ISPL Space Security Seminar in the news

 

Our Seminar is the subject of an excellent article by Owen Bowcott, Legal Correspondent of The Guardian.

The latest in ISPL’s series of Practitioner and Industry Seminars, the event on Tuesday 10 September 2013 was lively and instructive, featuring presentations from a number of experts and a lively debate between them and the audience.  Participants in the Seminar included civilian and military specialists in space law and policy, academics and students from a variety of fields, and representatives of government and the space sector.

Space security is concerned with maintaining and protecting space assets, their terrestrial elements and infrastructure, and their services and capabilities.  Space-based infrastructures are essential to established and emerging economies, and are critical to government, business and virtually every other part of our lives, and their security and sustainable use are crucial. These include navigational systems, guiding drones or helping rescuers reach a stranded climber, providing time signals for banking transactions and managing telecommunication data packages.

The Seminar covered risks that would affect virtually all societies, as most are in some degree dependent on space assets.  These risks include the use of weapons in space and the creation of debris, a lasting menace and a significant factor in planning commercial space projects. Disablement or loss of space assets would cause disruption and great inconvenience, particularly in the more technologically advanced societies. Even in the developing world, many communication systems rely heavily on satellites and on space-based time signals.

The Report shortly to be posted here will provide a detailed summary of the presentations and discussions, and will be followed by another in the journal Space Policy.  Both will be of interest to those unable to attend, and to those involved in space activities or engaged in the design and operation of space systems, their advisers, insurers and military and civilian security specialists.  The Reports will also be of interest to policy makers and lawyers who advise them, as well as scholars in related fields.

Owen Bowcott’s article about the Seminar is available here.

Here is the brochure containing information about the Seminar.