2025-06-25 –, Track 1
Space is no longer a distant or isolated frontier, it has become a crucial part of our everyday ecosystem. From satellite navigation and global communications to climate monitoring and military activities, space systems underpin the functioning of modern society. As more actors engage in space and activities expand rapidly, the threats and risks to these space systems are multiplying.
This talk will offer an accessible introduction to the evolving field of space security, with a focus on its legal and policy dimensions. It will outline the spectrum of threats faced by space systems, including counterspace capabilities, electronic warfare and cyber vulnerabilities. Drawing on international law and ongoing multilateral efforts, the session will explore how the global community is attempting to govern these challenges—and what role IT professionals can play. Whether you are new to the space field or already working on these fascinating technologies, this session will connect the dots between orbit and the IT world.
Ritanshu Lohani is a researcher specializing in the outer space law and policy, with a particular focus on space security. She recently worked as a Graduate Professional with the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, where among other things, she supported the organization of the 2024 Outer Space Security Conference in Geneva—one of the leading conferences in the field of space security, and also observed the multilateral discussions on space security.
Previously, she served as a Legislative Assistant to a Member of Parliament (LAMP Fellow) in India. Ritanshu is an Erasmus Mundus Scholar (2022-2024) in the International Law of Global Security, Peace and Development Programme. As part of this programme, she holds a Joint LL.M. from the University of Glasgow (Scotland) and Leuphana University (Germany), as well as an M.A. in International Security Studies from Institut Barcelona d'Estudis Internacionals (IBEI), Spain. She completed her B.A.LL.B. at Lloyd Law College in India.