Main Conference
Near Final Programme: Major themes and Questions
- The scale of the threat, risks and costs – modelling, monitoring, measuring
- Mitigation – what processes/technologies are available/under development?
- Data collection and data sharing – vital aspects of addressing the issue
- International Regulation of LEO – progress, pitfalls, policy compliance & co-operation
- Public Awareness and threat unregulated LEO access poses to ground based astronomy
- Economics of Active Debris Remediation –burden or market?
Day 0, Sunday December 1st: Evening Reception free to all registered participants
HKU Senior Common Room 15th Floor of HKU K.K. Leung Building 6:30-9:30pm
Day 1, Monday December 2nd
Theme #1 The Scale of the threat of Space Debris
09:00 Welcome speeches and Introduction
09:20 Opening keynote address from Aarti Holla-Maini (Director, UNOOSA)
09:30 Invited talk #1 Prof. Olivier Contant (Executive Director, IAA, Paris)
10:00 Contributed talk Prof. Quentin Parker (HKU-Lab for Space Research)
10:15 Contributed talk Dr. Rachita Agrawal (Indraprasthat University, India)
10:30 Coffee break
11:00 Invited talk #2 Prof. Jean-Paul Kneib (Exec. Director, ESC – Space Innovation, Switzerland)
11:20 Contributed talk Dr. Susmita Mohanty Founder + Dir. General Spaceport Sarabhai, India
11:35 Contributed talk Prof. Yehia Abdel Aziz (Aton Space Technology, UAE)
11:50 Contributed talk TBC
12:05 Moderated panel discussion session – 25mins
12:30 Lunch break
Theme #2 Mitigation & Solutions? – Technologies available/under development
14:00 Invited talk #3 Prof.T. Schildknecht (Bern Astronomical Institute; Director of SwissOGS)
14:20 Contributed talk Egemen Demirer (Sakarya University, Turkey)
14:35 Contributed talk TBC
14:50 Contributed talk Haohua Niu (SYSU, China)
15:05 Contributed talk Ndubuisi Idjiora-Kalu (ASERC, Nigeria)
15:20 Invited talk #4 Dr. Meng Su (Feilong Aerospace & Technology Ltd, Hong Kong)
15:40 Moderated panel discussion session 20mins
16:00 Coffee break
16:30 Invited talk #5 Christophe Bonnal, (MaiaSpace, France)
16:50 Contributed talk Dr. Adriana Marais (NITheCS, South Africa) TBC
17:05 Contributed talk Dr. Lee Sunghee (CONTEC, South Korea)
17:20 Contributed talk TBC
17:35 END
Organised evening social activity: Junk Boat trip on HK harbour
Departure 7:30 pm, Central Pier 10
Day 2, Tuesday December 3rd
Theme #3 Data collection and data sharing
09:00 Invited talk #6 Mr. Chuck Dickey (Founder and Principal Member, TCTB, USA)
09:20 Contributed talk Mr. Xukang Xie (SYSU, China)
09:35 Contributed talk Mr. Daniel Lubian Arenillas (OKAPI, Germany)
09:50 Contributed talk Dr. Pei Chen (Beihang University, China)
10:05 Contributed talk Mr. Stefano Lopresti (CISAS, Padova, Italy)
10:20 Brief open discussion of Theme #3
10:30 Coffee break
11:00 Invited talk #7 Victor Strelets (ITU, Russia)
11:20 Contributed talk Dr. Yukihito Kitazawa (Nihon University, Japan)
11:33 Contributed talk Mr. Purin Tanirat (GISTDA, Thailand)
11:45 Moderated panel discussion session 15mins
12:00 Extended Lunch break (2hr)
Incorporating a special OASA organised “SpaceBiz” presentation lunch (details to follow)
Theme #4 International Regulation of LEO – Progress and Pitfalls
14:00 Invited talk #8 Dr. Anthony Neoh (Co-Chairman, Asian Academy of International Law, Hong Kong)
14:20 Contributed talk Prof. Yun Zhao, (Specialist in Space Law, HKU, Hong Kong)
14:35 Contributed talk Dr. Yukihito KITAZAWA (Nihon University, Japan)
14:50 Contributed talk Dr. Benjamin Guyot (Spacetalk SA, CEO, Switzerland)
15:05 Contributed talk Mr. Hoantee Peng (ASU, USA)
15:20 Contributed talk Dr. George Kyriakopoulos (Athens, Greece) – TBC
15:35 Moderated panel discussion session 25mins
16:00 Coffee break
Theme #5 Public Awareness and the threat unregulated LEO access poses to ground based astronomy
16:30 Invited talk #9 Dr. Frederico Di Vruno, (SKAO Spectrum Manager, UK)
Co-Director – IAU Centre for the protection of the dark and quiet sky
16:50 Contributed talk Dr. Stephan Hellmich (EPFL, Versoix, Switzerland)
17:05 Contributed talk Dr. Ciara McGrath (Univ.Manchester, UK)
17:20 Contributed talk Ms. Emma Tolley (EPFL, Switzerland)
17:35 END
Conference dinner – free to all registered participants
Will take place from 6:30pm on 14th Floor of HKU K.K. Leung Building –
Cantonese style banquet with drinks (alcoholic and soft drinks)
Day 3, Wednesday December 4th
Theme #6 Economics of Active Debris Remediation –burden or market?
09:00 Invited talk #10 Prof. Gregg Li (CEO & Founder, OASA)
09:20 Contributed talk Hassan Absouseada (Egyptian Space Agency, Egypt)
09:35 Contributed talk Takumi Hashizume (MUFG Bank, Sustainable Business Div., Japan)
09:50 Contributed talk David Piesse (Vulcain, Hong Kong)
10:05 Contributed talk Most Farjana Sharmin (South Asian University, India)
10:25 Coffee break
11:00 Invited talk #11 Isabelle Mierau (Institute Legal Transformation Economic Incentives for Space Sustainability, Berlin, Germany)
11:20 Poster Sparkler Session (3mins per poster)
11:50 Moderated panel discussion 20mins
Conference summary session
12:10 Conference summary statements for each theme 6x5mins
12:40 END and lunch before TCTB workshop at 2:00pm
Supplementary Workshop
Cooperative Remediation Workshop Dec 4th 1:30 to 6:00pm
Agenda for extended half-day session of the Space Debris and Sustainability Conference as organized by the Three Countries Trusted Broker group TCTB
The Cooperative Remediation Workshop:
HKU-EPFL and TCTB will join for a groundbreaking exercise to explore possibilities for collaboration among Russia, China and the USA for remediation of Massive Derelicts.
Major Themes and Questions
Panels of international experts will describe the serious and urgent problem we face from very large, uncontrolled space debris in clustered high-LEO orbits, known as “Massive Derelicts”.
Questions to be addressed include why Massive Derelicts are the most dangerous debris in space, whether technology is ready for the challenge, what are the legal, political and economic challenges preventing remediation of these objects, and how can these hurdles be overcome.
Panelists will also address the cost of remediation, possible cost-sharing mechanisms, necessary shared principles to enable cooperative missions, and cooperative structures or models to consider.
TCTB will benchmark key cooperative principles for the Workshop, and then Conference attendees will separate into three teams representing China, Russia and the USA.
Led by TCTB facilitators, teams will explore whether consensus can be reached on key principles, thereby lighting a path towards future cooperative missions. A post-Conference paper will discuss Workshops findings.
Detailed Agenda
1:30-3:00 “Problems and Principles”
1:30-2:00 “Massive Derelicts: The Problem and Technical Considerations”
Moderator: V. Uvarov, TCTB; Panelists: Darren McKnight (video tape), Dmitriy Grishko, Liu Jing
Theme: Why are Massive Derelicts the most dangerous debris in space? Is technology ready? Who and where are the remediators, and what are their business cases?
2:00-2:30 “Legal, Political and Economic Hurdles; Prospects for Cooperation” Moderator: G. Wang, TCTB; Panelists: [TBD – Ian Christiansen – SWF, Brian Weeden – Aerospace, TCTB – C. Dickey, HKU Space Law professor.
Theme: What are the major legal, political and economic hurdles to remediation? Panelists will discuss cost estimates for remediation missions and cost sharing formulas, and will review historical models for cooperation among Russia, China and the USA, and assess current prospects for cooperation.
2:30-3:00 “Cooperative Principles and Workshop Format” C. Dickey, TCTB
Assuming governments could agree to explore cooperation, what principles would they have to agree on? Ground rules will be set to frame the issues and guide participants through the Workshop.
3:00-5:00 “Workshop” – Three teams of students and conference attendees will simulate negotiations among Russia, China and the USA on selected principles of cooperation,
Facilitated by TCTB (V. Uvarov, C. Dickey. G. Wang).
Conference attendees will split up into three teams, led by three pre-briefed HKU students acting as government heads of state, to develop positions on key principles of cooperation, including cost and risk sharing, object selection, and a procurement plan. TCTB facilitators working with each team and across all teams will guide teams through the principles in search of consensus.
5:00-6:00 – Workshop Report, Discussion, Next Steps: TCTB
Teams will reconvene to discuss areas of disagreement and consensus, led by TCTB. TCTB will prepare a Workshop paper after the Conference discussing the results and implications for cooperation among governments.