session 3

Title

Norms and Standards for Safe and Responsible Behaviour in Space

type

oral

Description

The rapid expansion and evolution of the global space arena is characterized by an increasing number and diversity of space actors and the emergence of new kinds of space systems, some of which involve very large constellations of satellites numbering in the thousands to tens of thousands, and also new kinds of space activities, such as on-orbit servicing, refueling, in-orbit assembly and manufacturing, active debris removal, and so on. With increasing congestion in the Earth’s orbital environment, these new kinds of space activities raise questions about the safety of space operations, particularly when contingency situations arise (such as conjunctions), or when spacecraft operate in close proximity to each other and there are no clear, widely accepted international standards or norms of behaviour. For this reason, it is important to identify and leverage best practices from government and industry to ensure safety of flight and safe rendezvous and proximity operations of spacecraft. These best practices may subsequently be codified as norms and standards for safe and responsible behaviour in space. This session is intended to be a forum to allow practitioners to discuss and socialize the types of norms, standards and behaviours that would be conducive to the safety of space operations.

IPC members

• Co-Chair: Dr. Peter Martinez, Secure World Foundation, United States;

• Co-Chair: Dr. Annamaria Nassisi, Thales Alenia Space Italia, Italy;

• Rapporteur: Ms. Rachel Venn, Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), United Kingdom;