Last week, our Chair Raphael attended the Orbital Science-Policy Forum hosted by IQIB, which focused on orbital resilience. This is his report.

Following an insightful and moving opening impulse by Dr. Florian Max Schwandner on the real-life impact of space-based systems, what stood out to me was the range of perspectives the four panels brought together.

The discussions covered:
🚨 I. Disaster management – the role of space-based data and services in crisis response, with impulses from Dr. Joachim Götz, Oberstleutnant i.G. Roderick Dercks, Bert Droste-Franke, Gunnar Kreidl and Dr. Joerg Szarzynski.
🏛️ II. Space for cities and regions – how municipalities and federal states can benefit from and contribute to space policy, with Dr. Enrico Fels, Dr. Jürgen Born, Dr. Hendrik Fischer, Verena K., Daro Krummrich and Dr. Christine Pohl.
📈 III. Innovation and the orbital economy – innovation dynamics and economic resilience, with impulses from Franziska Dr. Zeitler and Volker Schmid, and contributions from Richard Haas, Roman Noetzel, Prof. Dr. Diane Robers and Prof. Dr. Josef Wieland.
💚 IV. Future-proof orbits – how resilience and sustainability interact in Earth orbits, with an impulse from Prof. Dr. Kai-Uwe Schrogl and contributions from Katja Grünfeld, Dr. Roberto Lampariello, Dr. Manuel Metz and myself.

Bringing these dimensions together under the common theme of orbital resilience made clear how many areas of policy and society are affected by developments in space.

My sincere thanks go to IQIB -Institut für qualifizierende Innovationsforschung und -beratung GmbH, and in particular to Dr. Marieluna Frank, for organising the forum.

I was glad to contribute to the preparation as a member of the sounding board and to take part as a panelist in the discussion on future-proof orbits and sustainability.

For me, sustainability in orbit has to be considered by design, and that applies to anyone who sends satellites up there. We already understand that satellites serve civilian and military purposes at the same time. But neither purpose can be fulfilled in orbits that become unusable, and with the growing risk of collisions, sustainability needs to be treated as a priority, not an afterthought.

In addition, ASTRA Bonn – Astropolitics, Strategy & Technology Research Association and SichTRaum Netzwerk jointly hosted a workshop on career opportunities in the space sector.
Professionals at different career stages and with different backgrounds shared their experiences, discussed possible career paths into the sector and addressed the question of whether and when a PhD is worthwhile. The open and approachable format made for a very productive exchange.

Thank you to everyone who shared their experience and to all participants who contributed to the discussions.

#SpacePolicy#OrbitalResilience#SpaceSecurity#ASTRABonn#IQIB#SichTRaum

Fotos: IQIB/Nathan Dreesen