Secure World Foundation Newsletter

November 2016

Insight - Commercial Space: Sustainability and Value

By Ian Christensen, SWF Project Manager

Space activities are inextricably linked to humankind’s instincts to explore and develop new knowledge. Founded in 1904 and headquartered in New York City, the Explorers' Club is a professional society dedicated to international and multidisciplinary exploration and research.The Explorers’ Club headquarters hosts many historical artifacts and records of exploration – including several articles from the Apollo program – and on October 18, 2016 was the site of an invite-only Roundtable on Value Creation in Commercial Space hosted by Secure World Foundation and the Heinlein Prize Trust...continue reading.

Events

Oct 18, 2016
SWF Hosts Roundtable on Value Creation in Commercial Space in New York City
SWF and the Heinlein Prize Trust held a small, invite-only Roundtable at the Explorers' Club, gathering space industry representatives and investors from various stages of the funding cycle. Three "Discussions" were held on launch, disruptive technology and business models, and the beyond-LEO economy. A summary report will be published by SWF in the near future.

Oct 21, 2016
SWF and the State Department Host Progress and Planning Ahead: International Best Practices for Outer Space Sustainability
Co-organized by SWF and the U.S. Department of State, the event brought together top U.S. and international space policy experts from governments, industry, and academia. The discussion focused heavily on how the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) will continue to develop additional long term sustainability guidelines over the next two years, with the goal of having the guidelines endorsed by the UN General Assembly in 2018. Recordings and highlights (including C-SPAN's coverage of the event) can be found here. 

Oct 25, 2016
SWF Hosts Dinner for COMSTAC
SWF hosted a dinner for participants of the fall meeting of the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC) of the Federal Aviation Administration. SWF's Chris Johnson and Krystal Wilson facilitated the dialogue and brought issues of space sustainability and the need for outreach to COMSTAC attendees.

Staff Activities and Presentations

Oct 12-13, 2016
SWF Staff Spoke at the International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight
SWF staff were active participants at the 12th Annual ISPCS in Las Cruces, New Mexico. SWF Project Manager Ian Christensen moderated a panel session, which included SWF's Executive Director Michael Simpson, discussing "The International Policy and Market Context for International Space Resources Development."

Oct 14, 2016
Chris Johnson Interviewed Niklas Hedman and Facilitated a Discussion at the American Society of International Law
SWF Project Manager Chris Johnson interviewed Niklas Hedman, Chief of the Committee, Policy, and Legal Affairs Section of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs. The interview and discussion are available here. 

Oct 24-27, 2016
Ian Christensen Presented at the Reinventing Space Conference in London, UK
SWF Project Manager Ian Christensen presented a paper entitled "Applying Corporate Social Responsibility Principles in the Space Sector," coauthored by SWF Intern Ryan Wells. The full paper is available here.

Oct 26, 2016
Brian Weeden Discussed Jamming and Cyber Threats to Satellites at the 2016 Electronic Warfare Conference in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
SWF Technical Advisor Brian Weeden gave a presentation on "Electronic Warfare and Satellites: Challenges in Assuring Space Capabilities." Mr. Weeden provided a technical overview of jamming and cyber attacks on satellites and discussed potential mitigation activities. His presentation is available here.

Publications

Announcements