The T.S Kelso Award for Space Safety 2022 was presented to Dr Holger Krag by SDA Technical Adviser, Dan Oltrogge at the IAC in Paris.
Left to Right: T.S. Kelso, Holger Krag, Dan Oltrogge
Dr Holger Krag of the European Space Agency (ESA) has been recognised for his outstanding contributions to space flight safety and has been presented with the T.S Kelso award by the Space Data Association (SDA).
Dr Holger Krag has been a Space Debris Analyst in ESA’s Space Debris Office located in Darmstadt, Germany, since 2006. He has worked on establishing risk models and a collision avoidance system as well as contributing to the first space surveillance studies. In 2014, he was appointed Head of the Space Debris Office, which, among others, provides fundamental support to ESA’s then-Space Situational Awareness Programme. In 2019, he took over the position as the head of the programme and led its evolution into the new Space Safety Programme, which was established by ESA in 2019.
The award was presented by SDA Technical Adviser, Dan Oltrogge of COMSPOC, during the IAC 2022 conference on 20th September. Dan Oltrogge commented: “I am pleased to present the T. S. Kelso Award for Space Safety to its second recipient, Dr Holger Krag. His longstanding work and leadership at ESA to monitor, mitigate, and remediate space debris have been crucial in promoting operational flight safety and sustainability, and he is a very worthy recipient.”
Pascal Wauthier, Chairman, the Space Data Association, gave a virtual presentation during the event. He commented: “The T.S. Kelso Award is presented as a recognition of outstanding contributions to space-flight safety and celebrates and acknowledges substantial, innovative, long-term and practical contributions to the advancement of space safety and the preservation of the space environment. We were overwhelmed with the amount worthy entries received for the award this year. It was a tough decision for us all, but we agreed Holger should receive the award due to his enthusiasm and continuous support. His expert knowledge in collision avoidance is greatly appreciated by the SDA.”
On receipt of the award, Dr Holger Krag, said: “I am honoured to receive this award and to be recognised by the SDA for my work. It is extremely important for us to continue to share valuable knowledge, and to enhance and ensure flight safety. The SDA is an extremely valuable entity, helping to keep space safe for all.”
The award was voted for by the SDA Directors and presented during IAC in Paris.
