SCIENCE CAFÉ

Space Debris
During the more than six decades that humankind has been active in outer space, thousands of satellites have been launched into the Earth’s orbits. Thanks to the growing number of space-faring countries and of private actors that participate to space ventures, the number of launched objects continues to increase. To that contributes the rapid technological developments that allow for affordable launches and large constellations of satellites. Eventually, some of the satellites in orbit reach the end of their life, encounter malfunctions or collide with other objects, which render them inoperable. Space debris, as these non-functional objects are known, pose a great risk to the environment of outer space, creating the risk of further collisions and orbital congestion. Therefore, it is essential to mitigate space debris in future missions and remediate existing debris in space. This talk will address the legal framework that governs space activities and the challenges that are raised by space debris, in terms of preserving the space environment and maintaining the long-term sustainability of outer space.

Dimitra Stefoudi 
is part of the International Institute of Air & Space Law of Leiden University. She focuses her research and teaching on space applications, cybersecurity and privacy in space activities, space resources governance, and is writing her PhD on the “Legal and Policy Aspects of Space Big Data”, with the support of the Netherlands Space Office and the European Space Agency. She is also part of the faculty of the International Space University.

Dimitra participates often to international conferences and speaks frequently about space law in public events. She is member of the International Institute of Space Law, the European Center for Space Law, the Netherlands Space Society, the Greek New Space Society, and Advisory Board Member of the Space Court Foundation.

What is a Science Café?
Well, it’s definitely not an obligatory monologue in a bulb-lighted college room. Rather it’s an informal meeting between scientists and those who love science, or who love to debate the impact of science on our society.

So: in a cafe, with live music, and with a moderator for a lively debate. And if you are not inspired, you can leave whenever you want…

Each meeting is organized around an interesting topic of conversation. After some live music, two scientists give a brief presentation and sometimes show a short video clip to kick off a spicy debate.

Visit the Science Cafe: get a beer, listen, make some remarks and enlighten your mind.