Sustaining the outer space environment: now and in the future - virtual roundtable

Chair: Bleddyn Bowen (University of Leicester)

Participants: Scott Steele (Open University) , Lauren Napier (Northumbria University) , Thomas Cheney (Open University) , Mert Evirgen (Northumbria University) , Harriet Brettle (Astroscale)

The outer space environment is dynamic and ever-changing thanks to technological and scientific advances. However, with the rise of varied space actors and the congestion of Low Earth Orbit, there are critical problems, such as space debris, security, and weapons aimed at space, that are calling for more discussion at the international level.

With the recent addition of the Long-Term Sustainability Guidelines and the Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines, as well as the forthcoming Space2030 Agenda, there is a growing concern for sustaining the outer space environment which will guide future law and policy as well as political and security measures for space and future space actors. Therefore, this panel aims to address problems the space sector is facing and how they will impact the access and use of space in the future. Our panel calls upon experts from legal, political, and security backgrounds in order to address what the international space community is working on with regard to these high-level issues, and the concept of space sustainability.