The Abu Dhabi space debate and the space industry’s most pressing challenges

Abu Dhabi The Space Debate takes place on December 5-6, 2022, bringing together top figures in industry and government discussion and debate The space industry’s most pressing challenges and driving a new space economy.

A large debate on Tuesday, December 6 delves into the The mega-challenges of mega-constellations. Discusses:

1. Giant Constellation and Sustainability Advocate
2. Manage Space Debris
3. Space Weaponization Demonstration
4. Discuss the safety and security risks posed by uncontrolled launches of mega-constellations
5. What programs can be implemented to avoid overcrowding spaces while still ensuring inclusivity?
6. Developing sustainable governance systems for LEOs while private use of space increases

A sort of second debate Dec. 6 focused on amplifying space agency impact around four thought-provoking questions:

1. How can space agencies have a transformative impact on the space environment?
2. How are they using space as a driver of economic and technological progress?
3. How to navigate the competition between new space agencies and established ones to capture the energy of the space race?
4. How do we redefine what it means to be a space agency in the age of commercial space programs?

editor in chief payload space, Ryan DuffyModerated two debates and provided highlights.

ryan’s thoughts

“The first conversation I participated in was about managing the risks of mega-constellations. The key is to strike a balance between LEO development and LEO sustainability. Most panelists agreed that we don’t have the right balance right now, but Some noted that large constellation operators are incentivized to keep the space clean and sustainable, and that new technologies are coming online, from debris removal to collision avoidance, that will help accommodate increased activity in Leo.The second conversation was with conducted by the heads of six national space agencies. What stands out to me is that these leaders have to sell the vision of space and its importance to the public, to policy makers, to political leaders.

This is also a challenge we see in the industry. Another key point is that newer spacefaring nations are learning from the successes and failures of space superpowers. At last. I mean, there are over 75 space agencies, and the activity is increasing every year. This is a good thing, but countries need to work together, and cooperation is key.

But one last thing, I note there’s a lot of reason for optimism here. There are many ways to work together. Spaces can be unified, and many of these agencies want to partner with companies and other organizations to advance their goals, rather than own and operate everything in-house. “