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SWF April 2021 Newsletter
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Upcoming Events

April 8, 2021
The Dark Arts in Space: Developments in Counterspace Weapons 

April 15, 2021
Defense Against the Dark Arts in Space

April 25, 2021 
2021 Sino-U.S. Space Commercialization Workshop

June 22-24, 2021 
Summit for Space Sustainability
 

Upcoming Engagements

Apr 8, 2021
Brian Weeden will give a virtual public lecture on "Beyond the Space Force: Security Challenges and Trends in Outer Space" to the Charlottesville Committee on Foreign Relations

Apr 10–Apr 11, 2021
Krystal Azelton and Chris Johnson will serve as subject matter experts at the 6th South America Space Generation Workshop

April 12, 2021
Ian Christensen will appear on the DongFang Hour podcast to discuss the recent SWF and Caelus Foundation paper "Lost Without Translation: Identifying Gaps in U.S. Perceptions of the Chinese Commercial Space Sector" with co-author Rob Ronci

April 20, 2021
Victoria Samson will participate in a virtual dialogue held by Foreign Policy on "Science Diplomacy: Elevating the role of science in addressing global challenges”

Apr 29, 2021
Peter Martinez will deliver an invited talk on the UN COPUOS space sustainability guidelines organized by the Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies

May 13, 2021
Brian Weeden will be participating in a panel discussion of space security at the Masterclass on Grey Zone and Disinformation organized by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute

Secure World Foundation Newsletter

April 2021

Insight - What Continued Global Proliferation of Counterspace Capabilities Means for Space Security and Sustainability
 

By Director of Program Planning Brian Weeden and Washington Office Director Victoria Samson

Space security continues to increase as a salient policy issue. A growing number of countries are voicing concerns about their reliance on vulnerable space capabilities for national security and the corresponding proliferation of offensive counterspace capabilities that could be used to disrupt, deny, degrade, or destroy space systems. Several countries have made significant policy, budgetary, or organizational changes over the last several years to prepare for future conflicts on Earth to extend into space, which has prompted concerns about such efforts making it more likely such conflicts may happen. 

In 2018, SWF published the first version of our Global Counterspace Capabilities report to provide a public assessment of counterspace capabilities being developed by countries based on unclassified information. We hoped that the report would increase public knowledge of these issues, the willingness of policymakers to discuss these issues openly, and involvement of other stakeholders in the debate. 

2021 marks the publication of the fourth version of our report and we are proud to see progress on meeting some of these goals. There is indeed more public awareness and discussion of these issues by governments, academic, and civil society. Governments have also been more forthcoming with information about space activities they feel are threatening, and at the end of 2020, the United Nations General Assembly voted on a resolution calling for member states to report to the Secretary-General what they deem to be threats to space security and how they view responsible behavior in space.

Read more here

Announcements

Registration Available for the 3rd Summit for Space Sustainability
Following two successful iterations, SWF will be holding its third annual Summit for Space Sustainability on June 22-24 2021. The last year changed the world dramatically, offering an opportunity to build back or make changes. This year’s Summit invites a diverse group of international experts to look across a range of economic, security, and environmental issues to evaluate how space capabilities can be used to meet long-standing and new global challenges. Attendees will engage in discussions about what changes may be needed to face these issues and promote the long-term sustainable use of space for all. All registration fees go to support SWF's young professionals engagement projects including this year’s Young Professionals Day. To register and find more information, please visit the Summit for Space Sustainability website

SWF Statement on Recent Petition to the FCC on the Regulation of Large Satellite Constellations
SWF discovered that we were unknowingly listed in a petition to the FCC objecting to the FCC’s approval for large satellite constellations. While SWF has some concerns about the effective regulation of these constellations, we did not contribute to this document and we are not signatories to this filing. For SWF’s position on these issues, please see our previous FCC filing under docket 18-313 and our Space Policy and Sustainability Briefing for the Biden administration.

SWF Welcomes Interns Marissa Martin and Sarah Gregory 
Ms. Martin joined SWF in February and is working with Director of Program Planning Dr. Brian Weeden on counterspace research. Ms. Gregory joined SWF in March.and is working with Director of Space Applications Programs and Summit Chair Krystal Azelton,to support the 3rd Annual Summit for Space Sustainability.

Publications

2021 Global Counterspace Capabilities: An Open Source Assessment 
Edited by SWF Director of Program Planning Brian Weeden and Washington Office Director Victoria Samson, this annual report compiles and assesses publicly available information on the counterspace capabilities being developed by multiple countries across five categories: direct-ascent, co-orbital, electronic warfare, directed energy, and cyber. It assesses the current and near-term future capabilities for each country, along with their potential military utility. The full 2021 report and the Executive Summary, along with previous year's editions, can be found here

Spanish, French, and Arabic translations of the executive summary are forthcoming. 

SWF Contribution to UNGA Resolution 75-36, “Reducing Space Threats Through Norms, Rules and Principles of Responsible Behaviors”
In response to UN General Assembly Resolution 75/36, Secure World Foundation (SWF) has published views on “Reducing space threats through norms, rules and principles of behaviour.” This submission is offered as information for UN Member States to take into consideration when submitting their views. For further information, please contact Ms. Victoria Samson.

India, Japan, and Russia: Space Multipolarity?
Ms. Samson published “India, Japan, and Russia: Space Multipolarity” in a special edition of the DRI Monthly Report, where five world-renowned experts present a comprehensive examination of the state of play, trends, and prospects when it comes to outer space and developments in the Asia-Pacific region.

The UN COPUOS Space Sustainability Guidelines
Dr. Martinez published a paper titled "The UN COPUOS Guidelines for the Long-term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities” in the Journal of Space Safety Engineering, Vol 8, pp. 98–107, which discusses the origin, development, negotiation and early implementation of the UN COPUOS guidelines for space sustainability.

Role of Soft Law in Promoting Space Sustainability
Dr. Martinez published an article titled "The role of soft law in promoting the sustainability and security of space activities” in the Journal of Space Law, Vol. 44, No. 2, pp. 522-564.  The article discusses several soft law initiatives in space sustainability and space security over the past decade and draws some conclusions about the role and limitations of soft law for addressing issues of space sustainability and space security.

Events 

March 16, 2021 
Security and Stability of Space: What You Need to Know
On Dec. 7, 2020, the UNGA adopted a resolution first proposed by the United Kingdom on “Reducing space threats through norms, rules and principles of responsible behaviours” (A/RES/75/36). As part of our support for this resolution, SWF hosted a public virtual event to review the current state of space security and stability and discuss potential disruptions to space capabilities that could negatively impact life on Earth. Video of the event is available here

March 23, 2021 
Roundtable on War and Peace in Outer Space
This book launch discussed many of the issues raised in the newly published volume War and Peace in Outer Space and examined how the current international security scene is shaped by the topics raised in the book. The event was co-hosted by Secure World Foundation, the Australian National University (ANU)’s Centre for International and Public Law, Harvard University’s Department of the History of Science, and the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law. Video of the event is available here

March 29, 2021
Moon Dialog: Peaceful Moon
The most recent lunar salon explored how the space community can learn from important precedents such as the ISS, support continued collaboration and development of shared norms, and ensure that “diversity” results in a rich plurality of flourishing lunar activities. Video of the event is available here

Staff Activities and Presentations 

March 4, 2021
SWF Staff  Participates in a Dialogue Panel Discussion 
Executive Director Peter Martinez participated in an invitation-only panel organized by Dialogue Retreat to discuss a range of governance questions raised by the evolution of space activities. 

March 4, 2021 
SWF Participates in Japanese National Policy Secretariat Symposium on Space
Dr. Weeden moderated a panel on economics and collaboration in commercial satellite servicing at the 6th Japan National Space Policy Secretariat Symposium on Ensuring Safe and Sustainable Use of Outer Space. 

Mar 4, 2021
SWF Discusses Cooperation in Space with United Nations Association 
Space Law Advisor Chris Johnson presented "Cooperation, Coordination and Competition in Outer Space to the United Nations Association of the United States of America - Southwest Connecticut chapter. 

March 5, 2021
SWF Joins Space Court Foundation Panel on "Silos" in the Space Community
Dr. Martinez and Director of Strategic Partnerships and Communications Daniel Porras spoke on a panel, hosted by the Space Court Foundation, on the various "silos" that exist within the space community and how these groups might come together to develop a responsive governance framework for space. Video of the event is available here

March 10, 2021
Victoria Samson Participates in Lau Policy Series 2020: China in the World
The Chinese space program was the focus of the second in the Lau China Institute’s policy paper series and recent webinar, where Ms. Samson joined a panel of experts to discuss China’s space program. The paper, "China’s space programme: A rising star, a rising challenge," provides guidance on how the international community could use this time of increasing risk to agree on a framework for safe space, one that includes China.

March 18–March 19, 2021
SWF Participates in GALIX Inaugural Congress
Dr. Martinez moderated a panel discussion on space forces, space traffic management and space situational awareness at the 2021 GALIX Inaugural Congress. 

Experts in the Media

March 17, 2021
Satellite operators want a seat at the table in space security discussions
Industry comments at a recent SWF event were highlighted in SpaceNews. 

March 19, 2021 
US military to keep wary eye on Chinese and Russian space ambitions under President Biden
Dr. Weeden was quoted by Space.com on Chinese and Russian space ambitions.

Mar 20, 2021
Decommissioned NOAA weather satellite breaks up 
Dr. Weeden was quoted by SpaceNews on the breakup of NOAA -17 satellite and need for active debris removal. 

March 26, 2021 
New reports detail ongoing space threats, and Russia is raising concerns 
Ms. Samson quoted in Air Force Magazine on international cooperation in space. 

March 29, 2021 
The growing case for active debris removal
Dr. Weeden’s comments on NOAA-17 were cited in this Op-Ed by Jeff Foust. 

March 30, 2021 
Biden to Keep White House National Space Council
Ms. Samson was interviewed by SpacePolicyOnline on the retention of the NSpC. 

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