ARS FRONTIERS, May 12, 2022, DC

Ars Technica will hold its “inaugural single-day conference,” Ars Frontiers, on May 12, 2022 in Washington, D.C.  The announcement does not specify the time or location. One must “request an invite to join us in person” and instructions on how to do so are “at the end of this announcement.”

The announcement says:

We’re going to be exploring the interconnectedness of innovation—looking at how the things that change our world are interlinked. As we peer into our crystal balls, we’re also going to try to answer a very pressing question: Can we still drive explosive growth in these fields while prioritizing ethical technology and sustainability?

Two of the panels are space-related:

Commercial space

After a brief break for refreshments, we’ll be back with a pair of panels moderated by Ars Senior Space Editor Eric Berger. First, he’ll sit down with former NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver to discuss the role commercial space will play in the next few decades—not just in exploring space, but also in protecting Earth. In public surveys, studying our changing planet consistently ranks among Americans’ top priorities for NASA, and the agency spends more than $2 billion annually on Earth science. This scientific enterprise seeks to pinpoint changes to the planet’s climate and surface to better inform policymakers. In recent years, the rise of commercial space companies has greatly augmented the remote sensing work done by NASA.

Orbital debris

Next, Berger will tackle the topic of protecting low Earth orbit from space debris. This problem has become increasingly acute with the combination of ever-increasing numbers of satellites and recent anti-satellite demonstration tests. Today, there is more debris, and more satellites than ever are seeking to avoid it in the precious space above the Earth’s atmosphere. This panel will discuss the problem of debris, the solutions that the US government can implement, and how there is an urgent need to work internationally to preserve this space commons. The discussion will feature Quality Analytics Senior Analyst Caleb Henry, the Satellite Industry Association Senior Director of Policy Therese Jones, and Astroscale US VP of Global Space Policy and Government Relations Charity Weeden.