Why Space Matters: Power, Security and Prosperity

This not-to-be-missed Keynote address provides a strategic overview of how space is becoming a central arena for national power, economic growth and security. It explains why space matters now, how civil, commercial, and military activity are increasingly intertwined, and what risks emerge as more actors depend on satellites and space-based services. Alongside these challenges, it highlights the opportunities created by expanding space infrastructure and the potential for long-term gains through space-enabled innovation and resource development. The talk explores the pressures driving competition and conflict, the need to protect critical space assets, and the case for coordination and shared rules so that space development delivers sustainable prosperity and broad human benefit rather than escalating into disorder or confrontation.