Post by Francesco Lapenta

Looking forward to host this High level roundtable at our Institute this coming Monday. It is open to the public if you happen to be in Rome. You are cordially invited to participate in a high-level roundtable titled "The Exogeography of Conflict in Orbit: The Cost of Principles in the Governance of Outer Space", convened by the Institute of Future and Innovation Studies at John Cabot University. The session will take place on Monday, 20 October 2025, at 17:00, at the Critelli Campus, Piazza Gioachino Belli 11, Rome. Panel Description At this year’s Diplomacy Festival, held under the theme The Cost of Principles, this session turns to one of the most contested yet least visible frontiers of international politics: the governance of orbital space. Once described as a shared commons, space has become the critical infrastructure of global power, underpinning military operations, economic systems, and digital interconnection. The rapid growth of satellite constellations, the development of counterspace capabilities, and the integration of orbital assets into cyber and defence strategies have transformed it into a decisive arena of rivalry. The major powers approach this domain from increasingly divergent positions. The United States now treats low-Earth orbit as an extension of its deterrence posture, closely entwining commercial systems with national defence. China is embedding space into its broader project of technological sovereignty and global influence, while Russia, constrained in its industrial capacity, seeks leverage through disruption, interference, and threats of debris generation. Europe, meanwhile, pursues resilience and normative leadership, yet faces the challenge of sustaining both ambition and industrial scale in the face of rapid competition. In such a climate, the notion of space as a commons has shifted from a legal definition to a diplomatic claim, one strained by competitive launches, vulnerable supply chains, and the militarisation of civilian infrastructure. The language of shared stewardship persists, but it collides with the imperatives of national security and strategic rivalry. This roundtable, drawing on Frediano Finucci’s Book Operazione Satellite, will examine these tensions with clarity and depth. It will assess how present rivalries are reshaping the governance of space, test whether principles still carry practical weight in this environment, and consider what forms of diplomacy remain viable when silent conflicts above the atmosphere shape the stability and prosperity of the world below. Panelists: Frediano Finucci Ezio Bussoletti Ilaria Cinelli PhD FAsMA Paul Nemitz Giorgio Rutelli Corrado Giustozzi Robert Kroplewski Anastasiia Shmatina Alfonso Giordano Gianluca Misuraca Vittorio Calaprice Tiberio Graziani Francesco Lapenta Gianluca Casagrande Andrea Capurso

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