Delegates for Addressing Space Debris, Orbital Sustainability, and Rights to Space Infrastructure

Delegate Profiles

Countries:

United States
Focus: Leading space power with major government, military, and commercial space infrastructure.
Mission Objectives: Promote responsible space behavior, public-private partnerships, improved space traffic coordination, and protection of commercial satellite networks while preserving freedom of access to orbit.

China
Focus: Major state-led space power with growing satellite, lunar, and space station capabilities.
Mission Objectives: Advocate for state sovereignty, equal access to orbital infrastructure, and international agreements that prevent space from being dominated by Western corporations or military alliances.

Russia
Focus: Legacy space power with major launch, satellite, and military-space capabilities.
Mission Objectives: Push for limits on militarization, non-interference with national space assets, and agreements that protect existing state space infrastructure from foreign inspection or removal.

India
Focus: Rapidly growing space power with cost-effective launch capabilities and a major developing-world role.
Mission Objectives: Advocate for affordable access to orbit, capacity building for developing states, and debris rules that do not unfairly punish emerging space programs.

Japan
Focus: Advanced technology state with strong interest in orbital safety and debris-removal innovation.
Mission Objectives: Promote international debris-removal standards, space traffic management systems, and public-private cooperation for sustainable orbital development.

France
Focus: European space leader with strong concern for strategic autonomy and orbital security.
Mission Objectives: Support European-led space sustainability rules, stronger liability frameworks, and protection of critical space infrastructure from reckless satellite deployments.

Germany
Focus: EU leader in regulation, engineering, environmental standards, and space sustainability.
Mission Objectives: Champion strict debris mitigation rules, environmental responsibility in orbit, and transparent licensing standards for governments and corporations.

United Kingdom
Focus: Space regulation, satellite insurance, commercial space services, and allied space security.
Mission Objectives: Promote enforceable commercial licensing rules, insurance mechanisms for debris damage, and cooperation between states, insurers, and private satellite operators.

Brazil
Focus: Emerging space actor with strategic launch geography and interest in economic development through space access.
Mission Objectives: Advocate for Global South access to launch services, satellite infrastructure, and orbital data without allowing wealthy states or corporations to monopolize orbital resources.

United Arab Emirates
Focus: New space economy built around national modernization, prestige, and commercial partnerships.
Mission Objectives: Support public-private space development, shared orbital infrastructure, and international investment models that allow newer space powers to participate in the space economy.

Canada
Focus: Advanced space robotics, satellite communications, Earth observation, and international cooperation on orbital sustainability.
Mission Objectives: Promote responsible satellite operations, international debris tracking, and cooperation on spacecraft servicing and debris removal while protecting Canadian commercial and scientific space interests.

South Korea
Focus: Expanding national space industry, domestic launch capabilities, satellite manufacturing, and space situational awareness.
Mission Objectives: Advocate for technological independence, stronger international collision-warning systems, and regulations that protect emerging space industries without allowing established space powers to dominate orbital infrastructure.

Nigeria
Focus: African space development, satellite communications, national infrastructure, and equitable access to orbital resources.
Mission Objectives: Promote affordable satellite services for developing nations, protect access to orbital positions and radio spectrum, and demand international investment in African space capabilities without imposing excessive regulatory costs on emerging programs.

Luxembourg
Focus: Commercial space investment, legal frameworks for private space activities, and the economic ownership of space resources.
Mission Objectives: Defend legally protected commercial investment in space, promote clear property and liability frameworks for privately operated infrastructure, and encourage international agreements that permit commercial exploitation of space resources without establishing national sovereignty over outer space.

Australia
Focus: Space situational awareness, orbital debris monitoring, commercial space regulation, and international space security cooperation.
Mission Objectives: Promote internationally coordinated space traffic management, mandatory collision-warning procedures, and stronger debris mitigation standards while protecting national security interests and supporting the growth of Australia's commercial space industry.

Kenya
Focus: Emerging African space power with equatorial launch advantages, growing satellite capabilities, and an interest in equitable access to orbital infrastructure.
Mission Objectives: Advocate for affordable access to orbital infrastructure, international financing for developing space programs, and technology-sharing agreements. Oppose orbital regulations that disproportionately benefit established space powers while promoting African participation in satellite manufacturing, launch services, and space governance.

New Zealand
Focus: Commercial launch regulation, orbital debris mitigation, environmental responsibility, and the governance of privately operated launch facilities.
Mission Objectives: Advocate for internationally enforceable debris mitigation standards, transparent launch licensing, and clear national responsibility for commercial space activities. Protect the interests of smaller states hosting major launch infrastructure while ensuring that environmental and safety regulations do not undermine their competitiveness in the global space economy.

Pakistan
Focus: Emerging space capabilities, Chinese-Pakistani space cooperation, satellite-based national security, and equitable access to orbital infrastructure.
Mission Objectives: Promote affordable satellite technology and launch services for developing nations, defend the right of emerging space powers to establish independent orbital infrastructure, and oppose regulatory frameworks that disproportionately favor established space powers. Advocate for international cooperation on debris tracking while resisting security arrangements that could expose sensitive national satellite operations.

Regional and Organizational Representatives:

European Union
Focus: Unified space regulation, digital sovereignty, satellite infrastructure, and sustainability standards.
Mission Objectives: Advocate for binding debris mitigation rules, coordinated space traffic management, and European control over key space infrastructure.

African Union
Focus: Expanding access to satellite services for communication, agriculture, climate monitoring, and development.
Mission Objectives: Push for equitable access to space infrastructure, funding for space capacity building, and protections against orbital overcrowding that harms developing states.

ASEAN
Focus: Regional cooperation on satellite data, disaster response, maritime security, and communications.
Mission Objectives: Promote shared regional satellite infrastructure, affordable access to space-based services, and international assistance for tracking debris and protecting satellites.

United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs / COPUOS
Focus: International space law, peaceful use of outer space, and long-term sustainability guidelines.
Mission Objectives: Build consensus around global debris standards, space traffic coordination, and peaceful, inclusive use of orbital infrastructure.

International Telecommunication Union
Focus: Radio spectrum allocation, orbital slots, and global communications coordination.
Mission Objectives: Address competition over orbital positions and spectrum rights, especially for satellite internet constellations and developing-state access.

Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee
Focus: Technical standards for limiting, tracking, and reducing orbital debris.
Mission Objectives: Promote practical debris mitigation measures, post-mission disposal rules, collision-avoidance procedures, and technical cooperation between space agencies.

European Space Agency (ESA)
Focus: European space missions, orbital debris monitoring, space safety technologies, and sustainable satellite operations.
Mission Objectives: Promote ambitious debris reduction targets, international technical standards for spacecraft disposal, expanded orbital surveillance capabilities, and coordinated investment in active debris removal technologies.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
Focus: Military reliance on satellite infrastructure, allied space security, navigation systems, intelligence gathering, and protection against hostile interference.
Mission Objectives: Protect allied satellite networks from intentional disruption, advocate for stronger monitoring of potentially hostile orbital activities, and preserve the ability of member states to operate defensive space infrastructure without restrictions that undermine collective security.

Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO)
Focus: Regional space technology cooperation, shared satellite infrastructure, space surveillance, and capacity building among participating states.
Mission Objectives: Promote affordable access to space technology, establish shared regional debris tracking capabilities, resist exclusive Western control over orbital governance, and support international rules that account for the technological and economic needs of developing space powers.

Secure World Foundation
Focus: International space governance, peaceful use of outer space, orbital sustainability, and the development of responsible behavior standards for governments and private operators.
Mission Objectives: Advocate for internationally coordinated debris mitigation standards, transparency in satellite operations, restrictions on debris-generating anti-satellite testing, and improved implementation of existing international space agreements. Promote independent monitoring and accountability while balancing commercial development with the preservation of space as a shared environment.

United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR)
Focus: Space security, prevention of armed conflict in orbit, responsible military space operations, and the development of international norms governing potentially hostile satellite activities.
Mission Objectives: Promote agreements limiting destructive anti-satellite testing, establish transparency measures for military satellite maneuvers, and develop international mechanisms for distinguishing legitimate debris-removal operations from potentially hostile interference. Advocate for confidence-building measures between rival space powers while protecting civilian infrastructure from the consequences of orbital conflict.

Global Satellite Operators Association (GSOA)
Focus: Representation of the international satellite industry, spectrum management, commercial orbital access, and sustainable growth of satellite communications infrastructure.
Mission Objectives: Advocate for internationally harmonized satellite licensing standards, commercially practical debris mitigation requirements, and fair access to radio spectrum and orbital resources. Oppose fragmented national regulations that create unnecessary costs for satellite operators while promoting industry participation in the development of binding international space governance frameworks.

Specialized and Non-Governmental Representatives:

SpaceX / Starlink
Focus: Large-scale commercial satellite constellations and private orbital infrastructure.
Mission Objectives: Defend the role of private industry in expanding global internet access while supporting flexible debris rules that do not cripple commercial launch and satellite operations.

Eutelsat OneWeb
Focus: Commercial satellite broadband, international connectivity, and public-private satellite services.
Mission Objectives: Promote shared satellite infrastructure for global communications, especially for remote regions, while supporting coordinated standards for constellation safety.

Astroscale
Focus: Commercial debris removal, satellite servicing, and end-of-life disposal technology.
Mission Objectives: Advocate for a market-based debris removal economy, clear legal authority to remove inactive satellites, and contracts between governments and companies for orbital cleanup.

ClearSpace
Focus: Active debris removal and sustainable in-orbit services.
Mission Objectives: Push for international rules clarifying ownership of debris, liability during debris-removal missions, and government support for cleanup operations.

Planet Labs
Focus: Earth observation satellites supporting agriculture, disaster response, climate monitoring, and economic planning.
Mission Objectives: Emphasize that space infrastructure creates direct economic benefits on Earth and must remain accessible, sustainable, and protected from debris-driven disruption.

Amazon Leo (Formerly Project Kuiper)
Focus: Large-scale commercial satellite internet constellations, competition in orbital broadband services, and private investment in low Earth orbit infrastructure.
Mission Objectives: Defend commercial competition in satellite communications, oppose regulations that disproportionately benefit established constellation operators, and promote transparent orbital access rules while supporting practical collision avoidance and satellite disposal requirements.

Axiom Space
Focus: Commercial space stations, privately operated orbital habitats, human spaceflight, and the development of a commercial economy in low Earth orbit.
Mission Objectives: Establish clear international legal protections for privately operated space stations, define responsibility for collisions and damage involving crewed orbital facilities, and advocate for safety standards that protect human life without preventing commercial expansion into orbit.

LeoLabs
Focus: Commercial space surveillance, orbital debris tracking, collision prediction, and monitoring potentially threatening satellite activities.
Mission Objectives: Advocate for mandatory sharing of essential orbital tracking information, establish international standards for collision warnings, and promote independent commercial monitoring services while protecting proprietary surveillance technology and sensitive customer information.

SES (Onboard Solutions)
Focus: Global satellite communications, geostationary and medium Earth orbit infrastructure, commercial connectivity, and orbital sustainability.
Mission Objectives: Protect established satellite communications networks, promote fair allocation of orbital resources and radio spectrum, and advocate for enforceable collision-avoidance and end-of-life disposal standards. Oppose policies that allow rapidly expanding satellite megaconstellations to undermine the safety or commercial viability of existing space infrastructure.

D-Orbit
Focus: Commercial orbital transportation, satellite deployment, in-space logistics, spacecraft servicing, and sustainable management of satellite lifecycles.
Mission Objectives: Promote international recognition of commercial orbital servicing and transportation services, establish standardized licensing and liability rules for spacecraft servicing, and support economic incentives for responsible satellite disposal. Advocate for public-private investment in sustainable orbital infrastructure while preventing restrictive regulations from limiting innovation in the emerging space logistics industry.

Viasat
Focus: Global satellite communications, geostationary satellite infrastructure, maritime and aviation connectivity, and secure communications for commercial and government customers.
Mission Objectives: Protect the reliability of existing satellite communications networks, advocate for stronger protections against interference and irresponsible orbital operations, and establish clear liability standards for disruptions to critical communications infrastructure. Support international coordination on orbital safety while opposing regulatory policies that favor rapidly expanding low Earth orbit megaconstellations at the expense of established satellite operators.

Rocket Lab
Focus: Commercial launch services, satellite manufacturing, responsive launch capabilities, and the expansion of affordable access to Earth orbit.
Mission Objectives: Advocate for streamlined international launch licensing, competitive access to orbital launch opportunities, and practical debris mitigation standards that account for differences between launch vehicles and satellite operators. Oppose excessive launch restrictions that could disadvantage smaller commercial providers while supporting predictable liability rules and international cooperation on sustainable launch operations.

General Mission Objectives:

Reduce creation of space debris and clarify liability for collisions, debris damage, and failed deorbiting.

Determine legal authority for debris removal and ownership of inactive objects.

Protect critical space infrastructure and ensure long-term orbital sustainability.

Ensure equitable access to satellite services, data, and orbital resources for developing states.

Define whether space infrastructure should be government-controlled, privately owned, or internationally shared.

Core Debate Questions:

Who has the right to build, own, and profit from space infrastructure?

Should orbital infrastructure be controlled by national governments, private corporations, international organizations, or public-private partnerships?

Should companies that create orbital debris pay into a cleanup fund?

Should developing nations receive guaranteed access to satellite services and orbital data?

Who has legal authority to remove dead satellites or rocket debris?

Should satellite megaconstellations face stricter limits before they are launched?

Can space remain a global commons if corporations control most of the infrastructure?

Should space debris be treated as an environmental issue, a security issue, an economic issue, or all three?

Some food for thought to get you started

This committee utilizes CMO

*This committee accepts position papers, however, it isn't mantaroy. If you bring a position paper, you will be eligible for the Best Position Paper award. If you do not bring a position paper, it will not affect your scoring.