The Earth & Space Sustainability Initiative (ESSI) has appointed its Advisory Board. The purpose of the Advisory Board is to review and advise on the ongoing Space Sustainability Standards Project, which is run by ESSI and has been established with His Majesty’s Government (HMG) support through the UK Space Agency.
The ESSI Space Sustainability Standards Project brings together industry, academia, governments and international organisations, with the finance and insurance communities to ensure that space continues to support the environmental, economic and scientific interests of current and future generations. It will develop a set of Space Sustainability Principles to facilitate the establishment of the Space Sustainability Standards.
The members of the Advisory Board have been carefully selected from those people who have expressed an interest in supporting ESSI and who have the diverse expertise and experience required to advise on the development of the Space Sustainability Standards.
“The importance of the ESSI Space Sustainability Standards Project work is fully reflected in the calibre of the people on our Advisory Board. It has taken time to achieve the right balance, although we imagine that the membership will naturally evolve across the duration of the project. The goodwill shown by industry, academia and the finance and insurance industries has been excellent and ESSI looks forward to constructive engagement with the Advisory Board as we develop the Space Sustainability Principles,” says Joanne Wheeler, ESSI Director.
The Advisory Board is chaired by Bruce Carnegie-Brown, chair of Lloyd’s of London. The inaugural meeting was held on 14 March 2024.
“It’s a privilege to be chairing the ESSI Advisory Board to guide conversations around responsible space exploration. Lloyd’s was the home of the first satellite insurance back in 1965, and we’re pleased to be continuing that innovation today as we support the growth and protection of this final frontier. We’re excited to work with policymakers, businesses and innovators to support a more resilient space insurance market which can continue to push the boundaries of sustainable exploration and technology,” says Bruce Carnegie-Brown.
The development of Space Sustainability Standards is a priority for HMG, and internationally, to continue demonstrating leadership on tackling the important issue of space sustainability for the benefit of people on Earth.
Ray Fielding, Head of Sustainability at the UK Space Agency, says: “By prioritising space sustainability, we are focused on delivery of measures to prevent irresponsible behaviours, protect the space environment and promote UK leadership through a variety of targeted activities. The Space Sustainability Standards Project plays an important role in our portfolio, so we are pleased that the expert Advisory Board has been appointed and reflects support from organisations across the space, finance and insurance sectors.”
Telespazio UK’s Head of Marketing and Sales, Geoff Busswell, says: “I am excited to be working as part of such an incredible team on the Earth∞Space Sustainability Initiative’s Advisory Board. The depth of experience and domain knowledge of those involved is a fantastic sign that the UK can take real leadership in shaping what sustainable activity in space looks like. This is vital if our country and the wider world is to continue enjoying the many benefits that space brings to our economy and society.”
The ESSI Advisory Board members are:
Chair:
- Bruce Carnegie-Brown, Chairman, Lloyd’s of London
Government and regulators:
- Julie Black, Director, UK Space Agency
- Tania Celani, Director, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
- Miriam Grigg, Director, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
- Paul Cremin, Head of Spaceflight, Department for Transport
- Sharon Pryde, Senior Executive, Scottish Enterprise
Industry and academia:
- Lorenzo Arona, Head of Space Projects, Avanti
- Anthony Baker, Founder & CEO, SatVu
- Andy Bradford, CEO, UKLSL
- Chris Brunskill, Director, Growbotics
- Geoff Busswell, Head of Marketing & Sales, Telespazio UK
- Himesh Chavda, Associate General Counsel, ICEYE
- Michael Cheng, Chief Product Officer, Aalyria
- Patricia Cooper, President & Founder, Constellation Advisory, LLC.
- Tim Davies, CEO & Founder, HiiROC
- Rob Desborough, General Partner, Seraphim
- Lucy Edge, Deputy CEO and Chief of Missions, Satellite Applications Catapult
- Stuart Eves, Director, SJE Space
- Alex Fielding, CEO & Chairman, Privateer Space
- Andrew Fournet, Co-Chair, Environment Task Force
- Nadeem Ghafoor, CEO Avalon Space
- Akiko Hama, Client Executive – Space and Aerospace, Global Aerospace
- Rory Holmes, UK Managing Director, ClearSpace
- Victoria Irwin, Head of Business Development and Sales, MDA Space
- Mark Dankberg, CEO, Viasat
- John Janka, Chief Officer – Global Government Affairs & Regulatory, Viasat
- Lizzie Kerr, Director, UKspace
- John Hanley, Chair, UKspace
- Colin Baldwin, Head of Policy, UKspace
- Brooke Latham, Head of Sustainability, NATO Innovation Fund
- Jennifer Manner, Senior VP – Regulatory Affairs, EchoStar
- James Pearson, Counsel, BAE
- Melissa Quinn, Managing Director, Slingshot Aerospace
- Nick Shave, Managing Director, Astroscale
- Andrew Stanniland, CEO Thales Alenia Space, UK
- Neil Stevens, Head of Space, Price Forbes
- Maurizio Vanotti, VP – Commercial Strategy and Innovation, OneWeb
For more information, please contact ESSI through contact@essi.org.