On October 24th and 25th, 2023, the 17th Autumn Conference of the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI) (https://www.espi.or.at/) with a focus on ‘European Space Governance in a Transforming World’ took place at the Urania – a public educational institute and observatory- in the 2nd district of Vienna.

The conference topics included multipolarity in space partnerships and Europe’s role in the increasingly competitive geopolitical environment, as well as cooperation and coordination mechanisms of European space governance. Representatives from academia, the commercial sector, and politics were present. Etienne Schneider, former Deputy Prime Minister of Luxembourg, was officially welcomed as the new Chair of ESPI’s Advisory Council.

As part of our new project on China’s and Russia’s roles in Outer Space (see also https://sino-spark.net/chinas-foreign-policy-ambitions-extend-beyond-earth-and-are-mirrored-in-outer-space/), my colleague Jan Železný and I attended the conference – and it was truly a valuable experience.

Participating in this conference has clearly demonstrated the benefits of bringing together a wide range of topics, academic disciplines, and diverse representatives from society and politics, all with an interest in space governance. In fact, this combination is not just advantageous but also essential.

Especially in a time of increasing multipolar and global space partnerships, it is particularly relevant to comprehend and contextualize the roles of emerging space powers better.  We extend our gratitude for the insightful exchange with fellow conference attendees and hope that this exchange can continue beyond the conference.

We are certainly looking forward to attending the conference again next year!