Program

Main Conference

Abstract Details.

Final Programme:  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 0, Sunday December 1st: Evening Reception free to all registered participants

HKU Senior Common Room 15th Floor of HKU K.K. Leung Building 6:00-9:30pm + Jazz trio

Conference Venue: Conference Room: Room CPD-3.04, Run Run Shaw Tower, HKU

Day 1, Monday December 2nd

Theme #1 The Scale of the threat of Space Debris

Session Chair: Isabelle Mierau (Space Debris, DAO, Germany)

09:00 Welcome speeches and Introduction

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

09:30 Invited talk #1 Prof. Olivier Contant (Executive Director, IAA, Paris, France)

10:00 Prof. Quentin Parker (HKU-LSR)

10:15 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   Dr. Susmita Mohanty (Founder, Dir. General Spaceport Sarabhai,India)

11:35   Prof. Yehia Abdel-Aziz (Aton Space Technology, UAE)

11:50   Dr. Emanuelle David (EPFL Space Centre, Switzerland) Prof. Kneib to give

12:05  Moderated panel discussion session – 25mins – Panel composition TBD

12:30 Group Photo and 12:40 Lunch break

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

Session Chair: Federico Di Vruno SKAO Spectrum Manager (Manchester University, UK)

14:00 Invited talk #3 Prof. T. Schildknecht (Bern Astronomical Institute; Director of SwissOGS)

14:20   Dr. Chen Zhang (Purple Mountain Observatory, China)

14:35   Ms. Aila Raquel (CEO Alya Nanosatellites Constellation, Brazil)

14:50   Haohua Niu (SYSU, China)

15:05   Ms. Kitty Tang (Kolour ThinkTank HKSAR)

15:20   Mr. Egemen Demirer (Sakarya University, Turkey)

15:35  Invited talk #4 Dr. Meng Su (Feilong Aerospace & Technology Ltd, Hong Kong)

16:00 Coffee break

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

16:50   Dr. Adriana Marais (NITheCS, South Africa)

17:05   Dr. Lee Sunghee (CONTEC, South Korea)

17:20   Mr. Xukang Xie (SYSU, China)

17:35  Moderated panel discussion session 25mins – Panel composition TBD

18:00 END

Organised evening social activity:  Junk Boat trip on HK harbour – not to be missed!

On first come first served basis – 35pax/max, departure: 7:30 pm central pier 9 ($100HKD/pax)

Day 2, Tuesday December 3rd

Theme #3 Data collection and data sharing

Session Chair: Thomas Schildknecht, University of Bern (Switzerland)

09:00 Invited talk #6 Mr. Chuck Dickey (Founder and Principal Member, TCTB, USA)

09:20   Mr. Stefano Lopresti (CISAS, Padova, Italy)

09:35   Mr. Daniel Lubian Arenillas (OKAPI, Germany)

09:50   Dr. Pei Chen (Beihang University, China)

10:05  Mr. Purin Tanirat (GISTDA, Thailand)

10:20 Coffee break

11:00 Invited talk #7 Victor Strelets (ITU, Russia)

11:20   Dr. Yukihito Kitazawa (Nihon University, Japan)

11:35   Moderated panel discussion session 25mins – Panel composition TBD

12:00 Extended Lunch break (~2hrs)

Incorporating a special OASA organised “SpaceBiz” presentation lunch (details in brochure)

Theme #4 International Regulation of LEO – Progress and Pitfalls

Session Chair: Jean-Paul Kneib, EPFL (Lausanne, Switzerland)

14:00 Invited talk #8 Dr. Anthony Neoh (Co-Chairman, Asian Academy of International Law, Hong Kong)

14:20   Prof. Yun Zhao, (Specialist in Space Law, HKU, Hong Kong)

14:35   Dr. Valentin Uvarov (TCTB, Russia)

14:50   Dr. Benjamin Guyot (Space SA, CEO, Switzerland)

15:05   Mr. David Hoantee Peng (ASU, USA)

15:20   Federico Di Vruno (his 2nd talk)

15:35 Moderated panel discussion session 25mins – Panel composition TBD

16:00 Coffee break

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

Session Chair: Dr. Susmita Mohanty TBC (Founder, Dir. General Spaceport Sarabhai, India)

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   Dr. Stephan Hellmich (EPFL, Versoix, Switzerland)

17:05    Jennifer Manner (NTIA, USA)

17:20   Ms. Emma Tolley (EPFL, Switzerland)

17:35 Moderated panel discussion session 20mins – Panel composition TBD

17:55 END

Conference dinner – free to all registered participants – tickets collected on registration

Will take place from 7:00pm on 14th Floor of HKU K.K. Leung Building –

Cantonese style banquet with drinks (alcoholic and soft drinks) + entertainment Chinese Dance

Day 3, Wednesday December 4th

Theme #6 Economics of Active Debris Remediation –burden or market?

Session Chair: Christophe Bonal International Academy of Astronautics(Paris)

09:00 Invited talk #10 Prof. Gregg Li (CEO & Founder, OASA, Hong Kong)

09:20   Angelina Frolova (EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland)

09:35   Takumi Hashizume (MUFG Bank,Sustainable Business Div., Japan)

09:50   Dr. Ciara McGrath (Univ. Manchester, UK)

10:05   David Piesse (Vulcain, Hong Kong)

10:20   Most Farjana Sharmin (South Asian University, India) TBC VISA issues

10:35 Coffee break

11:00 Invited talk #12 Isabelle Mierau (Institute Legal Transformation Economic Incentives for Space Sustainability, Berlin, Germany)

11:20   Dr. Dmitriy Grishko (Bauman Moscow State Technical Univ., Russia)

11:35   Poster Sparkler Session (2 mins per poster for 8 posters)

11:50   Moderated panel discussion 20mins – Panel composition TBD

Conference summary session

12:10 Conference summary statements for each theme 6x5mins

12:40 END and lunch before TCTB workshop at 2:00pm til 5:30pm

Supplementary Workshop

Cooperative Remediation Workshop Dec 4th 2:00 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.