As Earth’s orbit becomes more strategic, UNIDIR gathers experts for security talks in Geneva

The United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) will convene the Outer Space Security Conference on 8-9 September 2026 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva and online. It will bring together policymakers, defence officials, industry representatives, academics and civil society to examine the growing security and stability challenges facing outer space.

With more than 50,000 objects now in orbit, and that number expected to keep rising, outer space faces mounting questions about how to distinguish benign from hostile activity, how emerging technologies affect strategic stability, and how existing legal and governance frameworks can keep pace.

The Outer Space Security Conference 2026 will provide a platform for cross-sectoral dialogue on these questions, with the aim of exploring and moving towards practical pathways to strengthen the security and peaceful use of the space domain.

Over two days, the programme will centre on key discussions including: threats to space systems and the ambiguity of intent; how reliance on space infrastructure for military operations intersects with arms control regimes; and progress on preventing an arms race in outer space.

The accelerated pace of space technology development and the increasing diversity of actors requires that all stakeholders converge towards shared understanding of how governance should keep up. The Outer Space Security Conference remains the premier track 1.5 platform where both future-facing and grounded thinking around the security of these systems, their operators and their environment occur.

For more than 20 years, UNIDIR’s Outer Space Security Conference has helped advance practical approaches to outer space security. It connects strategic dialogue with insights from technical and policy practice, contributing to more transparent and informed decision-making. Registration is open to participate.