The daylong will be held online on Nov. 6 and will feature introductory remarks by UW President Ana Mari Cauce and U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell as well as of the U.S. Space Command. The symposium’s many come from academia, government and the aerospace industry in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

The symposium’s theme will be Autonomous Operations in Space: Tech & Policy. In the concluding , UW law professor and physicist will talk with “The Martian” author and others in a panel on “Building our Future in Deep Space.”

The co-directors of SPARC are , UW professor and chair of aeronautics and astronautics, and , professor of international studies. UW Notebook connected with Pekkanen over email with a few questions about this year’s symposium.

First, as a general overview, what is the mission of SPARC and its annual symposium?聽聽

Saadia Pekkanen: SPARC’s mission is to bring together science, technology, and policy in a way that speaks across many disciplines. We seek to advance collaborative research as well as the education, training and networks of the next generation of space professionals.

Space entrepreneurship will be a key topic, as in years past. How is the Pacific Northwest faring as a growing hub for the space industry?聽聽

S.P.: One of the key trends we are now seeing is that more established and well-known companies are also in the space startup business, so to speak. Many of our large local players are now tailoring some part of their operations to get into the space business, particularly focused on the hardware and data from operational satellites.

Amazon, for example, says it will invest $10 billion in a satellite constellation. Known as Project Kuiper, it will launch over 3,200 satellites to provide broadband internet access worldwide. Microsoft has recently announced a partnership with SpaceX to go after the cloud computing business focused on commercial, government and military space customers.

UW law professor聽, director of the聽, will moderate a panel on protecting Earth from orbital debris and near-Earth objects. We hear of low-Earth orbit being cluttered and of “near-misses” in the news. What is the current danger level from space debris?聽聽

S.P.: I would say the levels for both accidental and deliberate threats are high. In both cases, the conditions enabling a runaway chain reaction of collision and more debris, called the Kessler syndrome, are concerning.聽There are about 2,700 known operational satellites in orbit, more than half of which belong to U.S. civilian, commercial and military stakeholders. If the number of small satellites surpasses the 100,000 mark as it is projected to the chances for accidental collisions increases.

Deliberate threats such as those posed by debris-creating anti-satellite (ASAT) tests carried out by many countries are even more concerning. All this comes at a time when聽the U.S has named both聽Russia and China as great power competitors, and these聽national rivalries have extended openly to outer space. We聽should be working on restoring diplomacy to聽strengthen聽norms and rules, which is the only way to deal with a problem at the nexus of technology and聽politics.

COVID remains a global challenge and menace. How has the coronavirus affected the space industry? Have projects or plans been delayed?聽

S.P.: I think we will probably be assessing the impact with real data sometime next year. Right now, I imagine that most companies, especially smaller ones or new startups, are scrambling to adjust and float. Once again, the impact of the entry of the established companies may have a positive impact on the stability of supply chains and smaller startups as the competition moves forward.

What goals do you have for the Space Policy and Research Center in the next few years?

S.P.: We want to position as a premier university-centered think tank, which is seen as a trusted resource by audiences in government, business, education, media, and the nonprofit sector worldwide.

We also want to build out a truly interdisciplinary space studies curriculum for our students, speaking to technology, law and regional policies. We believe that such activities will bring together STEM, social sciences and humanities in the common enterprise of preserving peaceful prospects in outer space.

House Bill , signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee April 1, establishes the state Office of Privacy and Data Protection. The office will examine what information is being collected by state agencies, work with agencies to reduce the amount of consumer data being collected and monitor citizen complaints. It will also be required to conduct an annual privacy review and educate consumers about privacy protection.

鈥淒ata privacy, data protection and access equity are of increasing concern for all residents of the state,鈥� the bill notes. 鈥淪tate agencies and programs entrusted by citizens with sensitive personal information must serve as responsible custodians of this data.鈥�

A team of six UW students in the worked with the state鈥檚 chief privacy officer, Alex Alben, to survey state agencies鈥� practices around data collection and privacy and come up with ideas for improving them.

鈥淭heir participation was extremely valuable,鈥� Alben said. 鈥淭he group exceeded all of my expectations in terms of the high-quality work law students could do in a very short time period. I was tremendously impressed.鈥�

The state collects data for everything from unemployment claims to driver licenses and vehicle registrations, and it stores millions of electronic records containing sensitive information. States are ramping up their focus on privacy in response to citizens鈥� concerns about online security and the risk of data breaches, Alben said.

鈥淥ne of the core functions of our state is to render services to people, and in order to do that, we collect data from citizens,鈥� said Alben, who will head the new state office. 鈥淎s technology evolves and the amount of data is rapidly multiplying, the state has a duty to be smart about how it is managing and protecting the data that is entrusted to it.鈥�

Alben, who has been an adjunct and guest lecturer at the UW law school, approached the Technology Law and Public Policy Clinic for help with the state initiative. The students helped draft an Inslee signed earlier this year that became the basis for the new law. Alben hopes to tap the clinic鈥檚 students again for a future project on statewide privacy protection for consumers.

The UW Technology Law and Public Policy Clinic was founded in 2003 to give law students opportunities to work on projects with elected officials, business owners and others in shaping policies around technology. Students have worked on yearlong projects in areas ranging from police body cameras to helping the UW develop a drone policy.

The state project, clinic director said, was a chance for students to make a significant contribution to legislation that will impact millions of Washington residents.

鈥淭he students were the arms and legs of both the executive order and the legislation,鈥� said Covington, a UW senior law lecturer. 鈥淭hey were an integral part of this effort.鈥�