Space policy experts meet at ISU to discuss cutting edge space policy issues

From 9th to 10th June 2022, the International Space University (ISU) hosted the 14th ESSCA Space Policy Workshop at ISU Central Campus. ISU’s Space Policy and Entrepreneurship Lab (SPEL) partnered with the ESSCA School of Management – and its ESSCA EU-Asia Institute – and Niklas Nienaß, a member of the European parliament to host academics and practitioners to meet and discuss the latest topics on space policy.

19 experts from Europe and beyond participated in this two-day workshop. The motto for this 14th edition was “Visions for Space – new ideas, new horizons, and the final frontier”. Prof. Nicolas Peter, ISU Faculty and Head of the SPEL, co-organized the event on the ISU side. He served as chair of the session on “International frameworks for space policy”. He presented some of the research results of the latter during the “The space debris challenge to the sustainability of the space economy” session. With a future publication opportunity in mind, under the leadership of Thomas Hoerber from ESSCA, this event allowed discussion of many topics linked to international space affairs, the popularisation of space, space sustainability, and European space futures. Nicolas Peter stressed that:

“ISU’s newly established SPEL is a good platform to host such events, to meet and discuss the next challenges in European space policy and bring academics, experts, and practitioners together in a stimulating environment”. Experts from the Philippines Space Agency, EUSPA, European Space Agency (ESA), and European think tanks and universities participated.

The Workshop was preceded by a round table on space policy held both at ISU and online with the participation of Niklas Nienaß, Member of the European Parliament, Pieter Van Nes from ESSCA, Christopher Topping from ESA, and Nicolas Peter from ISU. The roundtable moderated by Thomas Hoerber from ESSCA led to further interesting exchanges and discussions.