Ocean Space Forum, 3rd edition: Space Technology at Earth Blue Element's disposal.

Space Technology acts as an essential sentinel for our Oceans, providing global, real-time data to monitor ecosystem health, track climate change, and enforce Maritime Law, thus protecting Marine Biodiversity and manage the blue part of Planet Earth that represents about 71% of the total surface. The Principality of Monaco fully understood its importance and, since 2023, it has been hosting a one-of-a-kind summit annually.

Monaco is going to host the 3rd edition of the Ocean Space Forum on July the 2nd, 2026 at the Auditorium Rainier III, under the High Patronage of H.S.H. the Sovereign Prince. The event, by the will of the Prince’s Government, in partnership with the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES) and Prométhée Earth Intelligence, shows the Principality's strong commitment to playing a leading role in the fight against climate change.

In particular, this Forum aims to strengthen dialogue between decision-makers, international organisations, scientists, industrial entrepreneurs, academic researchers and representatives from the Space sector. The event will highlight the growing role of space technologies in the knowledge, protection and sustainable management of oceans, through conferences, thematic roundtables and exchange time dedicated to these common challenges.

Earth observation satellites and space-based services are vital for protecting our marine environments. By tracking ocean temperatures, sea-level rise, and coastal erosion in real-time, these technologies provide the data needed to understand climate change, enforce conservation policies, optimise maritime routes, and safeguard vulnerable coastal and island communities.

Photo >> Video keynote speech by H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco at the second edition of Monaco Ocean Space Forum (Oceanographic Museum, Conference Hall, 2nd July 2024) © Direction de la Communication Gouvernement Princier

The 2026 edition of Monaco Ocean Space Forum is placed as an integral part of the Space4Ocean (S4O) alliance, of which the Prince’s Government is a founding member. Officially launched at the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice in June 2025, this international initiative aims to highlight Space devices potentials for the ocean preservation, by encouraging cooperation between public institutions, international organisations and scientists. The Ocean Space Forum will thus offer a privileged stage where to consolidate this fruitful synergy addressed to reach concrete, accessible and operational solutions.

The Forum will be developed around three main axes:

• The Climate Crisis and its Challenges for the Ocean (climate resilience, maritime emissions, adaptation);

• Law enforcement and Ocean Governance (maritime surveillance, international legal frameworks, conservation of marine resources);

• Technological opportunities (disruptive space and ocean technologies, international cooperation, data access).

The panels will be animated by leading figures and bodies, notably: the UNOOSA (United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs), the UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) and the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), together with the UNESCO IOC (International Oceanographic Commission) and the WMO (World Meteorological Organisation), the Government of the French Republic, ACCOBAMS (Agreement on the conservation of cetaceans in the Black Sea, the Mediterranean and the adjacent Atlantic area), the IHO (International Hydrographic Organisation) and Eurisy (a European network aiming to promote the use of space-based solutions for public, land and community policies), the Institute of Peace and Development of the Université Côte d'Azur and the University of Western Brittany. Moreover, Space Agencies from several continents will take part in the debate, including the European Space Agency, the French National Centre for Space Studies, the Italian Space Agency, the Maldives Space Research Organisation and the Senegalese Space Agency.

A targeted exhibition area will allow space private companies, like ACRI-ST, Orbital EOS, Telespazio, Grogenics and Astrolabes Conseil, to showcase their latest outcome, in partnership with the Prince Albert II Foundation Foundation (PA2F), the Mairie de Monaco and the Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur (OCA).

As pointed out by the Sovereign Prince at the opening ceremony of the first edition of Monaco Ocean Space Forum in 2024, the "current boom in Space Technology, which allows us to better study and understand our ocean on a global scale and in real time (...) has reached unprecedented levels; it should be fully mobilised to achieve our ambitious environmental objectives". ***

✒️ Maurice Abbati

• Strategic Communication Specialist, Editor in Chief, Journalist, Executive.

• Lecturer and Author in English in the field of Environmental Communication to foster Circular and Blue Economy