WASHINGTON--(PRIME NEWSWIRE)--April 21, 2008
World leaders and
industry professionals will gather in Beijing on April 24th and 25th
for the first international space summit on Chinese soil to discuss the
future of outer space exploration.
This summit comes as concern mounts over a second space race. Attendees
will tackle potentially thorny issues such as who should govern space
in the future and how nations can cooperate to ensure that space
remains a peaceful domain and global public good. The summit is
co-hosted by Washington, D.C. think-tank Center for Strategic and
International Studies (CSIS) and the Chinese Society of Astronautics
(CSA).
"Space is critical to every facet of national security," Vincent
Sabatier, Director of Space Initiatives at CSIS, notes. "Everyday
communication -- military, commercial and personal -- and our
understanding of our own planet is dependent on space-based assets.
Future governance of space determines how safe our satellites will be,
and that goes for every other nation.
"So while space is a public domain, nations want to ensure it is
governed in their favor. Whether this will drive conflict as nations
try to edge each other out in this Second Space Race is a serious issue
that needs to be addressed now. By co-hosting this summit, China is
helping to start the discussion."
So far, no one nation has bested the U.S.'s advantage in space.
However, China, Japan and India have all declared their plans to
continue their exploration of the moon through 2020 and beyond.
Experts warn that U.S. dominance in space could change soon. "I
personally believe that China will be back on the moon before we are,"
NASA Administrator Dr. Michael Griffin stated in October 2007. "I think
when that happens, Americans will not like it. But they will just have
to not like it." The race to the moon has enormous implications for the
future domination of space. The nation who develops the technology to
return to the moon first will also shape the landscape of future
governance.
This summit marks the first step towards an international conversation
on the future governance of space. National and international
governmental officials, space industry professionals, and leading space
technology firms from different nations will take part in three panels
and a closed-session roundtable.
Attendees include high-profile leaders from the United Nations, World
Trade Organization, Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development, Lockheed Martin, EADS, Mitsubishi, and officials from the
U.S., China, Japan and France. CSIS is a bipartisan, nonprofit
organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. that conducts research
and analysis and develops policy initiatives that look into the future
and anticipate change. To find out more, please visit www.csis.org.
Please Address Inquiries to:
Mr. Ryan Faith, CSIS Program Manager for Space Initiatives
space@csis.org
Tel: +(86) 133.4110.7671 (In China), 202.775.3114 (In the U.S.)
CONTACT: Center for Strategic and International Studies
Mr. Ryan Faith
202.775.3114
+(86) 133.4110.7671 (China)
World leaders and
industry professionals will gather in Beijing on April 24th and 25th
for the first international space summit on Chinese soil to discuss the
future of outer space exploration.
This summit comes as concern mounts over a second space race. Attendees
will tackle potentially thorny issues such as who should govern space
in the future and how nations can cooperate to ensure that space
remains a peaceful domain and global public good. The summit is
co-hosted by Washington, D.C. think-tank Center for Strategic and
International Studies (CSIS) and the Chinese Society of Astronautics
(CSA).
"Space is critical to every facet of national security," Vincent
Sabatier, Director of Space Initiatives at CSIS, notes. "Everyday
communication -- military, commercial and personal -- and our
understanding of our own planet is dependent on space-based assets.
Future governance of space determines how safe our satellites will be,
and that goes for every other nation.
"So while space is a public domain, nations want to ensure it is
governed in their favor. Whether this will drive conflict as nations
try to edge each other out in this Second Space Race is a serious issue
that needs to be addressed now. By co-hosting this summit, China is
helping to start the discussion."
So far, no one nation has bested the U.S.'s advantage in space.
However, China, Japan and India have all declared their plans to
continue their exploration of the moon through 2020 and beyond.
Experts warn that U.S. dominance in space could change soon. "I
personally believe that China will be back on the moon before we are,"
NASA Administrator Dr. Michael Griffin stated in October 2007. "I think
when that happens, Americans will not like it. But they will just have
to not like it." The race to the moon has enormous implications for the
future domination of space. The nation who develops the technology to
return to the moon first will also shape the landscape of future
governance.
This summit marks the first step towards an international conversation
on the future governance of space. National and international
governmental officials, space industry professionals, and leading space
technology firms from different nations will take part in three panels
and a closed-session roundtable.
Attendees include high-profile leaders from the United Nations, World
Trade Organization, Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development, Lockheed Martin, EADS, Mitsubishi, and officials from the
U.S., China, Japan and France. CSIS is a bipartisan, nonprofit
organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. that conducts research
and analysis and develops policy initiatives that look into the future
and anticipate change. To find out more, please visit www.csis.org.
Please Address Inquiries to:
Mr. Ryan Faith, CSIS Program Manager for Space Initiatives
space@csis.org
Tel: +(86) 133.4110.7671 (In China), 202.775.3114 (In the U.S.)
CONTACT: Center for Strategic and International Studies
Mr. Ryan Faith
202.775.3114
+(86) 133.4110.7671 (China)