Program

Main Conference

  Major themes and Questions

  1. The scale of the threat, risks and costs – modelling, monitoring, measuring
  2. Mitigation – what processes/technologies are available/under development?
  3. Data collection and data sharing – vital aspects of addressing the issue
  4. International Regulation of LEO – progress, pitfalls, policy compliance & co-operation
  5. Public Awareness and threat unregulated LEO access poses to ground based astronomy
  6. Economics of Active Debris Remediation –burden or market?

Day 1, Monday December 2nd

Theme #1 The Scale of the threat of Space Debris

09:00 Welcome speeches and Introduction

09:20 Opening address from Aarti Holla-Maini (Director, UNOOSA)

09:40 Invited talk #1 Prof Olivier Content (Executive Director, IAA, Paris)

10:00 Contributed talk

10:15 Contributed talk

10:30 Coffee break

11:00 Invited talk #2 Prof. Jean-Paul Kneib (Exec. Director, ESC – Space Innovation, Switzerland)

11:20 Contributed talk

11:35 Contributed talk

11:50 Contributed talk

12:05 Moderated panel discussion session – 25mins

12:30 Lunch break

Theme #2 Mitigation & Solutions? – technologies are available/under development

14:00 Invited talk #3 Dr. Meng SU (Feilong Aerospace & Technology Ltd)

14:20 Contributed talk

14:35 Contributed talk

14:50 Contributed talk

15:05 Contributed talk

15:20 Invited talk #4  Prof.T. Schildknecht (Bern Astro. Institute; Director of SwissOGS – TBC)

15:40 Moderated panel discussion session 20mins

16:00 Coffee break

16:30 Invited talk #5 Christophe Bonnal, (MaiaSpace, France)

16:50 Contributed talk

17:05 Contributed talk

17:20 Contributed talk

17:35 END of day

Day 2, Tuesday December 3rd

Theme #3 Data collection and data sharing

09:00 Invited talk #6 Victoria Samson (Chief Director, Space Security and Stability, Secure World Foundation – TBC)

09:20 Contributed talk – Isabella Myriam Cristiano (SASA AEROSPACE ENGINEERING)

09:35 Contributed talk

09:50 Contributed talk

10:05 Summary open discussion of Theme #3

10:30 Coffee break

11:00 Invited talk  #7

11:20 Contributed talk

11:35 Contributed talk

11:50 Contributed talk

12:05 Contributed talk

12:20 Moderated panel discussion session 20mins

12:40 Lunch break

Theme #4 International Regulation of LEO – progress,  pitfalls

14:00 Invited talk #8 Chuck Dickey (Founder and Principal Member, TCTB, USA)

14:20 Contributed talk Prof. Yun Zhao, Specialist in Space Law, HKU

14:35 Contributed talk Dr. Yukihito KITAZAWA (Nihon University, Japan) 

14:50 Contributed talk

15:05 Contributed talk

15:20 Invited talk #8 Dr. Anthony Neoh (Co-Chairman, Asian Academy of International Law)

15:40 Moderated panel discussion session 20mins

16:00 Coffee break

Theme #5 Public Awareness and the threat unregulated LEO access poses to ground based astronomy

16:30 Invited talk #9 Prof. Quentin Parker (Director, Laboratory for Space Research, HKU)

16:50 Contributed talk

17:05 Contributed talk

17:20 Contributed talk

17:35 END DAY #2

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, HKSAR)

09:20 Contributed talk

09:35 Contributed talk

09:50 Contributed talk

10:05 Contributed talk

10:20 Contributed talk

10:35 Coffee break

11:00 Invited talk #11 Isabelle Mierau (Institute Legal Transformation Economic Incentives for Space Sustainability, Berlin, Germany)

11:20 Contributed talk

11:35 Contributed talk

11:50 Moderated panel discussion 20mins

Conference summary session

12:00 Summary theme #1 & #2

12:10 Summary theme #3 & #4

12:20 Summary theme #5 & #6

12:30 Conference summary statement

12:45 END and  lunch before TCTB workshop

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.