SWF contributes to the 2024 Space Futures and Governance Workshop

Friday, September 20, 2024

Christopher Johnson, Space Law Advisor for Secure World Foundation, recently participated in the Space Futures & Governance Workshop hosted by the Foresight Institute in collaboration with the Open Lunar Foundation. Held at the Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland, California, this two-day event gathered a wide range of experts from space technology, governance, law, and sustainability sectors to discuss the future of space governance and the challenges posed by rapid advancements in space activities.

The workshop featured 24 speakers organized into four thematic tracks: Science & Innovation, Sustainability, Lunar & Economics, and Risks & Policy. Christopher Johnson contributed to the "Risks & Policy" track, where he spoke about the governance of lunar activities and the potential for setting important legal precedents in lunar norms and innovation.

Participants engaged in breakout sessions after each series of talks, where they brainstormed project ideas that could drive future space governance efforts. Johnson's group, which included members from Open Lunar and other organizations, developed a proposal for a tabletop exercise focused on contested activities on the Moon. This exercise aimed to identify points of conflict and generate solutions through collaborative gameplay. Johnson presented the concept on behalf of his group, and their proposal was selected for initial funding of $1,000 by the Foresight Institute to further develop the project.

The next steps include designing and testing the tabletop exercise, which could be run as an online and hybrid event in collaboration with Open Lunar, Foresight Institute, and the Lunar Policy Platform.

For additional information and to view Christopher Johnson’s presentation slide deck, please click here.