We have received considerable interest to our call for papers for a new Routledge handbook on Space Policy, which is good news, since we want this book to address a variety of issues about space that concern us today. Amongst large space missions, the media presence of Thomas Pesquet, the pressure of new powers and private actors, security concerns, and also sustainable development, it is difficult today to ignore space issues, which are in constant and rapid evolution.
For this first workshop, we have selected 25 papers covering the following topics:
- Sustainability in and from Space
- The Commercialisation of Space
- Space Theory
- Space Institutions
- Space Law
- The Militarisation of Space
- Space Applications and Domestic Use
The presentations were of high quality and the current objective is to work on these papers to adapt and improve them for an edited book. To support the authors in the writing process, a second workshop will be held in about a year’s time, and some articles will be published in a special issue of Spectator International and/or in the Routledge Space Handbook which is due to be published in about two years’ time.
This first workshop was also the occasion to work together on the structure of the book. Professor Thomas Hoerber expressed his satisfaction with the constructive contributions of the participants and their collaborative work. In addition to the two editors, Dr Mariel Borowitz and Prof Thomas Hoerber, this workshop was also the occasion to recruit two more editors: Prof Antonella Forganni and Dr Bruno Reynaud de Sousa, who will be involved in the reviewing and editing process for this new handbook.
We want to thank our partner ESA / ESRIN for hosting this event, and especially Pascal Legai and Roberta Pierini for their warm welcome and their logistical support.
