ESPI’s Inaugural Space Policy Summer School took place from the 19 – 23 August 2024 in Alpbach, one of the most beautiful locations in the Austrian Alps. The summer school was organised in collaboration with the European Forum Alpbach (EFA), an annual platform that welcomes several thousand participants from around 100 nations, with a purpose to facilitate a space and place for the emergence of reflection and action.
ESPI’s seminar welcomed 45 participants from over 10 different nationalities, with many different backgrounds. In fact, less than 30% of participants were currently working in the space sector, with others coming from fields such as international relations, politics, and engineering, to name a few.
The programme consisted of five days of morning seminars which addressed four themes aligning with EFA’s overall theme, “Moment of Truth”: Security, Economy, Climate, and Policy. ESPI Director H. Ludwig Moeller was joined by four rotating co-chairs representing each theme:
- Security: Gen. (Ret.) Michel Friedling, Former French Space Commander & Member of ESPI Advisory Council.
- Economy: Sinéad O’Sullivan, Economist at Harvard Business School & Member of ESPI Advisory Council.
- Climate: Völker Liebig, Former Director of Earth Observation Programmes at ESA.
- Policy: Angelina Bekasova, Space & Innovation Policy Senior Expert at the Ministry of Economics of the Republic of Latvia.
The final seminar day also welcomed Margit Mischkulnig, Head of Department for Space Affairs at the Austrian Federal Ministry and Fritz Merkle, Former CTO at OHB, both of whom are members of the ESPI Advisory Council, for a duet session on industrial and institutional perspectives on space.
The week received some inspiring feedback from participants, notably that 60% of participants (from 33 responses) said they would now consider a career in the space sector, having not considered one before the summer school.
Additionally, a deeper understanding of the full capabilities of space across domains was demonstrated via responses collected on Day 1 and Day 5; when asked to give the first word they thought of when they thought about space, on Day 1, participants highlighted broad elements such as the Moon and Mars, with this shifting on Day 5 to encompass capabilities such as satellite constellations, Earth Observation, and data collection.
Day 1: Security From Space & Security in Space
The first session featured guest co-chair Gen. (Ret) Michel Friedling to discuss security for space and space for security. The participants first learned about the history of security and space, highlighting that militarisation of space is not the same as weaponisation of space, before exploring the myriad benefits that space offers to the domain, including essential data services for intelligence and political decision-making.
Gen. Friedling also highlighted the integration of security into other domains, and that many military operations often begin in space before moving to other environments. The session ended with a look at new private players in the sector, the ongoing competitive aspects of human activity leading to confrontation.
The session’s key takeaway? Gen. Friedling provided a powerful demonstration of the internet model showing the staggering number of satellites and debris currently in orbit, giving participants a concrete understanding of the scale and complexity of space congestion.
Day 2: From Space Economy to Space for the Economy
For session 2, Sinéad O’Sullivan took the floor to provide a shift in perspective towards the economic considerations of the space sector. The session started with an introduction to the space economy, including how to measure it, the stakeholders involved, and the differences between governmental budgetary spending on space.
The discussion culminated in an interesting takeaway question: “What would Europe give up to be able to invest as much as the US in space?” After the break, the session pivoted towards space finance, tackling topics such as the business financing cycle (and the valley of death), challenges in investing in space, and space startups.
The session’s key takeaway? The biggest innovation needed in space is in finance, not engineering, and although there is lots of capital available, hard-problem industries receive less of the pie.
Day 3: Space as a Key Enabler of a Net-Zero Future
In session 3, co-chair Völker Liebig delved into the vital role of space in combating climate change, with a focus on Earth observation. The session kicked off with striking data, tracked using 21 essential climate variables (ECVs). The spotlight then turned to Copernicus, the EU’s Earth Observation powerhouse, active since 1998, for which Völker Liebig is one of the founding fathers. With seven Sentinels in orbit, six expansion missions, and six operational services, Copernicus covers the entire globe, offering open access to 250TB of data daily and supporting critical public policies. It’s a key player in emergency responses, early warnings, and tracking major carbon emitters.
The session’s key takeaway? The session called for more European cooperation through joint space projects, a shift in climate communication from crisis to solutions, and a recognition of the growing link between climate and conflict.
Day 4: Foundations of Space Policy and Governance
In session 4, Angelina Bekasova led an engaging exploration of space policy and its integration across various policy sectors. The discussion began with a breakdown of policy processes, emphasizing how European policies influence national agendas and the power of specific language in shaping outcomes. The session also underscored the public’s role in setting priorities and holding governments accountable.
Most of the policy session was dedicated to a hands-on policymaking model game, where participants were divided into groups representing different societal sectors: public opinion, government officials, industry, NGOs, and academia. Through this game, participants experienced the complexities of budget allocation and funding project proposals, gaining a practical understanding of the real mechanisms behind policymaking.
The session’s key takeaway? Every budget decision comes with trade-offs, and there’s always a price to pay for securing funds.
After the Thursday session, ESPI hosted the Space Aperitivo, gathering all Alpbach seminar co-chairs to discuss space in support for some of the most innovative solutions for today’s challenges.
Day 5: Public-Private Duet & The Space Policy Challenge
The fifth session featured a dynamic duet between guest speakers Fritz Merkle and Margit Mischkulnig who explored the interplay between public institutions and industry in advancing the space sector. Their discussion highlighted the importance of collaboration within the space ecosystem, emphasizing that this domain thrives on interactions between a diverse set of stakeholders.
The session was also dedicated to the culmination of the week’s efforts: the presentation of the Space Policy Challenge “Space for Good” posters. Participants had been tasked with integrating space solutions into policy domains on Earth, to fully unlock the potential of space for the most critical challenges of our world.
The session’s key highlights? The winning team presented “Skyshield Systems,” a project focused on monitoring, contingency planning, and crisis management for critical infrastructures using space technology. Their pitch showcased how space can play a crucial role in safeguarding essential services on Earth. The group working on space for disaster management and crisis response was awarded with two special mentions awards for the Europe in the World and Impact Potential.
See the winning presentation here.
Final Day: Space & Sustainability Panel
As Europe’s leading space think tank, ESPI contributed to the “Space and Sustainability” panel at the European Forum Alpbach’s Europe in the World Days. Moderated by ESPI Director Hermann Ludwig Moeller and sponsored by Amazon, the panel featured Aarti Holla-Maini (Director, UNOOSA), Clemens John (Public Policy Manager, Amazon), Margit Mischkulnig (Director General for Space Policy, Austrian Federal Ministry of Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation & Technology), and Noboyuki Kikuchi (Minister Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Japan to the International Organizations in Vienna). The discussion highlighted the rising potential of space solutions for sustainability, while offering perspectives of both policy institutions and industry.
