April 18, 2014

UNOOSA Releases Education Curriculum on Space Law

The United Nations (UN) Office for Outer Space Affairs (OOSA) has released the Education Curriculum on Space Law, a resource document for the teaching of the international and national legal and regulatory framework applicable to space activities. The Curriculum was developed at the request of the Legal Subcommittee of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.

The curriculum was developed by a group of international educators and space law experts in cooperation with the Directors and Secretary-General of UN regional centers on space and technology education. It is designed for use at these UN regional centers, as well as other institutions and initiatives engaging in space law.

“The curriculum constitutes an outstanding product for all those interested in Space Law capability building around the world,”  says Ciro Arévalo Yepes, a member of the group of UN experts responsible for the Curriculum, and SWF Advisory Committee member.

SWF Project Manager Chris Johnson also assisted with the development of the curriculum during his time as an intern at OOSA in Vienna, Austria in 2010.

April 22, 2014

SWF Prepares for IAF's Global Space Application Conference

The International Astronautical Federation’s (IAF) Global Space Application Conference (GLAC) will be held from June 2-4, 2014 in Paris, France. The conference, co-organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), will bring together the global satellite-based services community to present results, exchange ideas, debate roadmaps, and discuss future opportunities provided by satellite-based applications. It aims to offer a holistic view of satellite-based applications, including discussions on solutions to obstacles limiting access to services, the success of capacity building efforts, and requirements for knowledge management.

SWF Project Manager Laura Delgado López will participate in a session entitled “Solutions for barriers to access to application services, requirements for capacity building and knowledge management” in which she will present a paper on the role of public awareness as a potential barrier to greater access and utilization of space applications. Dr. Ray Williamson, Senior Advisor, will participate in a panel discussion and SWF Executive Director Dr. Michael Simpson will also be in attendance; SWF Advisory Committee member Gérard Brachet serves as co-chair of the GLAC Program Committee.
 

April 30, 2014

SWF Receives Positive Assessment of its Assistance to the African Leadership Conference

SWF was able to work with the African Leadership Conference (ALC) and the UNOOSA to support the ALC held in Accra, Ghana, from December 3-5, 2013.  Dr. Peter Martinez, Chairman of the South African Council for Space Affairs, recently provided SWF with the following assessment of the event.

"SWF support contributed to the success of the ALC 2013 in several ways. Firstly, SWF's support for accommodation costs allowed the ALC to double the number of funded African participants who attended.  However, it was not only the value of the support that mattered, but also the speed and flexibility that SWF showed in being able to channel its support to complement the travel support provided by UNOOSA.

"The sixteen funded participants came from Botswana, Cameroon, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa and Zimbabwe. They comprised a mix of established space professionals and young professionals. One third of them were female.  The support from SWF made it possible for these participants to meet and interact with one another to build a collective vision for space on the African continent.

"Among the various ALC 2013 outcomes, two are particularly well aligned with the mission of SWF:

• During the session on the initiative by the African Union to develop an African Space Policy and an African Space Strategy, it was agreed that the concept of space sustainability should be introduced in both the Policy and the Strategy.
• The meeting also acknowledged the importance of African countries engaging more actively in the ongoing multilateral initiatives to promote the safety, sustainability and security of outer space. To this end, it was agreed that African countries should improve their coordination ahead of UN COPUOS meetings and other future meetings to discuss a proposed international code of conduct for outer space activities."

SWF is pleased and proud to have contributed to this successful event and to the ongoing, collaborative efforts to ensure the sustainable and peaceful use of outer space.  We were also excited to learn more about the depth and breadth of extraordinary talent available to Africa's growing space sector.

March 19-20, 2014

SWF Collaborates with UNIDIR on 2014 Space Security Conference

SWF collaborated with the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) for the 2014 Space Security Conference: Implementation and Compliance. The conference aimed to provide an overview of current initiatives, as well as updates on implementation and adherence to existing policies.

March 18, 2014

New Analysis on China's Anti-Satellite Testing in Space

SWF Technical Advisor Brian Weeden published an in-depth analysis of a rocket launch from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in May 2013. His analysis, based on open source information including commercial satellite imagery purchased from DigitalGlobe, suggests that the launch was the test of the rocket component of a new direct ascent ASAT weapons system derived from a road-mobile ballistic missile. The system appears to be designed to place a kinetic kill vehicle on a trajectory to deep space that could reach medium Earth orbit (MEO), highly elliptical orbit (HEO), and geostationary Earth orbit (GEO). If true, this would represent a significant development in China's ASAT capabilities.

The analysis also compares what is known about current Chinese ASAT testing in space with American and Russian ASAT testing in space over the last five decades. This provides important context for the Chinese ASAT testing in that it shows the ASAT technologies and techniques developed and tested by all three countries are very similar in nature, and that efforts to develop means of attacking satellites have gone hand-in-hand with the development of satellites themselves.

The article concludes by drawing parallels between hit-to-kill ASAT testing and midcourse missile defense and by outlining the political difficulty in proscribing one but not the other. It also examines the role that the culture of secrecy plays in the public silence over this issue, and how that may cause more harm than good over the long term. Ultimately, the article calls for greater transparency and confidence building measures by all countries, and in particular the United States and China, to enhance strategic stability in space and on Earth.

April 11, 2014

Victoria Samson Published in Awaiting Launch: Perspectives on the Draft ICoC for Outer Space Activities

SWF Washington Office Director Victoria Samson has contributed a chapter to the new Observer Research Foundation book Awaiting Launch: Perspectives on the Draft ICoC for Outer Space Activities released on April 11, 2014. The chapter entitled "The ICoC: A Starting Point" examines the draft International Code of Conduct's (ICoC) evolution, successes, and missteps over the last six years. The chapter concludes that the draft ICoC is a promising document that encourages dialogue on the responsible uses of outer space between willing space actors.

April 22, 2014

SWF Releases Update on UN Group of Governmental Experts on Space TCBMs

SWF has updated its UN Group of Governmental Experts on Space TCBMs Fact Sheet. The GGE on TCBMs in space is a UN effort to examine and report on methods for improving cooperation in space, and reducing the risks of misunderstanding, mistrust, and miscalculations in space activities.

March 7, 2014

Victoria Samson Presents at the JSF Third International Symposium on Sustainable Space Development and Utilization for Humankind

SWF Washington Office Director Victoria Samson gave a presentation entitled "The Code of Conduct: A Starting Point" at the Japan Space Forum's (JSF) Third International Symposium on Sustainable Space Development and Utilization for Humankind in Tokyo, Japan on February 27, 2014. In her presentation, Ms. Samson discussed the evolution of the International Code of Conduct from its earliest draft to its current installment, investigating both strengths and weaknesses throughout its evolution. The presentation was part of a panel discussion entitled "Strengthening Global Partnerships in SSA Activities."

March 29, 2014

SWF Executive Director Delivers Closing Address to Regional Finals of Space Law Moot Court Competition

Speaking on the topic, "Finding Truth Where No one Has Gone Before," SWF Executive Director Dr. Michael Simpson addressed the one hundred participants, coaches, and judges gathered at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC for the North American finals of the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court competition.

Dr. Simpson's remarks focused on the particular challenges of developing and interpreting space law in an environment largely without legal precedent and subject to rapidly advancing technologies and capabilities.

This year's Space Law Moot Court problem focused on a complex conflict involving Satellite Electro-Magnetic Interference, and after two strenuous days of arguments and rebuttal, the North American round was won by a team from Florida State University.  As in past years, SWF will sponsor the winning team's travel to the International Finals to be held during the International Astronautical Congress in Toronto during the week of September 29, 2014.

April 21, 2014

Brian Weeden Featured in Discovery Documentary Special on the Search for Flight 370

SWF Technical Advisor Brian Weeden is featured as one of the experts in the new Discovery Channel documentary special on the search for Malaysian Airlines flight MH370. "Flight 370: The Missing Links" features a round table of experts in aviation and security discussing key questions surrounding the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. Brian Weeden contributed his expertise on the potential role for satellites and space-based capabilities in the search, as well as the challenges and importance of international cooperation in the search operations.

The full documentary will be airing on the Discovery Channel internationally and can also be found on Apple iTunes and Google Play.

April 24, 2014

Laura Delgado López Presents at the Annual Meeting of the CEOS’ WGCapD

SWF Project Manager Laura Delgado López gave a presentation entitled “Secure World Foundation -Capacity Building Activities” at the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) Working Group on Capacity Building and Data Democracy’s (WGCapD) annual meeting. Hosted by the Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) Indian Institute for Remote Sensing (IIRS), the meeting was held in Dehradun, India on 23-25 April 2014. In her presentation, Ms. Delgado López introduced participants to SWF and outlined recent accomplishments in the area of capacity building. SWF has been an active member of the WGCapD since 2012 as part of its initiative on Human and Environmental Security.