Topic Summary

The year is 2031, and the International Space Station has become the center of humanity’s most ambitious lunar satellite mission to date. What was supposed to be a historic operation involving deep space imaging, satellite deployment, and lunar research quickly turns into an international emergency when a critical satellite suddenly malfunctions near the Moon.

Delegates will serve as astronauts aboard the ISS, NASA flight directors, engineers, scientists, government officials, and international partners scrambling to contain a crisis unfolding hundreds of thousands of miles from Earth. Communication systems begin failing, navigation data becomes corrupted, and fears grow that the damaged satellite could collide with nearby infrastructure or disappear into space entirely. Meanwhile, political tensions rise as governments demand answers and the world watches the disaster unfold in real time.

As the situation deteriorates, delegates must respond to emergency spacewalks, system failures aboard the ISS, astronaut injuries, media scrutiny, and the possibility that the mission itself may collapse. In a desperate attempt to save both the station and the satellite, astronauts may be forced to undertake dangerous repairs outside the safety of the ISS while Mission Control races against time below.

With limited oxygen, unstable technology, and billions of dollars at stake, one mistake could change the future of space exploration forever. Houston has a problem, and it is up to this committee to solve it.

Director’s Letter

Dear Delegates,

Welcome to the 2026 session of the Harvard National Model United Nations conference, where I hope you find a multitude of experiences and memories you can cherish for years to come! It is my pleasure to serve as your Director for the Lok Sabha of the Indian Parliament where we will be investigating the privatization of healthcare, placing our government on trial.

My name is Pranathi Ganti, a sophomore at the College living in Cabot House. I will prospectively be studying Neuroscience with a secondary in Global Health and Health Policy and a citation in Spanish. I first joined the Model UN team my freshman year of college and immediately found myself surrounded by some of the most fun, vibrant people on campus. I have loved traveling all across the states, meeting new individuals, and honestly just having a great time competing on the circuit. As both a GA and Crisis delegate, I hope that my experience can be valuable to you all!

In my free time, you can definitely catch me doom scrolling without end, reading thrillers that may give me nightmares, and making horrible yet endlessly funny dad jokes! I am excited to meet you all and hope you feel comfortable reaching out anytime for any questions or concerns you may have.

Sincerely,

Pranathi Ganti

Director, Lok Sabha

ecosoc@hnmun.org