The Challenges of the New Space Age

We are entering a “New Space Age” of unprecedented activity and development in space, which will bring with it both exciting opportunities and major challenges for policymakers worldwide.

Satellites support increasingly advanced technology on Earth, but this also means many key technologies are vulnerable to satellite damage or attack. The prospect of space travel could transform global tourism and trade, but at the same time, the space domain is becoming increasingly militarized, with Russia and China discussing collaboration on a new Moon base, while the United States and its allies are also considering a return to the Moon.

What is the future of space exploration and travel? How will increasing tensions between space-faring states affect the future of space? How do arms control and disarmament issues interact to build the future of the space domain?

Join Perry World House for a conversation with UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu and former Administrator of NASA Sean O’Keefe on these critical questions and more.

Please note that this event is virtual only. Details of how to take part can be found in your order confirmation email.

Speakers

Izumi Nakamitsu is Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs at the United Nations. Prior to taking on this post, Nakamitsu had served as Assistant Administrator of the Crisis Response Unit at the United Nations Development Programme since 2014. She has many years of experience within and outside the United Nations system, most recently as Special Adviser Ad Interim on Follow-up to the Summit on Addressing Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants between 2016 and 2017. Between 2005 and 2008, Nakamitsu was Professor of International Relations at Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo, where she also served as a member of the Foreign Exchange Council to Japan’s Foreign Minister, and as a visiting senior adviser on peacebuilding at the Japan International Cooperation Agency. Earlier in her career, she was a member of the United Nations Reform Team of former Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Nakamitsu holds an M.Sc. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and an LL.B. from Waseda University.

Sean O’Keefe is University Professor and the Howard and Louise Phanstiel Endowed Chair in Strategic Management and Leadership at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Concurrently, he is a distinguished senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a partner institution with the Maxwell School in Washington, D.C. Previously, O’Keefe was chairman and chief executive officer of Airbus Group Inc, the U.S.-based corporate division of the global aerospace corporation. Prior to joining Airbus, O’Keefe was a company officer and vice president of the General Electric Company following service as chancellor of the Louisiana State University. On four separate occasions O’Keefe served as a presidential appointee when he led NASA, as secretary of the Navy, as deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget and deputy assistant to the President, and as comptroller and CFO at the Defense Department. O’Keefe is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and serves on the board of directors of the Partnership for Public Service.