      Darren McKnight

      Senior Technical Fellow, LeoLabs

      Bio
    • A woman with glasses and dark hair, wearing a black top, taking a selfie indoors with guitars hanging on the wall behind her.

      Sarah Mineiro

      Adjunct Senior Fellow, Center for a New American Security (CNAS)

      Bio

    Keynote Speakers

    • A middle-aged man wearing a dark pinstripe suit, white shirt, red tie, and red pocket square, posing against a gray background.

      Tory Bruno

      CEO, United Launch Alliance (ULA)

      Bio
    • A smiling woman with wavy brown hair and light skin, wearing a black shirt with white polka dots, standing in front of a wooden fence with a star pattern painted on it.

      Marina Koren

      Staff Writer, The Atlantic

      Bio
    • A professional woman with glasses and dark hair tied back, wearing a black blazer and a purple scarf, standing with arms crossed indoors.

      Dr. Bhavya Lal

      Senior Advisor to the NASA Administrator, NASA

      Bio

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