June 30, 2014

New Faces at SWF

Please welcome Gwen Farnsworth, Headquarters Secretary (Colorado), Aubrey Curran, Administrative Assistant (Washington, DC), and Andrea DiPaolo, Jr. Project Manager (Colorado) to our team. 

Ms. Farnsworth joins us from an extensive non profit background with an emphasis on development and administration, and will be working in the headquaters office assisting the Operations Manager and Foundation staff.  Ms. Curran, a recent graduate from The George Washington University, is the support staff for Project Managers in the Washington, DC office.  Ms. DiPaolo will complete her summer internship in the Colorado office working directly with Executive Director Dr. Michael Simpson and other senior staff as she completes work for her doctoral thesis at the McGill University Institute of Air and Space Law.

June 30, 2014

SWF Announces Recipients of Young Professionals Scholarships

SWF is pleased to announce the recipients of the IAC Young Professionals Scholarships for travel funding to attend and present their papers at the 2014 International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Toronto, Canada. More than 30 abstracts from young professionals around the world were submitted. After a rigorous scoring process, six winners were selected to receive scholarships. As the premiere international space conference, the IAC offers a unique opportunity for young professionals to further their professional development and inject new ideas into the community.

The recipients are: Joyeeta Chatterjee, Catherine Doldirina, Rong Du, Matteo Emanuelli, Scott Fisher, and Scott Freese. 

May 8, 2014

SWF Hosts "Beyond Malaysia Airlines Flight 370: The Evolving Role of Satellites in Aviation Safety"

Given the prominent role of space assets in the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, and some of the misunderstandings it has brought to bear, SWF hosted a panel discussion that highlighted the value and limitations of satellites in the search of the missing airplane and considered how space may play an increasing role in aviation safety. Experts discussed the unique challenges of incorporating space data in this complex international investigation as well as the policy issues relevant to the modernization of the global aviation system. More information can be found here.

May 18-19, 2014

SWF Sponsors Space Generation Advisory Council’s 2014 Fusion Forum

SWF sponsored and helped organize a panel on small satellites at the third annual Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) Fusion Forum, held in Colorado Springs, Colorado on May 18-19, 2014. The SGAC Fusion Forum panel “Small Satellites: Benefits and Risks” was held at the Cheyenne Lodge of the Broadmoor hotel, and panelists included Justin Park (USA and Switzerland), Sebastian Kleim (Germany), Ali Butt (USA), and Siddhesh Naik (India). The panel was moderated by Peter Platzer, CEO of Nanosatisfi, Inc., a Silicon Valley startup that has built, launched, and operated nanosatellites since 2012. The panel considered the tremendous potential of small satellites to drive capacity building in the next generation of space professionals. Lowered costs and increasing capabilities are two trends that promise to make small satellites an increasingly innovative area. However, small satellites threaten to worsen the space debris situation and potentially destabilize the space environment.

May 19-22, 2014

SWF Team Actively Contributes to the 30th Space Symposium

The SWF staff were actively involved with the 30th Space Symposium, held May 19-22, 2014, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  On May 21, SWF Project Manager Laura Delgado López moderated the question and answer portion of the "Space Development in the Americas" session, in which participants from Mexico, Brazil, Chile and the United States discussed recent space developments in Latin America and opportunities for regional cooperation. On May 22, SWF co-sponsored a panel discussion on radiofrequency interference (RFI) and satellites. The panel, moderated by SWF Executive Director Dr. Michael Simpson, discussed the challenges satellite operators face from both unintentional and intentional RFI, along with the technical and legal steps that industry and governments can take to help mitigate RFI.

May 19 – 24, 2014

SWF Co-organizes Disaster Management Capacity-Building Workshop in Puebla, Mexico

SWF co-organized a capacity-building workshop, entitled Workshop on Open Source Software and Data in the Prevention of, and Response to, Disasters in Mesoamerica. Hosted by the Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica (INAOE) in Puebla, Mexico, it was implemented in collaboration with the Regional Center for Space Science and Technology Education for Latin America and the Caribbean (CRECTEALC) and local, regional and international partners. With a goal to strengthen the decision-making capabilities of national entities with responsibilities in natural disaster risk management in Mesoamerica, the workshop brought together 25 participants from nine countries in the region to learn about international capacity-building programs and resources, data policies and legal requirements, and best practices, as well as to gain hands-on training in open-source data and software packages. One of the exciting results of the workshop was the announcement of the development of a new organization, a Mesoamerican Open-source Disaster Activities (MOSDA), which, if successful, will be able to provide timely and accurate information to decision-makers in the region.

May 28, 2014

SWF Participates in 2014 Space Security Index Working Group

SWF Executive Director Dr. Michael Simpson, in his capacity as a member of the SSI Governing Group, and SWF Jr. Project Manager Andrea DiPaolo, participated in the 7th annual working group for the Space Security Index - an annual report on trends and developments related to security and outer space, which is managed and published by Project Ploughshares. Researchers gave presentations regarding each of the key indicators analyzed in the publication, leading to substantive discussion. The group made substantial progress on reviewing and refining this material for publication.

May 29-31, 2014

SWF Collaborates with McGill University on Global Space Governance Conference

SWF collaborated with the Institute of Air and Space Law at McGill University for the Manfred Lachs International Conference on Global Space Governance, which was held in Montreal on May 29-31, 2014. SWF Founder and President Cynda Collins Arsenault provided opening remarks, while SWF Executive Director Dr. Michael Simpson and SWF Jr. Project Manager Andrea DiPaolo served as panel members discussing the adequacy of existing mechanisms of global space governance and legal aspects of space-based solar power, respectively. The conference produced "The Montreal Declaration," which calls for the establishment of a working group to prepare for and convene an international conference aimed at the establishment of an appropriate global governance framework for space.

June 5-6, 2014

SWF Sponsors, Participates in UN Expert Meeting on Flood and Drought Risk Reduction

SWF assisted UN-SPIDER (United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response) focus on floods and droughts, two extreme weather occurrences that regularly bring disastrous consequences for human and environmental security around the world, at an expert meeting held at the UN campus in Bonn, Germany on June 5-6. The meeting was co-organized by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). The goals of this meeting were to inform experts on recent advances in space technologies and applications in flood and drought risk management, and to exchange experiences and lessons learned in the use of these resources. The meeting also aimed to develop a strategy to promote the use of space-based information in the upcoming World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, to be held in Sendai, Japan in March 2015, and contributions to the Post 2015 framework for disaster risk reduction (Hyogo Framework for Action, or HFA2). SWF Senior Advisor Dr. Ray Williamson and Project Manager Chris Johnson participated in the Expert Meeting.

June 16, 2014

Monitoring the High Seas: The Increasing Role of Space in Maritime Domain Awareness

Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) is the effective understanding of anything associated with the maritime domain that could impact security, safety, economy, or environment.  A number of countries are developing space capabilities to support MDA, but there are still significant gaps in coordination and cooperation between these efforts, as well as integrating space-based information with other sources into a holistic MDA picture and getting it to those who need it on the ground in a usable manner. This panel session, moderated by SWF Washington Office Director Victoria Samson, brought experts together to provide an overview of the importance of MDA and the various efforts to use space-based capabilities to improve it. Speakers were: Dr. Bharath Gopalaswamy, Deputy Director, South Asia Center, Atlantic Council; Mr. Jon Huggins, Director of Ocean's Beyond Piracy, One Earth Future Foundation; Dr. John Mittleman, Engineer, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory; Prof. Guy Thomas, Co-Founder, C-SIGMA Centre; and Major Charity Weeden, Assistant Attaché Air and Space Operations, Royal Canadian Air Force.

May 9, 2014

Brian Weeden Testifies Before Congressional Committee Hearing on Space Traffic Management

On May 9, 2014 SWF Technical Advisor Brian Weeden testified before the U.S. Congress as part of a hearing on space debris and space traffic management. In his testimony, Mr. Weeden highlighted the three main activities needed to address the debris problem - debris mitigation, debris removal, and space traffic management - as well as the importance of space situational awareness (SSA) in support of those activities. He recommended efforts to harmonize the existing regulations for space debris mitigation, developing a comprehensive strategy for dealing with existing debris that may include removal, and shifting part of the SSA and space traffic management mission to a federal agency other than the Department of Defense. A video recording of the hearing and a link to Mr. Weeden's written testimony can be found here.

June 2-4, 2014

SWF Actively Contributes to IAF's Global Space Application Conference

During June 2-4, 2014, SWF participated in the International Astronautical Federation’s (IAF) Global Space Application Conference (GLAC) co-organized and hosted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in Paris, France.

SWF Project Manager Laura Delgado López gave a poster presentation on the role of public awareness as a potential barrier to greater access and utilization of space applications during a session entitled “Solutions for barriers to access to application services, requirements for capacity building and knowledge management.” In addition to offering a poster presentation, Dr. Ray Williamson, SWF Senior Advisor, joined a distinguished group of experts in the session’s opening panel. Thanks to a collaboration with the IAF Young Professionals Committee, the session was streamed in a Virtual Forum, which allowed over 30 participants from around the world to watch the presentations and ask questions.

June 11-13, 2014

SWF Active at UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space

Secure World Foundation Executive Director Dr. Michael Simpson, and his predecessor Dr. Ray Williamson represented the Foundation at the recent Plenary session of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN COPUOS) in Vienna, Austria. This was the 57th Session of the committee, which was established in 1958 shortly after the launch of the first artificial satellites into Earth orbit. Dr. Simpson delivered the Foundation's annual statement to the plenary session of the committee and held meetings with officials of the UN Office of Outer Space Affairs and representatives of member state and permanent observer delegations.

June 20, 2014

Brian Weeden Co-Chaired Session on Non-Technical Challenges of Actively Removing Space Debris

SWF Technical Advisor Brian Weeden co-chaired a panel session on the "Policy, Economic, and Legal Aspects of Orbital Debris Removal" as part of the 3rd European Workshop on Space Debris Modelling and Remediation held by the French Space Agency (CNES)  at their headquarters in Paris, France. The workshop, held every two years since 2010, brought together experts from around the world to discuss how to deal with the long-term growth in space debris. As part of this session, Mr. Weeden gave a presentation on "How To Ask Permission to Engage With a Piece of Space Debris" that focused on the legal requirement to determine who has jurisdiction and control over a space object and how to go about requesting permission to interact with a specific space object.

June 24, 2014

Brian Weeden Lectured on Space Situational Awareness to Japanese Industry and Governmental Leaders

Invited in a personal capacity by the Japan Manned Space Systems Corporation (JAMSS), SWF Senior Technical Advisor Brian Weeden gave a lecture on the importance of space situational awareness (SSA) and Japan's options for developing its own capabilities and cooperating with the United States as part of its new bilateral data sharing agreement. The lecture was part of the monthly Space Diplomatic Study Forum organized by JAMSS in collaboration with Japanese government officials and industry leaders.

June 26, 2014

Brian Weeden Gives Invited Lecture on Space Traffic Management to the AIA Space Council

SWF Technical Advisor Brian Weeden gave an invited lecture to the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) monthly Space Council on the subject of space traffic management. The AIA was interested in providing its members an update on recent events on this subject and how they might impact commercial space industry.

Laura Delgado López to Participate in Panel During AAS 60th Anniversary Event

On July 16, 2014, SWF Project Manager Laura Delgado López will participate in a distinguished panel celebrating space activities as part of the 60th anniversary celebration of the American Astronautical Society (AAS). Ms. Delgado López, who has served on the AAS Board of Directors since 2013, will join NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, Executive Director of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Sandy Magnus, and Trevor Waddell, a researcher at the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA). It will be moderated by John Grunsfeld, NASA Associate Administrator for Science.