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Secure World Foundation Newsletter
December 2015
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Letter from the Executive Director
December 16, 2015
At Secure World Foundation we spend so much time trying to elevate the vision of sustainable uses of outer space that we often don’t take time to look back on what we have accomplished.
As a new year approaches, however, there is a strong sense of achievement in looking back on how much we got done in 2015.
By the numbers, our SWF team traveled over a half-million miles, completed 94 projects in 17 different countries on 6 continents, received 97 invitations to contribute expertise, published 15 articles, 2 book chapters, presented 9 papers, sponsored 4 others, generated 5 podcasts, published 2 brochures and 1 fact sheet, and contributed substantively to the text of the Mexico City Declaration adopted by the GEO Ministerial Summit.
This we did with a staff of 10, an engaged Board President and Founder, and a budget barely more than the cost of a cruise missile.
There are a lot of reasons for this kind of success and efficiency, but those of you reading this newsletter are a major factor. Your willingness to share your counsel, expertise, and analysis have enabled us to remain focused, accurate, and effective. Many of you have brought your insight to our panels and intellect to our analysis. For all of these contributions we are deeply grateful.
As is customary this time of year, we remind you that SWF is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization in the USA. If you have U.S. tax obligations and are still making decisions about your year-end giving, you can be confident that donations to SWF go straight toward helping us keep up the pace of programming seeking to advance cooperative solutions to space sustainability.
As 2016 approaches, all of us at SWF look forward to continuing to work with you and learn with you in the effort to ensure that all of humanity can continue to use outer space for peaceful purposes and socioeconomic benefit for many years to come.
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Recent SWF Events
November 10, 2015
Broadcasting GEOSS: Key Issues in Spectrum Management and Earth Observations
During the GEO-XII Plenary & Mexico City Ministerial Summit on November 11-13, 2015, SWF hosted a side event to draw attention to the relevance of spectrum management issues to the global Earth observations community. An expert panel of international government and industry experts discussed the risks facing the frequency bands used for meteorological purposes, and highlighted opportunities for improved engagement between the relevant stakeholders to better communicate the impact of spectrum management decisions on the delivery of critical information services. An audio recording of the event is available on the event page.
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Publications
December 2, 2015
Secure World Foundation's 2015 AMOS Dialogue Report
The fourth AMOS Dialogue was held on September 17, 2015, as part of the 2015 AMOS Conference in Maui. Participants included governments, military, satellite operators, technical experts, and NGOs. The topic was space traffic management, and the discussions focused on addressing the gaps in the current operational capabilities and governance mechanisms to improve on-orbit safety and sustainability. To see the dialogue report please click here.
December 16, 2015
Export Controls of Space Systems: A Conversation Between The United States and Japan
Experts from U.S. government agencies that administer export controls of space systems and representatives from non-governmental organizations and think tanks were invited in December 2014 to participate in an invitation-only workshop co-hosted by the Secure World Foundation and Astroconsulting International to discuss export controls with a delegation of industry representatives from The Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies. The major discussion points raised at this event can be found in a publication by SWF Washington Office Director Victoria Samson titled "Workshop Review: Export Controls of Space Systems," in Astropolitics. The article can be found here.
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Staff Activities and Presentations
November 12, 2015
The Commercial Space Operations Program and Applied Aviation Sciences Department of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s College of Aviation held the 2nd Annual Space Traffic Management Conference. SWF Washington Office Director Victoria Samson gave a talk on "SSA and STM: Current Status and Possible Improvements." Her presentation can be found here.
November 20, 2015
Ian Christensen Discusses Developments and Policy Related to Commercial Space at the Canadian Space Summit
Invited to present at the 2015 Canadian Space Summit in Vancouver, British Columbia, SWF Project Manager Ian Christensen discussed "The Intersection of Commercial Space and Policy - A Survey of Current Developments" and highlighted SWF's activities in the area of space commerce and policy. The Canadian Space Summit, organized by the Canadian Space Society, is the leading Canadian conference focused on space technology and research.
November 30, 2015
Brian Weeden Presents on U.S. Responses to Outer Space Threats at 18th International Symposium on Security Affairs in Tokyo
Organized by the National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS) in Japan, the symposium brought together experts from the United States, Japan, and Europe to discuss space security issues and cooperation. SWF Technical Advisor Brian Weeden's presentation covered U.S. policies, programs, and diplomatic initiatives since 2010 to respond to the growing awareness of space debris and counter-space threats to space capabilities, and compared the progress made between the two areas. His full paper, along with those from other speakers, will be published in a special volume by NIDS in 2016.
December 1, 2015
Ian Christensen Presents at 22nd Annual Asia Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum
SWF Project Manager Ian Christensen's presentation provided an overview of SWF’s ongoing efforts to develop a Handbook for New Actors in Space, and invited feedback and comments from participants at the New Cooperation Session of the 22nd Asia Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF) in Bali, Indonesia. APRSAF is the largest annual space-focused conference in the Asia-Pacific region, and featured participation by more than 450 attendees from 30 nations.
December 1, 2015
Brian Weeden Invited to Present at 3rd ASEAN Regional Forum Workshop on Space Security
SWF Technical Advisor Brian Weeden gave a presentation on space situational awareness (SSA) to the 3rd ASEAN Regional Forum in Beijing, China. Mr. Weeden's presentation provided an overview of SSA and why improving SSA was important for enhancing space security and sustainability. The presentation can be seen here.
December 7, 2015
Michael Simpson Participates in Preparatory Meeting for Fourth UN Conference on Space
A United Nations High Level Forum, “Space as a Driver for Socioeconomic Sustainable Development” convened in Vienna in November 2015 to begin preparation of the UNISPACE +50 Conference planned for 2018. Executive Director, Michael Simpson, represented the Foundation at the November session delivering welcoming remarks, presiding over one of the four issue-area discussion sessions and participating in the summary panel at the end of the day. His statements and those of many other presenters are on the UNOOSA website: http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/hlf/hlf-preparatory-meeting-presentations.html
December 9, 2015
Brian Weeden Discusses Space Technology and Policy/Legal Impacts at Galloway Symposium
SWF Technical Advisor Brian Weeden participated in a panel discussion at the 10th annual Eileen Galloway Symposium on Critical Issues in Space Law, held in Washington, DC. The panel focused on the current state of space technology, and Mr. Weeden remarked on recent technological developments in space situational awareness, on-orbit satellite servicing, and orbital debris removal (remediation). The event was organized by the International Institute of Space Law (IISL) and brought together leading experts in space law and policy to discuss what space law and policy has achieved over the last decade, and what issues and challenges might lay in store during the next decade.
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Announcements
November 23, 2015
SWF Announces Recipients of the 2015 Ray Williamson Future Fund
Named for a former Executive Director of the Foundation whose life work has particularly advanced the cause of preparing new generations of leadership for the space sector, we are pleased to support two students at the International Space University Southern Hemisphere Space Studies Program in Adelaide, Australia.
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