We are pleased to announce our call for individual presentations, special sessions, round table discussions, and other creative contributions. This conference aims to bring together scholars and practitioners on the commons in space. The increasing dependence of our societies on space infrastructures (GPS, remote sensing, internet access, etc.) and the potential mining of rare minerals for energy transitions are causing new sustainability challenges due to the lack of governance of human activities in outer space.
We will cover topics from space debris and congesting orbital space due to increasing satellites, mining of celestial bodies, protection of dark night sky, utilization of different space resources in our solar system, and earth-space sustainability challenges. The increasing number of private and state actors involved in space exploration and the utilization of Earth’s orbit without a clear governance framework points to an urgent need to debate governance solutions.
With rapid technological innovation and space commercialization, how can existing studies on the governance of global commons consider the steering power of non-state actors, industries and sectors? As a virtual conference organized by the International Association for the Study of the Commons (IASC), we will facilitate a discussion between space scholars and scholars studying more traditional commons. What are the challenges ahead as humanity has to increasingly ensure earth-space sustainability? Importantly, how can commons scholarship provide models for diverse stakeholder groups to have agency and voice as humanity rapidly expands their activities on the Moon, Mars, and beyond?
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How to regulate the use of various types of resources on the Moon, Mars, and other celestial bodies?
Governance of Earth’s orbital environment for the use of satellites, spacecraft, and telecommunications.
How do we facilitate fair and equitable participation in the use of space and distribution of the benefits generated from space activities?
How to manage the cultural and scientific heritage of space exploration, as well as protect our dark skies in the interests of astronomy, indigenous communities, wildlife, and tourism?
How do we govern sustainability challenges on Earth and in space simultaneously, such as the increasing use of Earth’s orbit for environmental monitoring, competition over rare minerals in space for energy transitions on Earth, environmental degradation on Earth due to increasing rocket launches into space, etc.
This virtual conference is accessible for small fees to cover the costs of the implementation of the meetings. All presenters will have to be or become IASC members. IASC members pay 10 dollars to attend the virtual conference live. All conference material will be available to IASC members after the conference. If you are not an IASC member, you can easily register here. Non-IASC members can attend the conference for a fee of 50 dollars. Dependent on sponsoring, waivers are available for early-career scholars and practitioners from the global south.
IASC Members
Non-Members
For questions about this conference, please send an email to Xiao-Shan Yap (Shan) at xiao-shan.yap@epfl.ch.
We are seeking sponsors to cover the costs of organizing the conference and fund IASC memberships for students and colleagues in the global south. We consider the following level of Sponsorships:
Platinum Sponsor: $5,000
Gold Sponsor: $2,000
Silver Sponsor: $1,000
Bronze sponsor: $120, which covers a membership for one participant for four years.
Platinum, Gold, and Silver sponsors will have their logo on the conference website, the size depending on the level of Sponsorship. If you have inquiries about sponsorships, please contact Marco.Janssen@asu.edu.
We welcome donations of any amount!
