Dark and Quiet Skies: Balancing Satellite Growth with Protection of the Night Sky

Tony Milligan is a well-known contributor to discussions on societal issues relating to space. His previous publications include Nobody Owns the Moon (Macfarland, 2014), the co-edited volume The Ethics of Space Exploration (Springer, 2016), and most recently the co-authored What is Space Exploration For? (Bristol University Press, 2026) with Koji Tachibana. Tony is a Fellow of the International Society for Science and Religion and an Associate Editor for the Springer ‘Space and Society’ series.

Having received a PhD from the University of Glasgow in Aerospace Engineering, Robert currently work as the Orbital Dynamics and Mission Analysis lead on the University of Glasgow’s SOLSPACE project. The SOLSPACE project investigates the concept of orbital solar reflectors to enhance global solar power generation, specifically at times of dawn/dusk when demands are high, but available sunlight is low. Due to their inherent high reflectivity, orbital solar reflectors could certainly pose a significant risk to dark and quiet skies and is therefore an area of significant interest to the project.

Beatriz Jilete is an aerospace systems engineer specialising in space debris monitoring, mitigation, and re-entry. She works as Space Debris Systems and Mitigation Engineer at ESA for ESA’s Space Debris Office within the Space Safety Programme and is Mission Scientist for the DRACO mission, where she is responsible for scientific requirements engineering, mission performance, and data exploitation planning. Her background spans space surveillance, flight dynamics, systems engineering, observation campaigns, and spacecraft re-entry. Her work includes mission and system studies, requirements definition and verification, with interests in understanding and mitigating the risks and environmental impacts associated with spacecraft re-entry and in preserving dark and quiet skies.

Andy has decades of experience studying Active Galactic Nuclei, using both ground based and space based telescopes; working on Sky Survey projects; and developing methods for online data access. Like many others he was shocked in 2019 by satellite streaks appearing in images, and began both technical and public awareness work on the problem of Dark and Quiet Skies, as well as industry collaboration, legal work, and standards development.

As he realised the broader connected problems in debris and atmospheric pollution, he became an advocate of "Space Environmentalism”.

Ben Nowack is the co-founder and CEO of Reflect Orbital, which is developing satellites to redirect sunlight to precise locations on Earth. A lifelong builder, he led development of Crew Dragon propulsion validation systems at SpaceX while attending college, served as director of engineering at an energy technology company and was a mechanical engineer at Zipline. He co-founded Reflect Orbital with the aim of extending electricity generation at solar farms to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and providing light to assist search-and-rescue teams and construction crews working at night.

Moderator (IET Satellite TN Cttee Member)

Matthew Deans is a PhD candidate in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Glasgow, researching robotics, control and dynamics for In-Space Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing (ISAM), with a focus on ground-based testing and experimental validation. He previously served as Glasgow’s technical lead for the NextSpace TestRig project, developing a facility to test 3D-printed materials under simulated space conditions. He also volunteers with the IET Satellite Technical Network, supporting community engagement through events and topical articles.