Space Café WebTalk – “33 minutes with E. David and Dr. M. Rathnasabapathy”

This Space Café WebTalk will feature Emmanuelle David, the executive manager of eSpace - EPFL Space Center and Dr Minoo Rathnasabapathy, research engineer at the Space Enabled Research Group at MIT's Media Lab, in conversation with Torsten Kriening, publisher of SpaceWatch.Global.

Rewarding safe and sustainable behaviour in space

In 2022, more than one million objects larger than 1cm are orbiting the Earth, posing significant challenges to current and future operations in the space environment. Developed by an international, transdisciplinary consortium, the Space Sustainability Rating provides an assessment system to encourage mission designs that are compatible with sustainable and responsible operations, as well as on-orbit operations that reduce potential damage to the orbital environment and impact on other operators. Operators will also benefit from a certification rewarding good practices delivered by trustworthy and recognized third-parties entities, showing their commitment and leading the path towards a more sustainable use of outer space. In 2021, the EPFL Space Center (eSpace) was selected to host and operate the Space Sustainability Rating with the target to start operations in June 2022.

Emmanuelle David is the executive manager of EPFL Space Center, the entity that manages the operations of the SSR, and Dr Minoo Rathnasabapathy is a research engineer at the Space Enabled Research Group at MIT's Media Lab, she has been involved in the design and the development of the rating. Together they will address how the rating has been designed and how operations are intended to be launched. The discussion will also address how such a rating can incentivize a sustainable use of outer space.

The audience will have an opportunity to ask questions in dialogue with Emmanuelle David and Dr Minoo Rathnasabapathy.

SpaceWatch.Global is a Switzerland-based digital magazine and portal for those interested in space and the far-reaching impact of the space sector.

This Space Café WebTalk will be conducted in English.