Man-made hazards such as space debris, jamming/hacking of signals, cyber terrorism, and their influence on satellites performance, have been discussed at the previous 16 International Space Conferences. These issues and others will continue to be considered and monitored also in this year’s Conference; however, the economic and social impact of ‘Space Weather’ on our modern society, massively dependant on technology and space systems, is attracting more and more attention and concern at various levels for its great and potentially catastrophic effects: this hazard will be the highlight of the 17^th International Space Conference.