Sustainable Space – Resilient Earth
© iStock / MikeMareen
Space system services such as telecommunications, navigation and Earth observation are indispensable for the functioning of modern societies. They provide voice and data communications, maritime and aeronautics navigation, weather forecast, disaster relief or intelligence gathering, to name a few examples. But as more countries and private actors are venturing into space, the security and sustainability of space has increasingly become threatened – and thereby impacting resilience on earth.
Event Information
June 1, 2023, 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM
On-Site: OAG Hall (7-5-56 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052) / Online
Organizer(s): Japanese-German Center Berlin (JDZB), German Centre for Research and Innovation Tokyo (DWIH Tokyo) / In cooperation with: The German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Language: English with Japanese interpretation
**This event is open to everyone interested. Participants onsite are cordially invited to a reception after the panel discussion to network. We are looking forward to welcoming you at the German Culture Center!**
Recording – Keynote presentations (English): https://youtu.be/xYQWve9ebOI
Recording – Panel discussion (English): https://youtu.be/-Zrk8zT2xXw
Recording – Keynote presentations (Japanese): https://youtu.be/fmkXnHGNdlY
Recording – Panel discussion (Japanese): https://youtu.be/jdp3S95M5Eg
Sustainable Space – Resilient Earth: Event Recap
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Space systems in orbit have always been confronted with a number of dangers, including meteoroids and solar storms. The current expansion of commercial activities and opportunities in space combined with the growing potential for conflicts in orbit between the actors involved has further raised another major, man-made risk: space debris. The amount of defunct equipment left in the orbit is on the rise – and thus the risk for minor but also major collisions increases. Collisions cause further debris, and even small pieces pose a serious threat because of the high velocities involved. An exponential rise of debris fragments in space could one day even make it impossible to safely utilize satellites and thus have a major impact on earth.
Unhindered access to space by promoting the safe and sustainable use of space is of utmost importance for Germany and Japan. Both countries are at the forefront of developing technologies to mitigate the space debris problem and are looking back on decades of close cooperation in the space domain.
This symposium will bring together Japanese and German perspectives to reflect on strategies and regulations, stakeholders and claims, innovative technologies, and also the Japanese and German contributions to improve sustainability in space.
Program & Speakers
[Welcome 15:00-15:15 JST / 08:00-08:15 CEST]
Axel Karpenstein
Director, German Centre for Research and Innovation Tokyo (DWIH Tokyo)
Ambassador Takeshi Yagi
President, Japanese-German Center Berlin (JDZB)
Dr. Anna Wallbrecht
Deputy Head of Economic and Scientific Department, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany Tokyo
[Keynote Presentations 15:15–15:45 JST / 08:15–08:45 CEST]
Chair: Dr. Phoebe Stella Holdgrün
Head of Conferences/Project Management, Japanese-German Center Berlin (JDZB)
Prof. Dr. Setsuko Aoki
Vice-President & Director; International Institute of Space Law (IISL) & Professor of Law, Keio University Law School
Matthias Wachter
Managing Director, NewSpace Initiative, Federation of German Industries (BDI), Berlin
[Discussion 15:45–16:15 JST / 08:45 – 09:15 CEST]
[Panel Discussion 16:30–18:00 JST / 09:30–11:00 CEST]
Chair: Axel Karpenstein
Director, German Centre for Research and Innovation Tokyo (DWIH Tokyo)
Wolfgang Riede
Head of Department Active Optical Systems, Institute of Technical Physics, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Stuttgart
Toshifumi Yanagisawa
Associate Senior Researcher, Research and Development Directorate, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Kristina Nikolaus
CEO & Co-Founder, OKAPI:orbits GmbH, Braunschweig
Chris Blackerby
Group Chief Operating Officer, Astroscale HD
Stijn Lemmens
Senior Space Debris Analyst; Team; European Space Agency ESA, European Space Operations Centre, Darmstadt
[Reception for all onsite participants in Tokyo 18:00-19:00 JST]
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