A global summit on space sustainability to ensure a safe and secure orbital environment will be co-hosted by the UK Space Agency.

The 4th Summit for Space Sustainability will be hosted with the Secure World Foundation in London on June 22nd and 23rd.

It will bring together government, industry and academics from around the world to discuss how to ensure the sustainability of space operations.

The conference will discuss issues such as tackling space debris. Over the decades of space exploration, old satellites, rocket pieces and other junk has accumulated in Earth’s orbit, threatening the satellites that underpin many modern digital services.

There are around 30,000 pieces of debris large enough to be tracked from Earth, and potentially 130 million pieces of smaller debris, currently in orbit.

Collisions between even a fleck of paint and a satellite can have major consequences for vital services, including communications and climate change monitoring.

Furthermore, since space debris can stay in orbit for hundreds of years, the problem is only set to increase as more countries and companies seek to develop their presence in space.

Science Minister George Freeman said: “As our reliance on satellites for everyday activity grows and the UK becomes a hub of small satellite design, manufacturing, and launch, we are at the forefront of ensuring a safe and secure space environment.

“With more than a thousand satellites launched last year alone, ‘safe space’ means proper governance of space traffic, debris removal, satellite tracking and in-orbit servicing.”

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With the UK’s National Space Strategy calling for the UK to lead in making space safe and sustainable, the UK Space Agency has provided £3.7 million to industry and academia to develop new technology for Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) and debris removal over the past two years.

It also invested around £16m on space sustainability through the European Space Agency in 2019.

Dr Peter Martinez, Executive Director of the Secure World Foundation, a leading US non-profit organisation focused on the sustainable use of space, said: “The existing international governance system for space activities was developed at a time when there were only a few space actors, and the pace of development was slow.

“Today, we have a much greater number and diversity of actors, and new types of space activities that are raising challenges for the long-term sustainability of space activities.”

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