King Charles declared "the force is with us" as he gave the seal of approval to a new world-leading observatory in Bermuda. The King was treated to a tour of the site, operated by the UK Space Agency (UKSA), before it opens later this year.
The area on the Pacific island was identified for its unique position in the world, which will allow the agency and its partners to track harmful debris flying around space. The first phase in the £40 million 'Project Nova' is to establish three telescopes on the north west coast of Bermuda, about 1,100 km off the US coast, that will be able to spot asteroids or rogue satellites heading towards Earth.
A decade ago there were just a few hundred satellites in space. These days there are more than 12,000, with that number expected to pass 100,000 by 2030. The new planned telescopes across British territories including Bermuda are powerful enough to see objects smaller than a Rubik's Cube in low Earth orbit.
Experts say that without global agreements the issue could lead to a global crisis, such as the Kessler Effect, in which the debris from one collision in space could cause hundreds of crashes, devastating global communications.
Charles's Sustainable Markets Initiative has been heavily involved in the initiative, granting the project its 'Terra Carta' seal. The approval signifies efforts as part of the King's vision to make space exploration and discovery more sustainable for the future. The Astra Carta is an environmental charter launched by the King in 2020 when he was still the Prince of Wales. Latin for 'Charter of the Stars', it is a framework to encourage businesses and organisations around the world to put sustainability at the centre of how they operate. The Sustainable Markets Initiative is the broader initiative which encourages big business to take real action on climate change and environmental damage.
During a space debris demonstration, Charles, pointing to the sky, asked: "So how much damage is going on up there?" Jennifer Jordan-Safie, CEO of the Sustainable Markets Initiative, said: "This location is so important because there's no light pollution which makes it incredibly unique. Increasingly, the world is recognising that space debris is a big problem to our satellite infrastructure. Having all that pollution in space is really problematic, because, as you saw over there, very small particles, and there's millions of particles. And so, when the king launched the Astracarta, one of the key issues was space debris. And he was very concerned about it. The SMI is all about bringing companies together and encouraging them to be invested in doing the right thing. That is what the Astra Carta is about and it is really revolutionising the way these companies and space agencies are engaging with future projects."
After hearing more about space debris and methods of catching it, the King was shown a video of the Canadian astronaut, Jeremy Hansen, one of the Artemis II crew who Charles wrote to ahead of the mission. Recorded as the crew were returning to Earth, he said: "I shared your letter with the crew and it really resonated with the crew deeply, specifically your thoughts around scientific pursuit, stewardship and reverence for all that is sacred."
Before unveiling a plaque at the site to announce its launch, Charles spoke to the Astra Carta team working with UKSA and revealed he had just commissioned a garden in the design of the planetary installations. He said: "I've just done a garden based on the planetary movements, because if you trace them it's amazing how they all form the most beautiful patterns. It's so interconnected really, in all forms. So as they say, the force is with us."
