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SWF December 2019 Newsletter
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Upcoming Events

Jan 14-Jan 15, 2020
Wilton Park - Operating in Space: Current Multilateral Policy Issues and Challenges

Jan 22-Jan 23, 2020
Bermuda Space Sustainability Workshop

Feb 5, 2020
Workshop on Responsible Space Behavior and the Democratization of Space
 

Upcoming Engagements

Jan 9, 2020
Ian Christensen will attend the Forecast of China's Economy for 2020 conference in New York, NY

Feb 6-Feb 7, 2020
Ian Christensen will participate in the Global Space and Technology Convention in Singapore

Secure World Foundation Newsletter

December 2019

Insight - 2020 in Preview

By SWF Staff

In 2020, the space community will continue to experience the multifaceted challenges to the sustainability of space activities that have been growing for a number of years, as well as confronting more novel challenges that may arise from new kinds of space activities. In our efforts to promote the sustainable and peaceful uses of outer space, Secure World Foundation (SWF) will continue to engage in the United States and abroad on issues affecting the safety, stability, security, and sustainability of outer space. What follows are snapshots of some of the priority activities SWF will work on in the next 12 months.

Read more here.

Announcements

SWF Washington DC Office Seeking Intern
SWF is looking for a motivated intern to support SWF’s 2020 Summit for Space Sustainability. This position reports to Krystal Wilson, Director of Space Applications Programs. The deadline for applications is January 10, 2020, but earlier submission is encouraged.

Nov 13, 2019
Final Building Blocks Released by Hague International Space Resources Governance Working Group
Following its final face-to-face meeting, the Hague International Space Resources Governance Working Group has released the Building Blocks for the Development of an International Framework on Space Resource Activities. The Working Group offers these 20 building blocks to the international community as elements that should be considered in the development of international legal frameworks to enable space resources utilization. Director of Private Sector Programs, Ian Christensen; Space Law Advisor, Chris Johnson; former Executive Director, Michael Simpson; and Advisory Committee Member, Tanja Masson-Zwaan contributed to the development of the Building Blocks as Members and Observers throughout the tenure of the Working Group.

Nov 21, 2019
United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs Partners with SWF to Launch "Space Law for New Space Actors" Project
SWF and the governments of Luxembourg and Chile have partnered with UNOOSA on the "Space Law for New Space Actors" project. The project will offer UN Member States tailored capacity building to facilitate their drafting of national space legislation and/or national space policies in line with international space law, promoting the long-term sustainability of outer space activities.

Publications

Nov 26, 2019
2019 Fact Sheet on UN COPUOS Guidelines for the Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities
In June 2019, the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space adopted a set of 21 voluntary consensus Guidelines for the Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities. This fact sheet provides a general overview of the UN COPUOS process, the resulting consensus guidelines, and the next steps to promote their implementation by governmental and non-governmental space actors. It is authored by Executive Director Peter Martinez, who was the chair of the working group charged with negotiating the guidelines. 

Dec 5, 2019
Report Published from SWF-UNIDIR Event on Commercialization of Military Space
In October 2019, the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research and SWF, with the support of Airbus, convened an informal consultation to examine some of the implications of the commercialization of military space services. Roughly 50 experts from across government, industry and academia participated, by invitation of the organizers. 

Dec 6, 2019
Videos of SWF-led Panels at the 2019 AMOS Conference Now Available 
The Maui Economic Development Board has released video recordings of the keynotes and panel discussions held at the 2019 Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies Conference, which was held in Maui, Hawaii, Sept. 17-20, 2019. The annual event brought together more than 800 international experts to discuss the latest technical research on space situational awareness.

Events

Nov 5, 2019
2019 Roundtable on Value and Benefit Creation in Commercial Space
SWF convened the fourth Roundtable in partnership with the International Institute of Space Commerce and the Heinlein Prize Trust. The one-day invite-only Roundtable convened representatives from the commercial space community and the institutional and investment banking community for a discussion of creating, measuring, and sustaining long-term value and benefit from commercial space development.

Dec 10, 2019
Norms of Behavior in Space Workshop
SWF and the Open Lunar Foundation co-hosted a workshop to discuss what new norms of behavior in space are needed, and what interests and values should be reflected in norms for lunar activity. A joint report is forthcoming. 

Dec 11, 2019
IISL Eilene Galloway Memorial Symposium on Critical Issues in Space Law
The Eilene M. Galloway Symposium on Critical Issues in Space Law is an annual event hosted in honor of space law and policy pioneer Eilene M. Galloway. This event brought together the international community of space lawyers to discuss topics such as export control, long term sustainability, governance, and payload review. 

Staff Activities and Presentations

Nov 6, 2019
SWF Staff Participate in 2019 Web Summit
The Web Summit is an annual technology conference held in Lisbon, Portugal, the largest tech event in the world with over 70,000 attendees. Dr. Martinez participated in a panel event titled “Star Wars: Rise of the space junk.” 

Nov 7, 2019
SWF Staff Participate in State/Intel Event on Future Space Governance
Washington Office Director Victoria Samson participated in an event hosted by the Office of Analytic Outreach in the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Intelligence & Research and the National Intelligence Council, “Future Global Space Challenges and Opportunities,” in Washington, DC.  Ms. Samson spoke about “Future Space Governance,” discussing problems multilateral fora have had in adjusting to the evolving space domain and recommending possible ways forward.

Nov 12, 2019
SWF Participates in GEO Week 2019 
Ms. Wilson attended GEO Week 2019 in Canberra, Australia. This event showcased successful applications of Earth observations and new technologies in global, regional and local contexts. Tailored sessions focused on how observations can aid decision makers to address key issues related to disaster risk reduction, climate action, food security, and other key topics impacting our lives on a daily basis.

Nov 18, 2019
SWF Staff Participate in Yale conference on Space Strategy
Yale University hosted its first conference on the intersection of space, policy, and science. This conference was intended to be a multidimensional look at the policy, legal, scientific, and economic aspects of how the United States sees space today — both as a place for discovery and innovation and as a security threat. Ms. Samson participated in a career panel and spoke on a panel about space security issues. 

Nov 19, 2019
SWF Talks about the Space Force and Space Security at the 2019 Symposium on Space Innovations
Director of Program Planning Brian Weeden participated in a panel discussion on the Space Force and space security challenges at the 2019 Symposium on Space Innovations. This annual event is organized by the Georgia Institute of Technology and featured a day-long program on space science, commerce, and policy with a focus on Georgia. The panel discussed why space was important for national security, current threats and trends, and initiatives to mitigate those threats at the national and international level.

Nov 20, 2019
SWF Staff Present on Legal Aspects of Planetary Protection
Mr. Johnson presented on legal aspects of planetary protection to the National Academies of Science Space Studies Board Committee to review the Report of the Planetary Protection Independent Review Board.

Nov 21, 2019
European Space Weather Conference Highlights International Collaboration
Ms. Wilson and SWF Project Manager Josh Wolny joined over 400 other participants from all over the world for the 16th European Space Weather Week. They helped facilitate a paper session on "National And Global Preparedness For Space Weather Events: Research, Forecasting, And Mitigation," and Mr. Wolny also spoke on a plenary panel addressing the interplay between megaconstellations and space weather.

Nov 22, 2019
SWF Participates in Space Tech Expo
Ms. Wilson moderated a panel on “What’s Needed Next?: Preparing the Smallsat Industry for the Next Frontier” at Space Tech Expo: Europe in Bremen, Germany. Bringing together experts, this panel looked forward to the year to come to highlight developments and requirements for small satellites. Speakers included: Jeroen Cappaert, Co-CTO & Co-Founder of Spire Global; Abe Bonnema, Founder & Launch Director of Innovative Solutions In Space; and Alexandre Mencik, Director and Board Member of Space Tech Angels Association.

Nov 25, 2019
SWF Staff Participates in Geography 2050 Symposium 
The 2019 Geography 2050 Symposium focused on how geography and geospatial science impact the role of borders in our future economy, environment, and geopolitical situation. Dr. Martinez attended the Symposium and participated in a plenary session on "Spaces Beyond the State."

Dec 3, 2019
SWF Staff Participate in Conference on US-India Strategic Cooperation
Ms. Samson participated in a conference on enhancing US-India strategic cooperation at Indiana University, Bloomington from Dec. 2-3, 2019. The conference was jointly organized by the Strategic Studies Institute of the US Army War College and the Department of Political Science at Indiana University Bloomington. Ms. Samson spoke on a panel that looked at how the United States and India could cooperate on space issues; SWF Advisory Committee member Dr. Raji Rajagopalan was the other panelist.

Dec 5 , 2019
Space Sustainability Issues Highlighted at European Space Week
Mr. Christensen spoke on a plenary panel at the 2019 European Space Week in Helsinki, Finland.  The panel, entitled "Sustainable Space: Saving Space for Future Generations" discussed the challenges facing the sustainable use of space and collaboration efforts under way to address those challenges. Mr. Christensen's remarks focused on the role on industry best practices for responsible space operations, and highlighted SWF's involvement in efforts such as the Space Safety Coalition and the Consortium for Execution of Rendezvous and Servicing Operations.

Dec 10, 2019
SWF Particpates in 8th African Space Leadership Congress
Dr. Martinez and Ms. Wilson attended the 8th African Leadership Conference in Addis Ababa Dec. 2-4, 2019. The congress was aimed at building upon the efforts of African nations to address key socio-economic challenges through space technology and harnessing the opportunities that space science and technology could provide.Dr. Martinez delivered the invited opening keynote with Val Munsami of the South African National Space Agency. He also gave a presentation on Africa in the global space arena, and chaired a session on snapshots of the status quo in Algeria, Ethiopia, Ghana and South Africa. Dr. Martinez and Ms. Wilson also participated in numerous side meetings with African space actors on the margins of the conference.

Experts in the Media

Nov 11, 2019
Space War Threats From China, Russia Getting New U.S. Assessment
Victoria Samson quoted in Bloomberg on real and potential space threats.

Nov 11, 2019
As SpaceX Launches Dozens Of Satellites At A Time, Some Fear An Orbital Traffic Jam
Brian Weeden quoted by NPR on the space traffic concerns with SpaceX's Starlink constellation.

Nov 17, 2019
U.S. Space Command eager to hand over space traffic duties to Commerce Department
Brian Weeden quoted by SpaceNews on US Military Transferring Civil SSA to Dept of Commerce.

Nov 18, 2019
Demystifying Space Force
Brian Weeden interviewed by Supercluster on the reality of the Space Force.

Nov 20, 2019
China Quietly Used NASA’s Jupiter Probe to Test its Deep Space Network
Brian Weeden quoted by SpaceNews on impact of China using NASA signals to test antenna network.

Nov. 27, 2019
A Falling Rocket Booster Just Completely Flattened a Building in China
Victoria Samson quoted by MIT Technology Review about debris from Chinese launches landing on nearby populated areas.

Dec 2, 2019
Stellar View? Space Hotels Race to Offer Tourists a Room in the Sky
Chris Johnson quoted by Reuters on space law gaps related to space hotels.

Dec 2, 2019
What the Public Needs to Know About Space Law
Chris Johnson interviewed by the Cold Star Project Podcast on space law and sustainability.

Dec 2, 2019
Space Combatant Force: Where is it Headed?
Brian Weeden interviewed by CGTN about the Space Force and potential for future conflict in space.

Dec 3, 2019
Trump’s Excellent Space Force Adventure
Brian Weeden and SWF Global Counterspace Capabilities Report cited in Washington Post Magazine profile of Space Force.

Dec 9, 2019
Catalyzing Space Debris Removal, Salvage, and Use
Brian Weeden quoted in The Space Review on space debris removal. 

Dec 9, 2019 
U.S. Government Updates Orbital Debris Mitigation Guidelines
Brian Weeden quoted in SpaceNews on revised Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices issued by the federal government. 

Dec 11, 2019 
This Was the Decade the Commercial Spaceflight Industry Leapt Forward 
Brian Weeden interviewed by The Verge on private sector investment in the commercial spaceflight industry.

Dec 11, 2019
Space Force May Finally Become Real — But It Won’t Be An Overhaul
Brian Weeden quoted by The Verge on what the Space Force means in reality.
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