Planet Earth: Through A Telescope

The space industry is booming, but what does this mean for us on Planet Earth? From rocket emissions to skies crowded with satellites, the impacts of space activities are getting closer to home. This talk explores how experts use life cycle thinking to measure the environmental cost of our presence in space, tracking every stage from manufacturing on the ground to disposal in orbit. Along the way, we'll uncover surprising impacts that emerge during the life of a space mission. Join us to find out what a sustainable space industry could look like, and why it matters to all of us on the ground.

The rapid increase in the space industry has left a lot of us with whiplash and confusion. “Should I be excited or concerned about this new space age?” It’s vital that we always consider the negative impacts of our actions but that shouldn’t scare us or make us stop exploring. This talk aims to make sense of all the scary numbers, explain how the space industry is impacting real humans, what we can do about those impacts and discuss the inspiring and exciting benefits from space. Let’s work it out together…

Humanity is entering an era of large-scale space operations – space warehouses, data centers, solar power satellites, telescopes, tourism etc. It’s exciting, yet, our trail to the stars is littered with the ghosts of missions past. Ironically, we’re now designing missions to clean up space while still unsure if those efforts might create more debris themselves. Standing at the the precarious crossroads of modern spaceflight between progress and responsibility, can we pioneer the final frontier without turning it into a junkyard? Join me as we take the road less travelled—the sustainable one.