May 22nd, 2022 |
The 40th annual iteration of the National Space Society’s International Space Development Conference (ISDC) kicks off Friday, May 27th in Arlington, VA. Tasked with running the 2022 conference’s policy track, will be the Beyond Earth Institute, joining this effort for the second consecutive year, albeit now in an expanded role.
The ISDC aims to further the National Space Society’s vision of “People living and working in thriving communities beyond the Earth, and the use of the vast resources of space for the dramatic betterment of humanity”. In bringing together current and future space leaders, professionals, academics, and enthusiasts to discuss leading ideas in space development, the National Space Society, and its partners including the Beyond Earth Institute, will provide an unparalleled look into the future of humanity’s space endeavors.
Coinciding closely with the ISDC’s 2022 tagline, Living in Space, the Beyond Earth Institute’s policy track will focus on a grouping of topics critically important to a future flush with people living, working, and thriving in communities beyond the atmosphere of Earth.
The policy track will feature five panels over the course of Friday to include: Policy Challenges of Commercial Space Stations, Property Rights in Space, Space Solar Power National Strategy, Cislunar Economy Enabling Policy, and Financing the Construction of Human Communities Beyond Earth. Contained within the various panels are a wealth of experts from a variety of important space industry fields.
Below are details on each of these panels and their respective speakers.
Panel 1: Policy Challenges of Commercial Space Habitats
With the planned decommissioning of the International Space Station by the end of the decade, it is crucial that the space policy community works to ensure continuity of critical LEO microgravity research. A governing regime for commercial space habitats that instills confidence in customers and investors will be critically important to the success of this new sector. This panel seeks to address some of the many questions and challenges associated with building a thorough and robust commercial space habitat policy framework.
Panel 2: Property Rights in Space
As space resource utilization becomes more feasible, the question of property rights in space is becoming increasingly important. Unilateral government policies to define access and use of space resources (in the U.S. and Luxembourg, specifically), are a starting point, but a new international regime needs to be redefined so that permanent occupation and utilization can occur within a common policy framework. This panel aims to discuss potential policies that can ensure the equitable utilization of outer space without unduly impeding private enterprise.
Panel 3: Space Solar Power National Strategy
The necessity to develop cleaner, more sustainable methods of energy production has never been so great. As such, in the quest for clean energy space solar power is should be considered a viable alternative source. To ensure space-based solar power is properly researched and adequately developed, a national and international space solar power strategy should be adopted. A strong policy commitment to space solar power could ensure the future of clean energy and greatly contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. This panel will explore the critical issues policy path for space solar power adoption.
Panel 4: Cislunar Economy Enabling Policy
The U.S., European Union, and China are executing plans to extend human activity to the lunar surface and its environs. The U.S. has its Artemis program that includes a permanent Basecamp, Europe has plans for Moon Village and experts expect that China will land their taikonauts on the Moon as soon as 2030. All of this imminent activity will extend human economic activity to encompass both the Earth and the Moon, or cislunar. This panel will explore what this activity will mean for the global economy in both the short and the long term.
Panel 5: Financing the Construction of Human Communities Beyond Earth
One of the biggest challenges facing the prospect of large-scale human habitation in space, beyond the technology and political will, is the formulation of an appropriate financing mechanism to support the $100 Billion plus investment necessary for even a modest human community in space. This panel of experts has given this question a great deal of thought and will provide insight into how space development and habitation can be financed.
