1st annual area piracy convention will look at threats of orbital crime and smuggling

Eye-patches on! Follow your finest “grrr.” Plop down items of eight, doubloons and cue “Captain” Jack Sparrow!

Prepare for the First Annual Area Piracy Convention, set for early subsequent 12 months. Held by the Heart for the Research of Area Crime, Coverage, and Governance (CSCPG), the convention is a “two-day, invite solely symposium that brings collectively specialists ready to evaluate crime, piracy, and smuggling in area,” in accordance with its website.

“Be among the many first to debate mitigating area crime and piracy, from the views of funding, area regulation, area coverage, intelligence, and the navy,” notes the group.

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Dangers of piracy

The CSCPG asks: What are the dangers of piracy in area and options to this doubtlessly devastating financial and authorized downside?

“Now could be the time to start out pondering and speaking about mitigating the specter of piracy in area,” stated Marc Feldman, Govt Director of the CSCPG. “As we prefer to say, and please forgive me, Leon Trotsky, however you is probably not thinking about area piracy, however area pirates are thinking about you…”

Feldman, who has labored within the area enterprise sector for years, is co-author, with Hugh Taylor, of the soon-to-be printed guide “Area Piracy: Getting ready for a Felony Disaster in Orbit.”

Risk to area commerce, nationwide safety

“Whereas crime and piracy in area are at this level largely theoretical issues, our view is that now could be the time to start out eager about the problem and discussing potential options,” Taylor, publications director of the middle, tells Area.com. “Area piracy is a menace to area commerce and nationwide safety.”

“Any severe evaluation and planning course of for the way forward for area commerce, in addition to area facets of nationwide safety, wants to think about the specter of piracy,” explains Gordon Roesler, an area system developer and retired US Navy Captain who serves as an advisor to the convention.

For extra info on this occasion scheduled for subsequent February, in addition to the Heart for the Research of Area Crime, Coverage, and Governance (CSCPG), go to the center’s website.

Leonard David is an award-winning area journalist who has been reporting on area actions for greater than 50 years. Presently writing as Area.com’s Area Insider Columnist amongst his different initiatives, Leonard has authored quite a few books on area exploration, Mars missions and extra, together with his newest being “Moon Rush: The New Area Race” printed in 2019 by Nationwide Geographic. He additionally wrote “Mars: Our Future on the Pink Planet” launched in 2016 by Nationwide Geographic. Leonard  has served as a correspondent for SpaceNews, Scientific American and Aerospace America for the AIAA. He has acquired many awards, together with the primary Ordway Award for Sustained Excellence in Spaceflight Historical past in 2015 on the AAS Wernher von Braun Memorial Symposium. You’ll find out Leonard’s newest challenge at his web site and on Twitter.