News

Experts routinely caution governments and operators about the rising threats to space infrastructure security, underlining that space is increasingly congested and contested, which poses an intensifying challenge to safely deploying, operating and exploiting space assets. In this context, the growing socio-economic and strategic importance of the European space infrastructure raises new stakes concerning its protection from harm.

On September 3rd, ESPI Director gave a lecture at the 27th ECSL Summer Course on Space Law and Policy which took place in Helsinki. The theme of his presentation was about “Developments of Global Space Markets and Consequences on the European Space Policy”.

This year ESPI will organise its 12th Autumn Conference on the following topic: “Security in Outer Space: Rising Stakes for Civilian Space Programmes”. Drawing on the findings of a joint research collaboration with George Washington University´s Space Policy Institute, the event will discuss the ongoing reshaping of European and American approaches to Space Security issues. Greater emphasis will be put on the criticality of future short- and long-term policy developments in this area.

As history teaches, structural changes within society will produce new societal needs and fundamentally change existing ones. In order for space to respond to these needs in a timely and effective fashion, European policy and decision-makers – both on space and on non-space – will have to make sure that the proper evolution and interface mechanisms are put in place. In this report, ESPI assesses how exactly space can contribute to the challenges and needs of the f...

On 13th of April ESPI organized an evening event on one of the currently hottest topics in space law – "Space Mining between the Space Treaties and the US Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act". The subject was discussed by four experts: Dr. Philip De Man (Leuven University), Prof. Tanja Masson-Zwaan (President of IISL), Prof. Gbenga Oduntan (Kent Law School), Robert D. Richards (CEO, Moon Express), representing a variety of views.