The Stimson Center and Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs will host a conference on the growing accessibility and use of space by state and non-state actors, with a focus on what can be done to manage increasing competition and congestion in orbit. The conference will feature a keynote address and two panels of experts on the implications of greater access to space for national security, commercial activities, debris management, and space sustainability, and will consider the possibilities for developing new international rules and norms suited to this new space age.
The first panel, The Democratization of Space: Space was once the preserve of great powers, but today it is increasingly accessed by a range of state and non-state actors. The decreasing costs for launch and space hardware have lowered the barriers to entry, democratizing access to orbital space. The space economy is booming, with some estimates projecting it to reach a trillion dollars by 2040. At the same time, intensifying great power competition raises other dangers in space. The international community has only just begun to grapple with the implications of these developments for national security, the global economy, and global governance. This panel addresses the implications of the democratization of space, focusing on both the promise and perils of this new space age.
The second panel, The Future of Space Governance: As space grows both more competitive and congested, there is an urgent need for global space governance—treaties, standards, norms, and regulations—to limit the potential for military conflicts and help to preserve and sustain space for future activities. This panel will address the challenges of space governance, identifying both opportunities and barriers for countries to cooperate on space issues. It considers proposals for an international treaty to ban destructive anti-satellite testing, a reinvigorated Outer Space Treaty, a new moon treaty, and the need for new space actors to have a greater role in these policy discussions.
Opening, Keynote Address, Moderated Discussion and Panel 1: The Democratization of Space
Opening Remarks
Amaney Jamal, Dean of the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University (Virtual)
Keynote Address and Moderated Discussion
Izumi Nakamitsu, Under-Secretary General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, United Nations
Jeff Foust, Senior Writer, SpaceNews
Panel 1: The Democratization of Space
Christopher F. Chyba, Dwight D. Eisenhower Professor in International Affairs and Professor of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University
Laura Delgado López, Visiting Fellow, Center for Strategic And International Studies
Masami Onoda, Director of Washington DC Office, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, Director of the Centre for Security, Strategy, and Technology, Observer Research Foundation (New Delhi) (Virtual)
Marc Jochemich, Head of DC Office, German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Introductory Remarks and Panel 2: The Future of Space Governance
Introductory Remarks
Rachel Stohl, Vice President, Stimson Center and Director of the Conventional Defense Program
Panel 2: The Future of Space Governance
William Durch, Distinguished Fellow, Stimson Center
Ruth Pritchard-Kelly, Principal, RPK Advisors
Brian Weeden, Director of Program Planning, Secure World Foundation
Col. Aniello Violetti, Space Attaché, Embassy of Italy
Julia Selman-Ayetey, Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Cape Coast (Ghana) (Virtual)
Closing Remarks
Amal Mudallali, Lecturer at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University; former Permanent Representative of Lebanon to the United Nations