Growing concern as space industry booms: "where humans go, garbage follows"

While private and governmental players explore the potential of the space business, a balance must be found between regulations and innovation. This, among other challenges facing the space industry, was the main topic at the Software Defined Space Conference.

The European Space Agency (ESA), startups, and policymakers have gathered to discuss the future of the space economy In Tallin, Estonia.

The number of satellites in space has nearly tripled in four years, rising from 3,521 in 2021 to 10,247 in 2024. Two-thirds of these are Starlink satellites, with Elon Musk planning to increase the number to 42,000.

China is not holding back with its own Starlink competitor. This summer, the country launched the first 18 satellites of its own broadband constellation, Qianfan, with plans to expand it to 14,000 satellites by the decade's end.

Cybernews attended the conference to find out more about what’s going on in the space sector.

The need to regulate the emerging industry

As the industry grows and more players enter the game, the need to set rules and boundaries increases. Currently, regulation in the sector is still vague.

The head of Estonia's Policy and Space Technology department, Paul Liias, says that space laws and regulations bring legal certainty for all shareholders.

"Now, governments are responsible for space activities, even if the industry owns them. What it means in practice is that local populations have to pay for potential damage if something goes wrong," Liias said.

Estonia is currently drafting its Space Act, which will outline what it will take to get a license to operate satellites, how assets will be insured, and mandate the sharing of satellite location data with authorities. Additionally, the Act will establish a database to monitor and track space assets in orbit.

Satellite traffic jams and space debris are a huge concern

As the space sector grows rapidly, international cooperation is essential to manage orbital space effectively and ensure safe navigation amid increasing space traffic to prevent collisions.

This growth also highlights a significant industry concern – space debris. Clear regulations could establish guidelines on debris ownership and define the lifecycle requirements for space objects, helping to manage and minimize debris in orbit.

"It's a similar problem here on Earth where the amount of garbage goes higher and higher, and we need to tackle it. Everywhere where a human goes, the garbage follows," said Sandhra-Mirella Valdma, project manager at Estonian cybersecurity company Cybernetica; the company is currently working on the technology to help satellites avoid collisions in the busy orbit.

"If we could avoid collisions at any cost, then we wouldn't have debris clouds moving around the Earth," she added.

Space cybersecurity needs to be discussed

As more space objects are being sent into orbit and with hostile geopolitical powers in mind, securing assets is becoming a key point of the discussions. That's where cybersecurity standards become important.

The ESA highlighted that cyberattacks have intensified over recent years. Space infrastructure is particularly vulnerable because its dispersed systems, spanning Earth and space, create an extensive attack surface for potential threats.

Francesco Casaril, researcher and PhD student at the IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, commented that many vulnerable devices belong to space companies, particularly satellite modems.

"At the moment, you can launch a satellite, and you don't have to encrypt the telemetry and control and command link. The satellite links could not be protected. A company can do this kind of operation without having risk management practices. So there is a bit of a gap in the regulation," Casaril said.

Sovereignty of crucial satellite communications

The expansion of the space industry also raises the question of sovereignty to ensure that the crucial satellite connectivity service is provided without interruptions, as using foreign services always involves the risk of losing access.

Europe is working on its own space-based secure communications networks, such as IRIS2 and Govsatcom satellite communication initiatives, with the latter being tested last week.

"Sovereignty – you will hear this word more often. We cannot be dependent on other nations. We cannot be dependent on commercial systems that can be switched off", said ESA's Director of Connectivity and Secure Communications Laurent Jaffart.

Startups at the core of the space industry

According to Rodrigo da Costa, a Director of the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), the startups and private sector are bringing a lot of innovation into the space industry.

While governmental institutions are stronger in building infrastructure, such as the Galileo and Copernicus satellite networks, businesses are stronger in applying technology and reaching the end user.

“To create the basic infrastructure is just one part. Then, to create the added value on that infrastructure, the private sector is much better positioned than we are. We need to help those innovators move forward,” said da Costa, referring to the UESPA’s CASSINI program to support space entrepreneurs.