SWF Technical Advisor presents at IAC 2009 on subject of international civil SSA

Brian Weeden, Technical Advisor for Secure World Foundation, presented on the need for an international civil space situational awareness system (ICSSA) during the 60th International Astronautical Congress in Daejeong, South Korea last week. His presentation, "Analysis of the Technical Feasibility of Building an International Civil Space Situational Awareness System," included discussion on what space situational awareness is, the technical hurdles involved in setting up a civil SSA system, mitigation strategies and next steps.

You can see his presentation here and read the paper here.

Experts Detail Need for Sustainable Outer Space Environment - Key for Future Global Space Activities

How best to cope with the rising tide of orbital space debris? What international rules of behavior are required for safe operations in space? Can there be a sustainable space environment for world-wide space activities?

These and other issues are to be addressed in a special panel discussion on “Achieving a Sustainable Space Environment for Future Space Activities.”

This constructive dialogue is being held as a plenary event at this week’s 60th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) – a seminal meeting being held in Daejeon - the science city of South Korea and an event that has attracted more than 3,000 participants from 72 countries.

South Korea has become a player on the international space scene relatively recently. It set up its own space agency in 1980 and defined its first space plan in 1996. Thanks to cooperation with the world’s leading spacefaring nations, it is now able to build satellites almost autonomously.

International rules of behavior
The plenary panel discussion in Daejeon is being held on October 16 and will fully examine the progress being made to assure a sustainable space environment.

Dr. Ray Williamson, Executive Director of Secure World Foundation (SWF), chair of the special panel noted:

“This is the first time that the International Astronautical Congress has mounted a plenary session on the subject of maintaining the long term sustainability of space activities. It is a recognition that the world needs to come together to develop appropriate international legal instruments to guide space activities for the future.”

Williamson added that “the world urgently needs to pay attention to the impact of the increasing orbital debris population on space activities and to improve the prospects for establishing international rules of behavior for space operations.”

SWF’s Williamson said that the group of experts will examine the prospects for cooperative, international space situational awareness as a contribution to achieving a sustainable space environment for space activities.

Williamson underscored the valuable contributions of his fellow panel discussants:

-- Dr. K. Kasturirangan, Honorable Member of the Planning Commission of the Government of India will speak on cooperative approaches to the long term sustainability of space activities.

-- Nicholas Johnson, Chief Scientist for Orbital Debris, NASA Johnson Space Center is to detail debris and spacecraft in Earth orbit.

-- Dr. Sergio Camacho, Director General of CRECTEALC, the Regional Center for the Teaching of Science and Technology of Space in Latin America and the Caribbean. He will speak to space sustainability and emerging space actors.

-- Dr. Kai-Uwe Schrogl, Director, European Space Policy Institute, is to address the steps toward a long-term stability in outer space.

New Report Examines Space Security Issues

A newly issued study provides a comprehensive source of data and analysis on space activities and their cumulative impact on the security of outer space.

Space Security 2009 has been jointly released by Project Ploughshares and Secure World Foundation on behalf of the Space Security Index, an international research consortium. This is the sixth annual report on trends and developments in space, covering the period January to December 2008.

Among a roster of findings, Space Security 2009 finds that the number of actors with access to space, including dual-use applications -- those with potential civilian and military uses -- has continued to grow in the past year. By 2008, nine actors had demonstrated independent orbital launch capacity and 49 states had launched civil satellites, either independently or in collaboration with others.

The report notes that the deployment of military space systems, which continues to be led by the United States and Russia, has increased in other countries around the world as well. At the end of 2008 there were over 150 operational dedicated military satellites worldwide, with the U.S. operating approximately 76, and some 36 spacecraft operated by Russia.

Invaluable resource
“The Space Security Index has proven to be an invaluable resource for our discussions of space security and the long term sustainability of outer space in numerous forums. It is a unique source of information about civil, military, and commercial space activities. We're proud to be part of this work because it makes a difference,” says Dr. Ray Williamson, Executive Director of Secure World Foundation.

Space Security 2009 flags the evolving space-faring states, underscoring the indigenous space programs of Iran and North Korea. Iran attempted three rocket launches in 2008 in preparation for its first satellite launch, and North Korea continued to clandestinely pursue indigenous space launch capabilities.

Despite conflicting accounts about the success of Iran’s rocket launches, the report points to concerns that Iran’s civilian space launch program may be a cover for its long-range ballistic missile program, which would use similar technology.

Likewise, North Korea’s space program, historically shrouded in secrecy, appears to be moving forward. Commercial satellite imagery revealed in 2008 a previously unknown launch facility on North Korea’s west coast, signaling that it has continued to pursue a ballistic missile and space launch program.

Global space agenda
Cesar Jaramillo is the Program Manager for the annually updated Space Security Index based at Project Ploughshares in Waterloo, Ontario.

“The Space Security Index provides a wealth of factual information about key developments in outer space that can guide the work of researchers and policymakers alike,” says Jaramillo. “While the study itself is policy-neutral, the underlying premise that informs its preparation is that space should be preserved peacefully for all humanity, as called for in the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.”

While the potential for military applications in space raises concern "the issue of how best to secure sustainable access to and use of space has risen to the top of the global space policy agenda," explains Dr. John Logsdon, Professor Emeritus of Political Science and International Relations at The George Washington University. He serves on the Advisory Board of Project Ploughshares and is on the Advisory Committee for Secure World Foundation.

SWF's Victoria Samson pens article on future of U.S. space policy

Victoria Samson, SWF Washington Office Director, wrote an article on the future of U.S. space policy called "Making a Mark in Space: An Analysis of Obama’s Options For a New U.S. Space Policy". Samson looks at the change of U.S. administrations that creates the opportunity for a broad assessment of the country’s space policy, starting with some basic questions.

What should the goal of national space policies be? Are they trying to ensure freedom of action for certain states and not others? Does the definition of “freedom of action” need to be updated to reflect the increasing number of space actors? Should the focus be on establishing future cooperative efforts in space, or is space being preserved just for its own sake?