Promoting sustainability both on Earth and in space, along with Europe’s role in space security, were among the key topics discussed at this year’s autumn conference of the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI) in Vienna, cementing the Austrian capital’s reputation as a centre of diplomacy.

The conference, held in Vienna’s historic Urania building on 1-2 October, revolved around the theme, Scaling European Space Capabilities for Security & Defence: From Ambition to Implementation. Sustainability, delegates stressed, remains a central element of these efforts.

“Sustainability has two dimensions: one is using space assets, satellites mostly, to support sustainability goals on Earth in climate protection,” Tomas Hrozensky, Senior Researcher and Lead on European Management at ESPI, told The International on the sidelines of the conference. “And the other aspect is sustainability in space: how to make space activities less polluting in terms of space debris and preventing collisions, as well as using greener fuels than before.”

The Vienna-based ESPI is an independent think-tank that helps develop technical and political strategies for space activities.

Among the 22 members of the European Space Agency (ESA), Austria is one of the most active, with Vienna increasingly emerging as one of the three key space capitals in Europe, alongside ESA’s headquarters in Paris, and Brussels, home to much of the European Union’s decision-making machinery. “Austria is one of the few nations that recognise the security and defence dimensions of space activities,” Hrozensky said.

However, the general consensus at the conference was that Europe must up its game to remain competitive. “Europe is being overtaken by Japan and China. Where is Europe in terms of collaboration? So much more can be done,” said Benjamin Ang, Senior Fellow and Head of the Centre of Excellence for National Security.

This analysis may seem critical, particularly given that ESA successfully developed and launched its next-generation heavy-lift rocket, Ariane 6, this summer. Austria was among 13 European countries contributing to the project. Addressing the delegates, Major General Philippe Adam, Commander of the French Space Command, struck a more positive note: “We are still in the race, but we need to go quickly.”