Outer Space: Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, 69th session, 857th meeting General Assembly Date: 17 June 2026 Language: English Transcript: https://transcripts.un.org/en/asset/k1o/k1ofvfocrf Transcripts available through this tool are created by using automatic speech recognition and are not official records nor official documents of the United Nations. Official records and official documents are available on the Official Document System of the United Nations. --- COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [0:03]: Mr. president distinguished delegates i now declare open the eight hundred and fifty seven meeting of the committee on the peaceful use of outer space. distinguished delegates this afternoon we will continue and hopefully conclude our consideration of agenda item number five general exchange of views, we will reopen and hopefully conclude our consideration of agenda item number six, ways and means of maintaining outer space for peaceful purposes, pending the reporting on the outcome of the informal consultation led by the Russian Federation on the updated draft resolution of the United Nations General Assembly, Space Science and Technology for Promoting Peace. We will continue and hopefully conclude our consideration on agenda item number seven, report on the Scientific Technical Subcommittee on its 63rd session, with our view to endorsing the agreements and recommendation coming from the Working Group on the Long-term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities. We will continue and hopefully conclude our consideration of agenda item number nine, space and sustainable development, in order to hear about the outcome of the consultation on the Space for Development Initiative. We will continue our consideration on agenda item number 14, future role and method of work of the Committee, and we will also have the co chair of the Action Team on Lunar Activities consultation report on the work of the Action Team to the Committee. We will continue and hopefully conclude our consideration of agenda item number 15, space exploration and innovation this afternoon. We will begin our consideration of agenda item number 16, space 2030 agenda. I would also like to inform delegates that informal consultation on UNISPACE-4 are running till 5:00 PM in conference room M3 in a hybrid format via Microsoft Teams. The Microsoft Teams link is provided in the information circular OOSA/2026/53 dispatched on 8 june 2026. are there any questions or comments on this proposed schedule? i see none. so distinguished delegates i would like now to continue and hopefully conclude our consideration of agenda item five, general exchange of view. And so I turn to the list of speakers. And the first speaker I have in my list is the distinguished observer for University Space Engineering Consortium Global, please. UNISEC Global · Observer [3:56]: Thank you, Chair. Mr. Chair and distinguished delegates, on behalf of UNISEC Global, I would like to express my appreciation to Professor Teodoro Valente, Chair of UN Copious, and Ms. Arti Hora Maini, Director of UN USA and her team, for their continued support and for inviting us to address this committee. Over the past two decades, we have worked with students, universities, and space communities around the world. Through these activities, we have created opportunities for people to participate in space activities and have seen their impact. Space activities, once accessible to only a limited number of countries and institutions, are now reaching a much broader community. We have seen students build satellites and universities establish space programs. This year, marks the 15th anniversary of the CANSat CubeSat Leader Training Program, or CLTP. Through this program, participants from more than 60 countries have returned home and launched CANSat activities, educational programs, and in some cases, CubeSat projects. What started as training for individuals has often grown into sustainable activities within universities, institutions, and national space committees. We have also seen encouraging developments through the Mission Idea Contest. Each year, students and researchers are invited to explore how space can help address challenges on Earth. Looking at our planet from space, They identify issues affecting people's daily lives and propose solutions using nano microsatellites. Many of these ideas focus on natural disasters, environmental monitoring, agriculture and sustainable development. Some have evolved into research projects, satellite missions and startup companies. Mr. Chair, In recent years, we have seen growing attention to the long-term sustainability of outer space activities. We have also seen increasing expectations for responsible space activities. We regard these developments as positive. Our experience suggests that responsible behavior grows through participation and experience. Opportunities to learn, operate, collaborate and innovate help create capable and responsible space actors. UNISAC Global remains committed to contributing practical perspectives to discussions on the long-term sustainability of outer space activities. We have shared our views through a technical presentation to the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee and through a contribution to the SSA Expert Group. Mr. Chair and distinguished delegates, NUSAC Global will continue creating opportunities for people around the world to participate in space activities and contribute to society. We hope to see future generations who naturally think about how space can help solve challenges on Earth and how the needs of life on Earth can inspire new activities in space. This is the future we would like to help build together. Thank you for your attention. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [7:37]: Thanks to the distinguished observer of the University Space Engineering Consortium Global for the statement. Next speaker is the distinguished observer of Secure World Foundation. SWF · Observer [7:54]: Thank you, Chair. Chair, as this is our first time taking the floor at this session, allow me to congratulate you on your election as Chair of this committee. Chair, distinguished delegates and observers, Secure World Foundation appreciates this opportunity to recognize the ongoing progress of the Expert Group on Space Situational Awareness under the excellent leadership of Fatima Al-Shamsi of the United Arab Emirates, and to share some of our observations on this work. Progress in the expert group has been pragmatic and is already advancing the committee's work in support of the long-term sustainability of outer space activities. Chair, discussions around space situational awareness information sharing in the expert group have been structured around three pillars, namely what information is to be shared, how it is to be shared, and where the information should be hosted for sharing. This pragmatic approach is useful, However, these three pillars are necessarily coupled and the appropriate institutional setting and process to manage SSA information sharing will depend on the type of information to be shared. For example, one useful working distinction is along the lines of operational cadence, separating information into static, semi-static, and dynamic categories. All three categories are important to capture in information sharing frameworks. But higher operational cadence information such as spacecraft metadata and maneuver plans will benefit from more nimble sharing processes and platforms. In this regard, for information that needs to be updated frequently, the role of COPUOS may be best understood as defining what needs to be shared and setting principles, guidelines, and baseline expectations for information sharing. The operational and dynamic information itself could be hosted on agile platforms and federated in some ways still to be discussed. This does not preclude the potential role of UN OOSA as a host for static information such as satellite operators points of contact. Sharing of practical contact information is fully aligned with LTS guideline B1. It is a pragmatic and important first step to effective SSA coordination. Chair, we welcome the iterative approach of the expert group in this work. Improving global SSA information sharing is a progressive endeavor. It begins with low risk exchanges that gradually build confidence and expands towards cooperative practices as trust allows, always with respect for national practices and legal frameworks. This approach suits the operational realities of the current SSA landscape. Government to government information sharing carries different risks and responsibilities from operator to operator information sharing. And the technical and institutional capacities of both state and private sector actors can differ considerably as can their adopted standards, their access to information, their ability to share information, and the structure of their information systems. As the expert group continues its work, it would be helpful to keep these differences in mind and to design recommendations that accommodate them. The long-term objective would be to establish a cooperative framework for SSA information sharing that comprises many parts working in concert. This would encompass national systems, regional systems and direct exchanges between operators. Interoperability and consistency across these systems would be enabled by shared standards and practices with appropriate safeguards to protect sensitive technical and commercial information and national security concerns. Chairperson, distinguished delegates, the Secure World Foundation looks forward to continuing to support the committee's efforts to ensure the peaceful uses of outer space. Thank you for your kind attention. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [12:08]: I thank the distinguished observer for SWF for the statement. Next speaker is the distinguished observer of Regional Center for Remote Sensing of North African States. Observer [12:27]: Thank you, Mr. Chair. Allow me, first of all, to extend My congratulations to you on your election as Chair of the Committee and I wish you all the best. We would also like to express our deep appreciation to UN-OOSA and to the Secretariat for their continued efforts to support this Committee, ensure its success and facilitate communication with Member States and observers. I would like to recall that the Regional Centre for Remote Sensing of North African States is one of the five regional centres affiliated with the African Union established more than 35 years ago. It serves North African countries while remaining open to engaging with other countries in the Middle East, West Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. We know the growing awareness and interest among African countries in general and the importance of space science and applications in supporting development. The launch of the African Space Agency headquartered in Egypt is a clear evidence of this trend. The progress achieved in several North African countries, particularly Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, in space science and technology can significantly contribute to strengthening sustainable development efforts nationally and regionally. Mr. Chair, ladies and gentlemen, through our work and continuous participation in this committee, As a permanent observer, the center has consistently supported the principles on the peaceful uses of outer space. The center also encourages its member states to adopt space technologies and develop national capacity and technical expertise. through the organization of workshops, especially when it comes to priority development in environmental issues such as water scarcity, drought, desertification, vegetation degradation, environmental pollution, and climate variability. The center also places increasing importance on the development of legal and institutional frameworks regulating space activities nationally and regionally. We have organized a virtual regional workshop on the role of modern technologies in assessing natural disasters and reducing their risks in September 2025 with the participation of more than 75 trainees. We have also organized a hybrid regional workshop on monitoring climate and its impact on green belts in Tripoli, Libya in October 2025 attended by a significant number of experts from Arab and African countries. In the area of space law, the center has in recent years paid particular attention to the development of legal and institutional frameworks governing space activities, particularly following the preparation of a model space law and its implementing regulations for its member states at the end of 2022. In this context, we highlight the virtual workshop organized by the center on 10 December 2025 in cooperation with UN OOSA entitled Key Essentials of Space Regulation, which saw wide participation from specialists, especially from African countries. Regarding scientific research projects, the Center has collaborated with several universities in the region with the support of the European Union on a joint project on enhancing higher education in sustainable development and social responsibility using digital twin tools under the Erasmus+ program. The Center is also working on another project within the interregional NextMed program focused on sustainable water management for smart agriculture in partnership with countries from southern and northern Mediterranean. We are also involved with UN Habitat in several initiatives related to land management in Arab countries. Mr. Chair, ladies and gentlemen, Given the current reality, there is a need for continued international cooperation and the use of all technologies, especially data related to sustainable development, while providing them to those most in need, especially countries in the third world and developing countries, especially in Africa. We believe there is a need to strengthen cooperation to reduce poverty, hunger, and illegal migration, which has affected many countries. In closing, we express our appreciation for the Committee's efforts and the Secretariat, as well as UN OOSA for their continued support. I also thank the heads and members of delegations, the heads of and chairs of regional groups for their valuable efforts, which we hope will positively be reflected in the outcomes of this session. Thank you. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [17:17]: Thanks to the distinguished observer for the Regional Centre for Remote Sensing of North African States. We will continue and hopefully conclude our consideration of agenda item five, general exchange of views, tomorrow morning. Distinguished delegates, we will now reopen and hopefully conclude our consideration of agenda item six, ways and means of maintaining outer space for peaceful purposes, pending to hear the outcome of the informal consultation led by the Russian Federation on the updated draft resolution of the United Nations General Assembly, space science and technology for promoting peace. I would like to invite the representative of the Russian Federation to inform the outcome of the consultations on the updated draft resolution of the United Nations General Assembly Space Science and Technology for Promoting Peace. Representative of Russian Federation, you have the floor. Russian Federation · Belarus, Iran, China, Nicaragua and the Russian Federation [18:40]: Thank you, Chairperson. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to inform delegations about the informal consultations on our draft resolution on space science and technology for promoting peace and the consultations that we had on that. We had two rounds of consultations and we When I say that we managed to have that, I mean that we really had the opportunity to do that. The second round of consultations, however, almost collapsed. To our surprise, we found out that the location for the consultations was changed. It happened at the last minute and many delegations didn't know about it. Despite the fact that the monitors showed the new location for the consultations, the web portal for the session indicated a different location for the consultations, the old location. And as a result of that, delegations didn't know which room to go to, some delegations were waiting and really looking forward to participating in our consultations and it was only later that they came to the realization that the consultations were taking place elsewhere. Of course that's regretful and we would like to apologize to the delegations that were unable to participate in the consultations. Additionally, we have no idea for what reason the location for this event that was to be attended by member states here was reassigned to a meeting of ancillary bodies. This meeting had nothing to do with the topics that we deal with here in the committee. Our position is that obviously priority should be with events that are organised by Member States. We would request in the future that such last-minute changes should be avoided. This kind of unpleasant surprise should be avoided in the future. Now, with respect to the outcome of the consultations, we would like to make a statement on behalf of the group of states, the member states of COPROS, which supported our statement in favour of a UNGA resolution. We, the member states of the COPROS, the Republic of Belarus, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the People's Republic of China, the Republic of Nicaragua and the Russian Federation, underscore the importance of cooperation among member states with respect to the moon and other celestial bodies, and also the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 as the cornerstone of international law on space activities. being of the view that space outer space must be a symbol must continue to be a symbol of the unity of the peoples of the world and of equality among states in their aims in their efforts towards social and economic development and technical and scientific progress noting the leading role of the UN in pursuing the peaceful exploration of outer space and also in ensuring equal cooperation on space activity and convinced that space technologies and their use for peaceful purposes are an irreplaceable instrument for achieving the UN sustainable development agenda in the period to 2030, and as well as ensuring a more effective contribution to the efforts aimed at development of all countries and regions of the world, stand for the adoption by the United Nations General Assembly at its 81st session of the draft resolution, Space Science and Technology for Promoting Peace. Call for the inclusion in the provisional agenda of the 82nd session of the UNGA under the item entitled International Cooperation and the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, the sub-item, entitled Space Science and Technology for Promoting Peace. We urge the members of the UNGA and of the Fourth Committee to support our draft resolution. Thank you. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [24:52]: Thank you, representative of the Russian Federation, for sharing the outcome, and I apologise for the inaccurate information on the website. It will not be repeated for the future. Are there any delegations wishing to take the floor on this agenda item? I see none. Yes, Ukraine, please. Ukraine [25:31]: Thank you, Mr Chair. Ukraine wishes to make a brief additional comment on this agenda item. We have taken note of the information provided regarding the consultations held on the draft resolution. Ukraine wishes to reiterate that these consultations have not altered our principled position. No consensus exists on this initiative and our concerns remain unchanged. I thank you, Mr Chair. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [25:56]: Thank you. Any other delegation wishing to take the floor? I see none. So we have concluded our consideration of agenda item six, ways and means of maintaining outer space for peaceful purposes. And distinguished delegates, I would now like to continue and hopefully conclude our consideration of agenda item seven, report of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee on its 63rd session. The fourth speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of the United States. Please. United States of America [26:50]: Thank you, Chair. I will keep this brief. I just wanted to recall the statement we made under the legal subcommittee agenda item. Just thank the two subcommittee chairs for all their efforts and note that we would suggest the committee consider the idea of merging these two items and also attempting to limit interventions to just the summaries presented by the subcommittee chairs. That's all. Thank you very much, Chair. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [27:15]: I thank the distinguished representative of the United States for the statement. And I would like now to invite Mr. Govind Sankar of India, Chair of the Working Group of the Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities, to inform the outcome at this session. Mr. Govind Sankar, you have the floor. India · Chair, LTS Working Group · Govind Sankar [27:42]: Thank you, distinguished Chair, distinguished delegates. I am pleased to have this opportunity to inform you the outcome of the work of the Working Group on the Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities at the present session. At this session, the Working Group had held both formal meetings and extensive informal consultations with a focus on its work plan. Despite best efforts, the Working Group was unable to reach consensus on the work plan at this session. The conference room paper, A/AC.105/2026/CRP40, reflects the draft work plan as per the conclusion of the work of the Working Group earlier today. There are two texts that are still retained in the square brackets which the Working Group will need to return to. In this connection, the Working Group agreed that it would continue to work in the intercessional period with the aim of reaching consensus on the work plan during the 64th session of the scientific and technical subcommittee in 2027 and also hold the expert discussion on the first two topics in the schedule as referred in section two of the conference room paper AC/AC sorry A/AC.105/2026/CRP40 at the same session of the subcommittee in 2027. Finally, before concluding, as a courtesy, I would like to hand over the floor to the chair of the expert group on space situational awareness, Ms. Fatima Salim Al-Samshi. So she may directly provide additional relevant information, namely an update on the work of the expert group on space situational awareness of the working group on the long-term sustainability of outer space activities. I thank you, Chair, for the attention. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [29:53]: Thank you, Mr. Govind Sakkhar, for sharing the outcome. Distinguished delegates, may I take it that the committee endorses the Speaker 16 [30:07]: Sorry. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [30:09]: Sorry. United Arab Emirates · Chair, Expert Group on Space Situational Awareness · Fatima Salim Al-Shamsi [30:18]: Thank you, Chair, for giving me the floor. Yes, Chair, distinguished delegates. It is my pleasure as the chair of the expert group on space situational awareness under the working group on the long term sustainability of outer space activities to report to the committee at the current session. Distinguished delegates, with the rising space activities and growing operational complexity, effective coordination and improved information sharing have never been more critical. Space situational awareness stands at the very heart of this mission. Currently, there is no global mechanism for coordination among diverse space systems and operators. In this regard, COPUOS serves as the ideal platform to advance consensus-based and meaningful progress in this field. In this context, the expert group is steadily implementing its multi-year work plan for 2025 to 2028 to deepen technical understanding, facilitate information exchange, and develop practical recommendations for consideration by COPUOS. Distinguished delegates, in line with its mandate and work plan, the expert group has achieved substantial constructive progress over the intercessional period, as well as through three informal meetings held during the current session of the committee. First, the expert group conducted a survey focusing on three core questions. What information should be shared for effective SSA coordination? How SSA information should be technically exchanged, notified and governed? and where SSA information should be hosted, how it should be governed and who should access it. The survey received 96 submissions from 40 Member States and the relevant stakeholders. This input has enabled the expert group to identify clear areas of convergence for SSA coordination and provided tangible binding blocks for our preliminary recommendations. Second, the expert group collected and exchanged information on existing SSA practices and operational realities through oral briefings delivered by 18 Member States and written submissions received, which can be found in documents A/AC.105/C.1/2026/CRP.6 and A/AC.105/2026. Finally, the expert group agreed on preliminary draft set of recommendations, which focused on operationalizing guidelines B1 and B4 of the long-term sustainability guidelines of the committee. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere gratitude to all experts for their constructive input throughout all our meetings. Chair, distinguished delegates, in view of the objective to find agreement on some of the initial recommendations by the 64th session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee, the expert group has scheduled up to four virtual intersessional meetings prior to the Subcommittee. I call upon all delegations to engage actively and constructively with a firm commitment to building consensus and bridging divergent practices. To allow delegations sufficient time to reflect on the outcomes of the current session and to prepare substantive and constructive contributions, I propose convening the first intersessional meeting on 3 September 2026. Building on the solid progress we have accomplished so far, the expert group will continue to refine the draft set of preliminary recommendations, which is critical and carries real consequence for the long-term sustainability of outer space activities. Chair, thank you for giving me the opportunity to address the committee. I look forward to continuing the productive work of the expert group on space situational awareness. Thank you. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [34:32]: Thank you very much. Let me say that for the next time, I will ask for a telescope in order to see better the audience and not make any other mistakes. So distinguished delegates, may I take it that the committee endorses the agreements of the working group on the long-term sustainability of outer space activities and the expert group on space situational awareness taken at the present session? I see no objection, so it is so decided. We have concluded our consideration of agenda item seven, report of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee on its 62nd session. So now, distinguished delegates, I would like to continue and hopefully conclude our consideration of agenda item number nine, space and sustainable development, in order to hear about the outcome of the consultation on the Space for Development Initiative. I would like to invite the representative of Egypt to inform the outcome of the informal consultation on Space for Development. And the representative of Egypt, please, Egypt [36:17]: Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the African group, Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Germany, Iraq, Jordan, Mexico, Pakistan, and Panama are pleased to report to the committee on the progress achieved under the initiative entitled Space for Development, International Cooperation, and Implementing Benefit Sharing in Space Activities. During the 68th session, the committee of the committee, this initiative was considered and based on the report of the committee, paragraphs 176 to 179 of document A/80/20, Member States agreed to continue considering the initiative under the current agenda item to undertake a gap analysis. of current and future benefits and opportunities with a view to arrive at a consensual framework for voluntary international cooperation in space activities, enhance the sharing of benefits of the exploration and use of outer space, contribute to tangible outcomes of UNISPACE-4 and the support of the implementation and the review of Space 2030 Agenda. Mr. Chair, since the launch of the initiative, its cross-regional support has continued to expand. China, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Germany, as well as Slovenia, have joined the original supporting states and co-sponsored the conference room paper. The co-sponsors have convened several informal consultations. open to all Member States, these consultations have focused on taking stock of existing efforts, identifying evolving needs and challenges, and exploring practical and consensual means of strengthening international cooperation. To support the gap analysis agreed by the Committee, a draft questionnaire has been made available to all Member States since April 2026. The questionnaire addresses existing cooperation and capacity building, the space economy, access to space, space diplomacy, space applications and services, space sustainability, emerging activities, space science and possible elements of a future voluntary framework for international cooperation. The questionnaire is voluntary, concise, and high level, and does not request sensitive or detailed program information. It seeks inputs from member states, international regional organizations, private sector entities, academic institutions, and other relevant stakeholders, including from both recipient and provider perspectives. The co-sponsors expresses their appreciation for the comments and substantive inputs received from delegations since April. An updated questionnaire was already circulated during the present session and the co-sponsors led further informal consultations with member states through which the questionnaire was finalized. During the present session, the co-sponsoring states submitted conference room paper CRP36, which recalls the development of the initiative and sets out the practical way forward for its continued consideration. During an informal session held today, we also concluded that the committee may recommend to continue informal consultations with the initiative under this agenda item, and these consultations will continue intersessionally and on the margins of the committee and its subcommittee under the leadership of the co-sponsoring states and with the facilitation of UNOSA as needed within its existing resources and mandate. The outcomes of this initiative is intended to contribute to a tangible outcomes of UNISPACE-4 and support the implementation and the review of Space 2030 agenda and provide useful impetus for future deliberations of the committee. The co-sponsoring states therefore invite all COPUOS member states to engage actively in these consultations, respond to the questionnaire, contribute to the gap analysis and share national experiences, needs, opportunities and best practices. We thank all delegations for their engagement and look forward to continuing this inclusive process. I thank you, Mr Chair. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [39:57]: Thank you, the representative of Egypt, for sharing the outcome. Distinguished delegates, based on the outcome shared by the representative of Egypt, do I take it that the committee agrees on the following points? First, that Member States should continue to consider the topic under this agenda item and that the initiative would build on the existing work of the Committee and its subcommittees. Secondly, that the informal consultation on this topic should continue, led by the supporting States, which will include the conduct of gap analysis of current and future benefits and opportunities, as well as evolving needs and challenges, particularly for developing countries. Third, that an initial draft to be developed in collaboration with the Secretariat of a consensual framework for voluntary international cooperation in space activity, which could include different forms of assistance as explained in CRP 36, and finally, that the initial draft would be presented to the Committee at its seventeenth session for its consideration. with a view to producing a tangible outcome on the topic, including for a possible UNISPACE IV, which the Office would facilitate those endeavours as needed within existing resources and mandates. Okay, I see no. Speaker 22 [42:08]: United States. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [42:09]: United States, please. United States of America [42:13]: Thank you very much, Chair, and we greatly appreciate both the presentation made earlier as well as the proposal. I think it would be helpful to see the language in writing. That was a very thorough but lengthy set of proposals. So I think seeing something in writing would be helpful. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [42:43]: Okay, thank you, thank you. We will reflect the language in the report. Yes, please. United States of America [42:53]: Thank you, Chair. Just to confirm that my delegation cannot agree to reflect the language in the report until we see it in the context of this discussion. Thank you. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [43:02]: Yes, that's right. So I understand there is no objection with this clarification and it is so decided. We have now concluded our consideration of item agenda number nine, space and sustainable development. And distinguished delegates, I would like now to continue and hopefully conclude our consideration on agenda item 14, future role and methods of work of the committee. US would like to take the floor again. Again, US, please. United States of America [43:55]: Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I apologize for taking the floor again. Just to clarify my previous intervention, I want to clarify that if the proposed language would move forward to the report, that it would move forward as the proposal of one country or several countries, but not with the endorsement of the working group. Speaker 29 [44:16]: Thank you, Chair. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [44:25]: Thank you. We take note of this comment. Thank you very much. Any other requests of intervention? Okay, thank you. So, as I said before, it was so decided. We have now concluded our consideration of item agenda number nine, space and sustainable development. And distinguished delegates, I would now like to continue and hopefully conclude our consideration of agenda item 14, future role and methods of the work of the Committee. We will consider the way forward for the work of the Working Group of the World. We will also have the co-chair of the Action Team on Lunar Activities Consultation report on the work of the Action Team to the Committee. And the fourth speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of not more Argentina, it has been deleted. So the co-chair of ATRAC, please, the floor is yours. The co-chair of ATRAC. ATLAC · Co-Chair [46:04]: Thank you, Chair. Yeah, okay. Chair, distinguished delegates. We, as the co-chairs of the Action Team on Lunar Activities Consultation, ATLAC, of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, appreciate the opportunity to report to the plenary of the Committee on the Action Team's progress since the Committee's 68th session in 2025. During the intersessional period since the Committee's 68th session and during the 63rd session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee in February 2026, ATLAC held its discussion on opportunities and challenges related to lunar activities. The discussions were based on presentations and written contributions received by ATLAC with a view to developing draft recommendations in accordance with its work plan. Following the intercessional period and during the 65th session of the Legal Subcommittee in April 2026, members held a preliminary exchange of views on a potential international mechanism related to lunar activities. ATLAC also requested the Secretariat to prepare a relevant background paper on existing international mechanisms relevant to the work of ATLAC. ATLAC also noted a conference room paper prepared by the Co-Chairs containing an analysis of contributions received regarding opportunities and challenges related to lunar activities. ATLAC further noted that the Office for Outer Space Affairs would organize a conference in December 2026 in support of ATLAC's work and extended an invitation to the ATLAC co-chairs to take part in the conference. During the intercessional period following the 65th session of the Legal Subcommittee, ATLAC continued its discussion on a potential international mechanism, including on such mechanism various aspects like the potential mandate and functions. ATLAC considered a background paper prepared by the Secretariat on existing international mechanisms related to lunar activities, examining gaps and complementarities of those mechanisms. Members also exchanged preliminary views on a set of potential draft recommendations prepared by the co-chairs based on discussions held within ATLAC. During the present session of the Committee, the Action Team held two formal and three informal meetings. During its informal meetings, ADLAC continued its substantive discussions from the intercessional period on a potential international mechanism. Members shared a range of views with a focus on of such a mechanism, including information sharing and exchange, as well as consultations related to lunar activities. Furthermore, at the first formal meeting, ATLAQ invited a representative of Mexico to present its contribution related to ATLAQ's ongoing discussion on a potential international mechanism. ATLAQ also noted a conference room paper prepared by the co-chairs for the present session of the Committee. The paper outlined the Courtiers view on considerations related to a potential international mechanism including what could constitute such a mechanism, why such a mechanism could be useful and priority topics that could benefit from structured discussion within such mechanism. This document was provided without prejudice to the positions of any delegation and is intended to support the common understanding among members and facilitate further deliberations. During the present session of the committee, many member states and regional groups also welcomed the progress made with ADLAC's work in their plenary statements. This statement broadly expressed strong support for ADLAC and many emphasized the need to strengthen international cooperation and address emerging challenges arising from increased lunar activities. Some also highlighted the importance of capacity building as part of ADLAC's work. ATLAC also agreed to invite the Interagency Space Debris Coordination Committee, IADC, during the intersessional period to provide the contribution on its ongoing work related to lunar activities. During the present session, ATLAC also had an active and extensive discussion to refine draft recommendations based on ATLAC's work to date, especially the aforementioned discussion on a potential international mechanism. In its discussions on draft recommendations, ATLAQ noted that it will continue its discussion on scope and mandate of such a mechanism. By the end of ATLAQ's last meeting at the present session of the committee, it was noted that additional time is needed to consolidate draft recommendations. ATLAQ has made good progress during the present session of the committee and will continue advancing our work in accordance with our work plan during the intercessional period. Chair, Looking ahead, ADLAC will continue its work during the intersessional period up to the 64th session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee in 2027. During this period, ADLAC will continue its substantive work and discuss on a potential international mechanism and continue developing further recommendations with a view to finalizing them for consideration and endorsement by the committee in accordance with its work plan. The co-chairs will continue their work on producing non-papers to facilitate the ongoing deliberation within ATLAC, including a lexicon on lunar activities. The Secretariat will also begin preparing a background paper on substantive aspects of existing mechanisms to support ATLAC's further deliberations. We express our sincere gratitude to all members of ATLAC for their invaluable contributions and constructive engagement to advance the work of ATLAC. We look forward to continuing our work in productive exchanges in the upcoming intersessional period. Thank you. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [52:00]: I thank the distinguished co-chair of ATLAC for the statement. And distinguished delegates, yesterday, We heard the report on behalf of the Chair of the Working Group of the Wall, Mr. Prakash Chausan, on the progress achieved during the intersessional period as well as at the present session. The Working Group made considerable progress on the package of recommendations. even though formal agreement on the package as a whole was not yet reached at this stage. In light of this, I would therefore suggest that the working group of the whole of the scientific and technical subcommittees continues its work at the 64th session of the subcommittees in order to further consider the matters identified at the 63rd session of the Subcommittee, as well as those raised during the intersessional period, with a view to improving the organisation and work of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and its subsidiary bodies. Do I take it that there is agreement on this proposal? United States, please. United States of America [53:42]: Thank you, Chair. Just briefly, we greatly appreciate the work of the Working Group of the Whole and the Chair in this, and, you know, as we've noted previously, find these reform efforts to be very important to improve the quality and speed of our work. We certainly agree to the idea of having more informal conversations. We would also really suggest we have intercessional conversations on this as well. And I would also note that, you know, there are still some of these reforms that seem to have broad consensus in the room. So I do hope that there are some subset of these that we can adopt this session still prior to the end. So I would encourage delegations to look into those more comprehensively. Again, I would appreciate intercessional meetings before the STSC as well. Thank you. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [54:32]: Any other? Yes? I don't see. United Kingdom, please. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland [54:39]: Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Let me just echo what was said by our distinguished colleague from the United States. We know that there was many months of preparation and some excellent work by the Indian chair of the working group of the whole. We believe that that work can continue intersessionally and we would welcome those sessions. We also believe that some of the provisions that were included in his paper could be adopted and indeed probably should be adopted, especially if we would like to have a good agenda for the STSC session, the upcoming STSC session. So maybe we could have a decision within the report itself to agree to some of the provisions in the working paper, although the paper as a whole did not reach consensus. But there was consensus, I believe, around some specific provisions, including on agenda items. So we would welcome that and we're happy to work with the Secretariat on language. And we would also welcome the inter-session discussions as was proposed by our distinguished colleague from the United States. Thank you. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [55:44]: Thank you. Any other requests for the floor? India. India [55:52]: Thank you, Chair. And we have seen the discussions of the working group of whole, and we have seen that there is no consensus on the four proposals which have Chair put forward. And our worry is that during the intersessional meeting, if we still. Couldn't able to have a consensus either on separate topics or as a package, our suggestion would be one more possibility we still have. If we are in this committee session, we can agree to roll over the agendas of this STAC, LSC and committee session for the next year and working group of all can continue the discussion related with the streamlining of the agenda items. We still are unaware of the decision where we will not have an agenda item for the STAC, LSC or committee session. That may also be if secretariat can intimate us the problems associated with it. And if there are some issues, then our suggestion for consideration is that current agenda items of the STAC, LAC and committee session, if that can be rolled over for the next year. Thank you. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [57:03]: Thank you. Russian Federation, please. Russian Federation [57:12]: Thank you, Chairperson. Thank you for giving me the floor. We apologise that we are conducting other consultations in parallel here, and we do not always have the opportunity to be in two different rooms at the same time. With respect to what you said about the work of the committee of the whole, we understand that there is a proposal to continue our efforts in the intercessional period, if we have correctly understood that. Regarding the report on the group's work, yes, indeed, unfortunately, there was no consensus on that. We considered it as a whole and If we didn't come to agreement on certain provisions of it. then we won't be able to agree to it as a whole. With respect to the proposal from India, we've heard that. We do understand that we need to move forward and perhaps think about what kind of agendas we'll have for the future sessions of the subcommittees and the committee. we stand ready to give consideration to that proposal, the proposal of India. Thank you. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [58:49]: Thank you. Any other requests? United States, please. United States of America [58:59]: Thank you, Chair. Just briefly, I do think there are some areas from that paper that there does seem to be broad agreement on, so I do think that is still worth discussing. And my delegation is not prepared at this time yet to agree to the same agenda for the subsequent subcommittees and committees at this point, and would need more time for that discussion. Thank you. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [59:21]: Thank you. United Kingdom, please. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland [59:26]: Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. From listening to the discussion that happened when this agenda item or when the Committee of the Whole met here in the plenary hall, my understanding was that most of the paper could be agreed. Indeed, the STSE merging of the agenda items for the STSE, I think was agreed by the entirety of the committee. and it was the final section about giving the Secretariat the ability to kind of come up with their own procedures that was the problem for our distinguished colleague from the Russian Federation. So maybe we could look again at those components of the paper, extract them and have a decision that would reach consensus in this body. But as I said, we're happy to work with the Secretariat on that and on the language. But I do believe that There was no objection within the committee on the new agenda with the merged items for the SSC, so maybe that's something that we could agree rather than taking it as an entire package altogether. Thank you. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [1:00:29]: Thank you. Any other requests? I see no. So The Chair has taken note of the interventions made by USA, UK, India, Russian Federation delegation, obviously, to convene an intercessional meeting of the working group of the world. Let me say, while appreciating the interest in advancing discussion on this matter, The chair is mindful of the significant time constraints facing the committee at the present stage of the session. And in particular, only limited time remains for the consideration of the remaining agenda items and for delegation to deliver their statements. So in light of this consideration, and taking into account both the request received and the views of the Chair of the Working Group, the Chair does not consider it appropriate at this stage to accommodate an additional request for an intersessional meeting, and the Chair encourages delegations to continue the consultation through existing channels. Thank you very. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland [1:02:16]: Much, Mr. Chair, for giving me the floor again. I was slightly confused by your statement. I do not think our proposal was to use up any more time here at the committee itself. An intersessional consultation would happen after the report is adopted, in the intersessional period, which is the final six months of the year after the summer. The working group of the whole can also be held online to facilitate the participation of the chair and all delegations here in the committee. We are not asking for more time from the committee; we are asking for an intersessional consultation that could also be online. so that we can address some of these issues. I would just like to add that the UK presented a conference room paper to the Working Group as a whole, which has not had the time to be discussed. We were okay with that because we understood that there would be an ongoing and continuous discussion about how to improve our work here at COPUOS. For us, that discussion should be happening on a continuous basis. We would request once again, if it is okay, Mr. Chair, Mr. President, that we can have an intersessional period. That does not take any time away from the committee here. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [1:03:46]: Okay, thank you. I will take note of your intervention and we will let you know. Anyway, let me repeat that I, as Chair, encourage the delegation to continue their consultation through already existing channels. Having said that, distinguished delegates, we will continue and hopefully conclude our consideration on agenda item number 14 future and role and method of work of the committee tomorrow morning so distinguished delegates i would now like to continue and hopefully conclude our consideration of agenda item fifteen space exploration and innovation. The fourth speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of Chile. Chile [1:04:55]: Mr. President, Chile values the growth in space innovation due to its contribution to scientific knowledge and the development of new technological capacity. This progress makes unexpected possibilities or a possibility for the safe for space activity but it must be progressed in a manner compatible with sustainability of outer space and the conditions that make research possible. This is a particular concern for Chile. Our country has exceptional skies for global astronomy and hosts around 40% of the global astronomical observation capacity. In these skies we can study very faint signals and phenomena which require very dark and electromagnetic silent skies. Protecting these conditions is to protect scientific infrastructure of global value. Along these lines, Chile COSCE launches two CRPs on dark and quiet skies at the same time as it submitted the CRP number 30 entitled discussion and considerations for the authorization of large scale satellite constellations under the novel space infrastructures. These documents contribute to the development of criteria which allows to evaluate emerging space infrastructures duly taking into account the impacts on astronomical observation operations of observatories. Nationally, to support what I have previously indicated, we recently, at the recently inaugurated National Space Centre, launched the Nixsat project in cooperation with Italy. This microsatellite will allow us to monitor light pollution in zones of scientific interest and to generate data to protect dark skies. We're trying to address the day-to-day needs of our citizens and tangibly improve our citizens' wellbeing. Some of the most important applications are expanding connectivity in rural zones and isolated areas where historically access to internet has been limited, the development of solutions for agricultural and aquaculture sectors through observation and early warning systems and building capacity for monitoring and managing fires, natural disasters and the protection of protected maritime areas in interalia. Chile believes it is crucial for this space development to have a clear legal framework capable of preventing conflicts and ensuring that space activities are carried out to benefit all humanity. Chile believes that space innovation should expand the borders of our knowledge without eroding the conditions which make it possible, this responsibility needs to be present in the decisions that this committee adopts vis-a-vis the development of new space innovations. Thank you very much, Chair. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [1:07:41]: Thank you very much to the distinguished representative of Chile. Next speaker is the distinguished representative of Canada. Canada [1:07:53]: Chair, distinguished colleagues, Artemis II marks a profound change in Canada's role in human space exploration. Canada contributed both aboard Orion and from mission control. Canadian space astronaut Jeremy Hansen was the first Canadian assigned to a lunar mission, and CSA astronaut Jennie Gibbons was Artemis Capcom, the voice link between mission control and the crew. Artemis II is a critical step towards a sustained human presence beyond low Earth orbit. For Canada, it reflects decades of investment in human spaceflight, robotics, science, and international partnership. The crew supported research on human health and performance in deep space, including sleep, cognition, and immune response. These studies will help reduce risk for longer duration missions and inform future human space exploration. Canada's exploration role builds on its longstanding expertise in space robotics. Next-generation Canadian robotic capabilities are being developed to support future operations in deep space and on the lunar surface, including inspection, maintenance, and scientific activities. As activity on and around the moon increases, Canada sees great value in advancing interoperability and shared operational practices. Common approaches to navigation, communications, and safety procedures will support predictable and coordinated operations among all actors. The CSA also is advancing through studies in areas such as in situ resource utilization and surface power systems. These activities address practical constraints for long duration missions, including energy generation, resource management, and operational autonomy in harsh and remote environments. As activity on and around the moon accelerates, coordination and transparency become increasingly important. Canada supports multilateral efforts to develop practical approaches for safe and sustainable lunar operations, including through the work of ATLAC. The lunar environment is becoming an operational domain, not simply a destination for individual missions. International cooperation remains central to Canada's approach. Frameworks such as the Artemis Accords support transparency, interoperability, and the peaceful use of outer space. Canada views bilateral and multilateral frameworks, including the Artemis Accords, as complementary to the work of COPUOS in promoting responsible behavior, transparency, and the long-term sustainability of space activities. COPUOS remains essential as a consensus-based forum where all member states can discuss the long-term governance of exploration activities in accordance with international law for the benefit of all countries. Canada remains committed to the work of this committee. Thank you, Chair. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [1:11:05]: Thank you. Thanks to the distinguished representative of Canada for the statement. Next speaker is the distinguished representative of Italy. Italy [1:11:17]: Thank you. Honourable Chair, distinguished delegates, Italy welcomes the continued consideration of this agenda item, which recognises space exploration and innovation as powerful drivers of scientific advancement, technological progress, international cooperation and sustainable development. Italy has a longstanding tradition in space exploration, built on scientific excellence, technological innovation and strong international partnerships. Through national programmes and its active participation in the European Space Agency, Italy has contributed for decades to major exploration endeavours while supporting a competitive industrial and scientific ecosystem. Today, lunar exploration represents a strategic priority for Italy. As one of the first European signatories of the Artemis Accords, Italy remains firmly committed to the principles of peaceful exploration, transparency, interoperability and international cooperation that underpin humanity's return to the Moon. In this context, Italy is making significant contribution to the Artemis program through its partnership with NASA and other international partners. We welcome the progress achieved towards a sustained human presence beyond Earth orbit and are proud to contribute advanced technologies and infrastructure to this common endeavor. A cornerstone of Italy's contribution is the multipurpose habitation model MPH developed by the Italian Space Agency together with NASA and Italian industry. Planned for deployment on the lunar surface in the next decade, the MPH will support astronauts and scientific activities building on Italy's longstanding expertise in human space flight infrastructures in LEO orbit within the ISS. Italy is also advancing technologies that will enhance the sustainability of future lunar missions, including through the Oracle initiative for oxygen extraction from lunar regolith. In addition, Italy plays a leading role in ESA Argonaut program, Europe's autonomous lunar lander system, and actively supports the Moonlight program, which will provide communications and navigation services for future lunar missions. These initiatives will contribute to a sustainable and coordinated lunar architecture. As lunar activities continue to expand, Italy attaches great importance to practical mechanisms for coordination and consultation among space actors. In this regard, we welcome the work of the Action Team on Lunar Activities Consultation, ATLAC, and support its efforts to promote transparency, information sharing, and the peaceful and sustainable conduct of lunar activities. Mr. Chair, Italy remains committed to working with all member states to ensure that space exploration continues to be conducted for peaceful purposes and in a manner that advances scientific knowledge, international cooperation and the long term sustainability of outer space activities. Thank you for your attention. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [1:14:03]: Thanks to the distinguished representative of Italy for the statement. Next speakers, distinguished representative of China. China [1:14:15]: Chair, over the past one year, China has continued to advance major programs in. Lunar and deep space exploration, human spaceflight, space science, achieving significant new progress. In the field of new lunar and deep space exploration, China National Space Administration announced in April this year, the selected international cooperation projects for the Tianwen-3 Mars sample return. Mission. The orbiter will carry three international payloads, the Mars PX spectrometer from the class part, the miraculous ionic composition analyzer from Macau University of Science and Technology and laser spectral from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The lander will carry the Italian laser. Retroreflector array. China also announced results of the second round of the international application for access to lunar samples collected by the Chang'e-5 mission. Applications from the research institutions in France, the UK, and Turkey were approved. In the second-half of this year, China plans to launch Chang'e-7 lunar probe. In the field of human spaceflight, China successfully completed four crewed launches and two return missions in 2025, and also carried out emergency procedures for the Shenzhou-20 mission. In May, the Shenzhou 23 crew spacecraft was successfully launched, marking the beginning of China's first year-long crew mission, including the first astronaut from Hong Kong, China. In a field of space science, the SMILE satellites jointly developed by China and ESA were successfully launched in May. By pioneering the use of soft X-ray imaging technology, SMILE will provide for the first time the global view of the large-scale structure of the Earth's magnetosphere and offer new observational capabilities for understanding of the interaction. Chair, China will continue to promote the peaceful exploration and use of outer space, advance the common progress and the long-term sustainable development of human spaceflight, and deepen international exchanges and cooperation. Thank you, Chair. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [1:16:28]: Thanks to the distinguished representative of China for the statement. Next speaker is distinguished representative of Venezuela. Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) [1:16:41]: Thank you, Chair. It's important for this delegation to highlight that a million boys and girls have taken part in the educational initiative, scientific incubators, a policy promoted by the Ministry for People's Power for Science and Technology. As part of this, the Bolivarian Agency for based activities has played a fundamental role through its programme Space Ignition, managing to train more than 20,000 young people starting from 2023 on topics to do with aerospace and the advantages of their applications. And 52% of participants are girls. This reflects the growing interest in new generations in space science and technology. At the same time, this delegation would like to highlight that as part of the project, women in ICT, the ABAE contributes actively through training courses on GNSS systems and geomatics. Against this backdrop, we're carrying out a call for research projects under the leadership of women scientists whose aim is to raise the profile of women's leadership in science and at the same time generate concrete solutions, real solutions for the needs of our population in line with SDG five. Chair, to conclude, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to the International Organization for Latin America and the Caribbean, ILA, and the Italian Space Agency for organizing the program education and capacity building and the courses space policies and outer space governance and space economy and entrepreneurship in which the ABAE staff participated. We'd also like to highlight the fundamental importance of this type of training program being is kept over time. We firmly believe that through these efforts we'll promote equal access and opportunities for all countries in space in full harmony with the principle of the United Nations, which enshrines the use of outer space on equal conditions and without any discrimination, independent of the. level of technical, scientific, or economic development of every nation. I thank you. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [1:18:59]: Thanks to the distinguished representative of Venezuela for the statement. Next speaker is distinguished representative of the United States. United States of America [1:19:10]: Thank you, Chair. During this era of space exploration, an increasing number of nations across the globe are venturing into the cosmos, both to explore farther and gain a better understanding of the universe. Nations see the benefits of going to space. They see the scientific advancements, how their national capabilities can grow, and how space serves as a catalyst to inspire new generations to dream big. I'd like to start by congratulating the Artemis II crew, the entire NASA workforce, our Canadian colleagues, all our industry, and our international partners, and the 26 countries that contributed at a bilateral or regional level to this outstanding mission that sent four astronauts farther into space than any humans in history and brought them back safely to Earth. This is the opening act in our return to the moon, and it was a success. Chair, the new age calls for improved consultation and increased collaboration. To this end, the action team on lunar activities consultation will serve that purpose. We thank Romania and Pakistan for chairing the ATLAC and are confident it can deliver recommendations that will ensure our lunar activities are conducted responsibly and transparently. Chair, the majority of COPUOS member states, 68 countries, have now signed the Artemis Accords, which establish a common framework to guide civil space exploration. The accords build on the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, the Registration Convention, the Rescue Agreement, and other applicable international agreements by providing implementation principles to promote operating transparently, utilizing common interoperability standards, and sharing best practices. As part of that commitment to transparency, the Artemis Accords community pledged three years ago to openly share lunar landing data parameters to the world. These data parameters help set a global benchmark for responsible exploration, and we thank you, INUSA, for being repository of this information. As our partnerships have grown, so have our ambitions. At NASA's ignition event in March of 2026, where 42 Artemis Accords signatories sat in attendance, NASA outlined opportunities for Accords partners as we have achieved the President's vision and established an enduring presence on the lunar surface. This plan is already in motion. Next year, Artemis III, which will include an Italian astronaut from the European Space Agency, will launch to Earth orbit and rendezvous with commercial lunar landers to test interoperability between spacecraft to learn in an environment close to home and buy down risk for what comes next. We will also test out new spacesuits designed for the lunar environment. After this, Artemis IV will launch in 2028, a mission that will see American astronauts return to the surface of the moon, and this time, not for flag and footprints, but to build a permanent lunar outpost and extend humanity into deep space for the long term. This significant increase in lunar missions and an extended presence on the lunar surface will also open tremendous new opportunities for science hardware instruments and other contributions by foreign partners. Many countries are already working with NASA to find new areas of partnership and collaboration on the moon, and we look forward to working together to travel farther than ever before. Thank you, Chair. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [1:22:09]: Thanks for the statement by the distinguished representative of the United States. Next, distinguished representative of Ecuador. Ecuador [1:22:22]: Good afternoon and thank you very much, Chair. Ecuador recognizes that outer space exploration constitutes one of the most significant expressions of human ingenuity and an ongoing source of knowledge, innovation, and technological development. Progress made over recent decades have allowed us to expand our understanding of the universe and at the same time create tangible benefits for the day-to-day life of people through scientific and technological applications developed initially for outer space activities. Innovation arising from space exploration has driven progress in diverse sectors including telecommunications, earth observation, navigation, medicine, environmental management and risk mitigation. This progress demonstrates that the investment in science, technology and innovation in space contributes directly to the economic and social development of our societies. Ecuador believes that space exploration should continue to develop in a peaceful, responsible, sustainable and inclusive manner, guaranteeing that its benefits are shared by all for all humanity. In this regard, it is crucial to promote mechanisms for international cooperation which allow developing countries to actively participate in space exploration innovation initiatives, strengthening their scientific, technological and institutional capacities. Chair. The exploration of space also represents an opportunity to inspire new generations of scientists, engineers, researchers and entrepreneurs. So we highlight the importance of bolstering education on science and technology, as well as the exchange of knowledge and experience between states, academic institutions, international organisations and the private sector. Moreover, Ecuador would like to highlight its strategic vision as a state on the equator. Its privileged geographical location grants it a projection into segments of the geostationary orbit. This positions the country as a natural, efficient and competitive point to launch spacecraft. Against this backdrop, Ecuador invites the international community to promote initiatives, cooperation initiatives, focus on developing infrastructure, which will allow us to capitalize on these comparative advantages to benefit regional space development. Against this backdrop, Ecuador promotes the progressive strengthening of its space capacities through international cooperation initiatives focused on developing infrastructure, scientific research, and the training of specialized human talent. These actions include efforts to consolidate national capacity when it comes to Earth observation, development of projects related to ground stations for the reception and processing of satellite information, as well as research initiatives on the observation of space assets, astronomy, emerging space technologies and future applications linked to space exploration. Moreover, the country promotes the coordination between public institutions, academia and research centers with the aim of strengthening. A national space ecosystem which promotes innovation, scientific development and international cooperation to benefit sustainable development. Finally, Ecuador would like to reaffirm its commitment to the peaceful use of outer space. and to the promotion of space exploration focused on benefiting all of humanity based on international cooperation, the respect for international law, and equitable access to the opportunities offered by space innovation. I thank you. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [1:26:20]: Thanks to the distinguished representative of Ecuador for the statement. Next, distinguished representative of France. France [1:26:30]: Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Chairperson. Since the 1970s, France has been actively contributing to international space exploration efforts for the advancement in knowledge, technological innovation, and the inspiration that it brings. I wish to reiterate France's attachment to the values of international cooperation and pacifism associated with exploration. We underscore the importance of the role and efforts of COPROS in this regard. Low orbit crewed exploration is the sine qua non symbol of space cooperation and the technical bedrock and model for future lunar activities. At a time when France's second woman astronaut is now on board the ISS, France is actively preparing for new low orbit cooperative scientific missions starting in 2027. In the lunar field, France welcomes the work of the Atlac as we look forward to increased lunar activities. These strategic efforts should be closely aligned with those of the various groups within the STSC and LSC and should be coherent with future lunar programs such as Artemis. My delegation shared our vision with ATLAC during the last STSC and we warmly thank the co-chairs of ATLAC for their efforts to craft practical recommendations on information sharing, international coordination, and mission safety, and also the promotion of responsible and sustainable lunar exploration in the interests of all. The recent idea of a lunar coordination mechanism currently under discussion in ATLAC should be approached gradually and collectively so as to rigorously define its framework and scope. In terms of exploration further afield, France reiterates our interest in promoting and pursuing the most stringent safety, security and non-proliferation standards for nuclear power source use. France also supports the principle of discussions on dark and quiet skies so as to reconcile development of orbital activities and scientific observation activities conducted from Earth. Chair, the space summit to take place in Paris on the 9th and 10th of September will address space exploration at the highest political level. The Office of Outer Space Affairs and a large number of states will be closely involved in this international meeting. Thank you. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [1:29:27]: Thanks to the distinguished representative of France for the statement. Next speaker, distinguished representative of India. India [1:29:36]: Good evening, Mr. Chair and distinguished delegates, India continues to make significant strides in the scientific exploration of outer space through the concerted efforts of its national academia, startups, and industry achieving programmatic and scientific milestones in the past year Mr chair a gamut of enabling Technologies has been demonstrated most notably the successful in space docking and undocking experiments the spax and the microgravity experiments by the Indian astronaut ganatri in axiom 4 Mission to International Space Station he successfully conducted a suit of seven microgravity experiments in fields such as space medicine microbial survivability and cognitive performance, fostering deep international cooperation. Mr. Chair, India's dedicated solar observatory, Aditya L1, has now released over 30 terabytes of scientific data for global utilization, providing unique insights into solar transients. We encourage all countries, especially developing member states, to assess the benefit of such extensive scientific information. Furthermore, the Exposat mission for X-ray polarimetry in space released its maiden datasets to the global community in October 2025. In the last one year, ISRO achieved significant scientific milestones by discovering black hole plasma dynamics via Astrosat, mapping subsurface lunar ice and analyzing ligolith heterogeneity through the Chandrayaan missions and recording interstellar comet observations. Additionally, Chandrayaan-2 captured solar storm impacts on the lunar exosphere. Mr. Chair, in international cooperation, India's Aditya-L1 joined six US satellites to analyze a historic solar storm while Astrosat collaborated with NASA's Chandra and Hubble observatories to study a black hole tearing apart a star. ISRO also shared high resolution lunar image captured through OHRC onboard Chandrayaan 2 with JAXA, which was used for the SLIM mission. ISRO hosted joint initiatives with ESA on solar science and space weather in January 2026. India is progressing with the preparation of the Chandrayaan-4 lunar sample return mission, Chandrayaan-4 LUPEX mission with JAXA, and the Venus Orbiter Mission, VOM, which includes scientific payloads from Russia and Sweden. Mr. Chair, Government of India has outlined the Space Vision 2047, which targets the establishment of the Indian Space Station, called the Bharatiya Antariksh Station, in the low Earth orbit by 2035 and landing an Indian on the moon by 2047. While initiatives such as POEM platforms have provided opportunities for scientific innovation in microgravity condition, our growing private sector is encouraged for innovations in several other domains. India looks forward to contributing resourcefully to global efforts in space exploration while ensuring the peaceful and sustainable use of outer space. Thank you, Chair, and distinguished delegates for your kind attention. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [1:32:53]: Thanks to the distinguished representative of India for the statement. Next speaker, distinguished representative of Panama. Panama [1:33:05]: Thank you, Chair. Space exploration can no longer be understood as an activity which is isolated from the economic, scientific and social life of our countries. Today it is taking place in a context of growing commercial participation, new lunar missions, satellite constellations, artificial intelligence, robotics, in-orbit services and massive data analysis. According to Space Foundation in their report, the Space Report 2025 Q2, the space economy globally reached approximately $613 billion at the end of 2024. Moreover, the World Economic Forum, in an investigation undertaken with McKinsey & Company, has forecast that this economy could reach 1.8 trillion US dollars by 2035. These figures demonstrate that space is not just a scientific frontier, it is also critical infrastructure for development, connectivity, innovation and competitiveness. And that is why this agenda item is so important. However, we do believe that space innovation should not become a new source of technological inequality for developing countries. Space exploration should open up opportunities for scientific training, access to data, academic cooperation, knowledge transfer and building of national capacity. My delegation would like to reaffirm that all exploration of outer space, including that of the moon and other celestial bodies, should be carried out exclusively for peaceful purposes in accordance with international law, the Outer Space Treaty, and the principle of national non-appropriation and equal access for all. We also believe it is crucial for exploration initiatives to include mechanisms for transparency, the exchange of scientific information, sustainability, and for the participation of countries with emerging space capacity. Finally, we'd like to underscore that space exploration and innovation should progress in a responsible, transparent, inclusive manner. manner compatible with the international legal regime applicable to outer space, ensuring that their benefits contribute to the well-being and development of all States. I thank you. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [1:35:44]: Thanks to the distinguished representative of Panama for the statement. Next, distinguished representative of Argentina. Argentina [1:35:57]: Mr President, Chair, The delegation of Argentina is pleased to inform this committee about the recent progress made in the development of its outer space capacity. On 1 April last, we saw the successful launch of the mission Cubesat Argentina, developed by a national team under the leadership of CONAE. as part of the payload of the Artemis II mission of NASA. ATENEER is a mission for technological demonstration focused on validating critical capacity which will contribute to the strengthening of future space development, in particular in the area of outer space exploration. Its main aims were to obtain information about the radiation environment in various orbital regimes, the validation of new optoelectronic components, the improvement of space navigation capacity and the verification of large scope communication links. The results obtained allow us to increase the level of technological maturity of key subsystems and support the design of future missions. We'd like to highlight the excellent work of the national technical team, which made it possible for Athena to comply with existing standards and safety requirements from NASA in order to be included as part of the payload of a crewed mission. This mission constitutes a high value experiment to strengthen national technical capacity and to continue Argentina's participation in international space and initiatives of great complexity. So the Atenea mission is also a concrete example of institutional cooperation as part of the scientific technological system of the Republic of Argentina, since it was a result of joint work between CONAE and prestigious academic and scientific institutions of the country. We could mention here the National University of La Plata, the National University of San Martin, the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Buenos Aires, the Argentine Institute for Radio Astronomy, the National Atomic Energy Commission, and the national company Vane SA. We'd like to highlight that this mission generated significant interest and renewed enthusiasm amongst the scientific technological community of the country. This reflect is reflected in the response received to the invitation launched by CONAE and the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology to respond to recent calls from NASA for the next Artemis missions. These new developments are grounded on our experience in Earth observation missions, which is making progress in the development of SABYOMY with launch projected for 2027 and as part of our international cooperation with Brazil. Finally, we are pleased to announce that at the end of 2027, two courses will be held on advanced developments of satellite data applications organized with the ILA, the Italo-Latin American Institute, and as part of cooperation between the Italian Space Agency and CONAE. for the Gulich Institute for Higher Studies on Space. We will be sharing more information in due course. Through this mission, the Republic of Argentina will actually reaffirm its commitment to the peaceful use of outer space, to strengthening international cooperation, and to developing space capacity to benefit the international community. Thank you very much, Chair. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [1:39:21]: I thank the distinguished representative of Argentina for the statement. Next speaker, distinguished representative of South Africa. South Africa [1:39:29]: Thank you, Chair. Chairperson and distinguished delegates, South Africa welcomes the opportunity to address the committee under this agenda item. Please note that this is an abridged version of our statement and the full statement will be uploaded to the website. Chairperson and distinguished delegates, South Africa recognizes that space exploration and innovation continue to expand the frontiers of scientific knowledge, technological advancement, and international cooperation. These activities also create important opportunities for developing countries to strengthen sovereign technological capabilities, stimulate industrial development, develop high-end skills, and contribute meaningfully to the global space economy. South Africa believes that innovation in the space sector should contribute not only to future exploration missions, but also to broader societal and economic development through technology transfer, industrial capability development, advanced manufacturing, digital innovation and human capital development. Chairperson, South Africa continues to advance national investments in space science and technology through the implementation of the space infrastructure hub and its associated research and innovation programs. These efforts support the development of capabilities across earth observation, satellite engineering, advanced manufacturing, ground systems, data infrastructure, and emerging space technologies. Furthermore, South Africa is embarking on a growth and sustainability plan to support the positioning of our country as an intermediate space-faring nation. In so doing, a space exploration and discovery theme has been adopted alongside four other strategic pillars, for implementation during the period of 2025 to 2030, wherein South Africa will harness its international cooperation arrangements to position the country as a key player in global space exploration. Chairperson, South Africa is also supporting research and development activities in space robotics through the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. This work is aimed at strengthening indigenous capability in robotic and autonomous systems relevant for future exploration and for future space exploration and operations, while also supporting terrestrial applications in sectors such as advanced manufacturing, mining, infrastructure management, and hazardous environment operations. South Africa views such programs as important investments in sovereign technological capability, advanced engineering skills and future industrial competitiveness. They also demonstrate the value of innovation spillovers between the space sector and border economic priorities. South Africa, a chairperson, South Africa further believes that the benefits of space exploration and innovation should be shared more equitably. Developing countries should be enabled to participate not only as users of technology, but also as contributors to scientific research, engineering, innovation and technology development. South Africa therefore supports the continued international collaboration through COPUOS and UN OOSA in promoting inclusive participation, responsible innovation and capacity building in space science and technology. In closing, Chairperson, South Africa reaffirms its commitment to the peaceful exploration and use of outer space for the benefit of all humanity. Thank you for your attention. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [1:43:20]: Thank you to the distinguished representative of South Africa for the statement. Next, distinguished representative of Iran. Iran (Islamic Republic of) [1:43:33]: Mr. Chairman, the Islamic Republic of Iran, relying on indigenous launch vehicles and the use of international services, has fully consolidated its orbital presence through the successful launch of university, research, and private sector satellites. In promoting the principle of equitable access to outer space, Iran reiterates its readiness to allocate launch capacity from its domestic launch systems for the orbital deployment of academic and university satellites from other countries. Within the framework of peaceful international. Cooperation, the Islamic Republic of Iran welcomes the acceptance of its scientific payload on lunar surface potential measurement abroad, the Shenyang eight lunar lander of the People's Republic of China, an initiative that presents a concrete embodiment of the outer space treaties provisions on international cooperation and equitable exploration of outer space. In the fields of space science. And astrophysics, Iran has over the past decade contributed significantly to the advancement. Of human knowledge and the promotion of astronomy by providing observational data from its observatories to the global academic community. Despite the unilateral coercive measures, the Islamic Republic of Iran relying on its right of equitable access to outer space in pursuit of countering. Technological monopolization will not only fully restore its affected capabilities, but also reaffirms its determination to realize the objectives of Article 10 of the Outer Space Treaty, which emphasizes the promotion of equality and international cooperation in the exploration of space missions of other states. Thank you, Mr. Chair. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [1:45:42]: Thanks to the distinguished representative, of Iran. Next, distinguished representative of United Arab Emirates. United Arab Emirates [1:45:55]: Thank you, Mr. Chair. Space exploration is central to our national space vision 2031. This strategic approach has placed us in an advanced position in the international space sector. with the UAE ranking tenth globally in terms of investing in space exploration according to the Soft Power Index report. Our space program has become a strategic tool in shaping the country's image and enhancing our standing and influence internationally. Recognizing the importance of sustaining expertise, the decision was made to extend the mission of the Hope probe until 2028, given the continued effectiveness of its scientific instruments. This extension will provide data and operational expertise to support current and future deep space missions and scientific studies related to the atmosphere on Mars and the Martian moon Deimos. The probe plays a key role in addressing and mitigating the risks associated with the development of the upcoming mission to explore the asteroid belt, enabling the team to confidently transition into the integration and testing phase in preparation for a long-duration deep space mission. On the lunar front, the UAE is preparing to launch its independent lunar program through the Rashid-2 rover, which has been designed to land on the far side of the moon. The country also continues to invest in human capital through the UAE Astronaut Program, which has contributed to developing national capabilities in human spaceflights and scientific research in microgravity environments, while reinforcing the Arab presence in space exploration and supporting the country's aspirations to participate in future space missions. Finally, the UAE reaffirms its full commitment to the UN principles on the peaceful uses of outer space. We believe that space exploration and innovation are an investment in the future of humanity and a driver of scientific progress and sustainable development. We remain committed to strengthening international cooperation and the exchange of knowledge and expertise to expand the horizons of space exploration and achieve shared benefits for all humanity. Thank you. COPUOS · Chair · Teodoro Valente [1:48:21]: Thanks to the distinguished representative of United Arab Emirates for the statement. Please, Melita. COPUOS · Vice-Chair · Melita [1:48:30]: Thank you very much, Chair. Now moving on to the list of observers, and the first observer on my list is the distinguished representative for Asia Pacific Space Cooperation Organization. Please. APSCO · Observer [1:48:47]: Honorable Chair, distinguished delegates, it's my privilege to make this statement on behalf of Asia Pacific Space Cooperation Organization, APSCO, regarding the agenda item 15, space exploration and innovation. Honorable Chair, APSCO has initiated various cooperation activities in space exploration and welcomed international partners to work with. On January 2022, the opportunity for scientific payloads onboard Chang'e-6 was announced, to all epsco member states and as a result Pakistan's proposal was chosen that was launched in May 2024 which marked the first intuitive of member state Pakistan in lunar exploration similarly the opportunities for scientific payloads on Chang seven was announced to all epsco member states in February 2023 among several other proposals the Thailand's proposal was chosen which is a space weather global monitoring sensor device. In April 2025, multiple member states of OPSCO have successfully been selected for Chang'e-8 lunar mission, led by the China National Space Administration. This achievement underscores OPSCO's unwavering commitment to advancing space science, fostering technological synergy, and promoting sustainable socioeconomic development across its member nations. Honorable Chair, distinguished delegates, as a co-organizer of the fourth international workshop on lunar and deep space exploration was held in September 2025 in Hefei, which brought together 88 distinguished attendees from 30 countries, including esteemed academicians, agency leaders, and prominent experts, reinforcing its commitment to fostering top-tier global space collaboration. The fourth OPS-CO ISSBJ Space Science School on 3 and 10 November 2025 jointly with International Space Science Institute in Beijing, hosted by the Sun Yat-sen University in Zhuhai, Guangdong, China. The fourth OPS-CO ISS-BJ Space Science School themed Space Weather from Source to Impact in the Heliosphere featured top space science experts leading sessions on solar activity, magnetosphere dynamics, Earth's ionosphere system, and space weather impacts for OPS-CO and international young scholars. OPSCURY affirms its strong commitment to space exploration and innovations and calls upon its member states to continue taking an active part in its programs, paving the way for a future where space exploration benefits all humanity. Thank you, Chair and distinguished delegates. COPUOS · Vice-Chair · Melita [1:51:43]: I thank the distinguished observer for Asia Pacific Space Cooperation Organization for the statement. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished observer for Lunar Policy Platform. LPP · Observer [1:51:57]: Thank you, Chair. The Lunar Policy Platform is an expert, neutral, global, non-governmental organization specialized in lunar policy. Our mission at LPP is to help create and maintain a conducive policy environment, enabling the peaceful, safe, and sustainable exploration and use of the moon for the benefit of all humanity. Our work covers the entire value chain of policy development, implementation and education and is designed to support the leading work of Copious as the multilateral body in charge of space governance. In the area of space exploration and innovation, we are pleased to inform the committee of the first draft of our new policy report, which this year addresses legal and policy aspects of lunar nuclear reactors. A summary of key takeaways from the report is available in CRP 28 for the kind consideration of delegations. And we are currently welcoming commitment comments on the text by July 12th. In this statement, I would like to focus on a few crucial highlights. Number one, there is a broad recognition that nuclear reactors are likely to play a significant role in enabling sustained lunar activity. There is agreement that existing governance frameworks are not operationally sufficient and that more work needs to be done on how they should evolve. Third, safety is universally prioritized, but actors define and interpret safety in different ways. Safety zones embody the most acute and unresolved governance tensions. Five, end-of-life management and long-term stewardship are identified as critical gaps. Sixth, transparency is widely supported as a principle, but now it is time to move to its practical implementation. Seventh, geopolitical dynamics and perceptions of strategic competition are further areas of serious concerns. Eighth, equity and inclusion are identified as central to the legitimacy of future frameworks for lunar activities, particularly on nuclear energy. Ninth, there is a strong call for evidence-based governance supported by technical modeling and scenario analysis. Tenth, overall, perspectives given in the report reveal a field characterized by both emerging necessity and crucial unresolved issues, underscoring the importance of proactive, inclusive, and technically informed governance. Delegations interested in the full report as well as wishing to provide comments on its text are warmly invited to contact us via e-mail at the following address, nuclear@lunarpolicyplatform.org. We hope this reporting was useful and our team remains available to exchange views and explore opportunities on the margin of the session. Thank you very much for your kind attention. COPUOS · Vice-Chair · Melita [1:54:36]: I thank you for your statement. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished observer for Square Kilometer Array Observatory. SKAO · Observer [1:54:46]: Chair, distinguished delegates, the SKO welcomes the continued advances in space exploration and innovation being reported under this agenda item. New technologies, novel mission concepts, and increasing private sector participation are expanding humanity's ability to utilize and benefit from outer space. At the same time, innovation is increasingly occurring at scales that were difficult to imagine only a decade ago. Proposals involving very large satellite constellations, space-based computing infrastructure, large-scale power generation systems, and other novel orbital architectures have the potential to bring significant benefits to society. However, they may also introduce new challenges that existing authorization frameworks were not originally designed to assess. For this reason, together with the delegations of Chile, Spain and other supporters, as well as several observer organisations, we have submitted the conference room paper 30 entitled discussion on considerations for the authorisation of large scale satellite constellations and other novel space infrastructures. The paper does not seek to discourage innovation, Rather, it aims to promote discussion on how authorization processes can evolve to consider the cumulative and aggregate effects that may arise when space activities are conducted at unprecedented scales. In particular, the paper highlights considerations related to aggregate unwanted electromagnetic radiation, large scale reflection of sunlight, radio frequency reflection and scattering effects, and the broader impacts that very large space systems may have on the dark and quiet skies that support scientific research and other societal benefits. Several member states have already begun considering some of these issues through national licensing and regulatory processes. We believe sharing experiences and best practices through Copernicus can help support both innovation and sustainability while providing greater predictability for future operators and stakeholders. The SKO hopes this CRP will contribute to future discussions within COPUOS on how authorization processes can remain effective as space activities continue to grow in scale, complexity and ambition. Thank you, Chair. COPUOS · Vice-Chair · Melita [1:57:11]: Thank you very much for your statement. And the last speaker on my list under this agenda item is the distinguished observer for International Academy of Astronautics, please. IAA · Observer [1:57:26]: Thank you very much for the opportunity to present our statement. Your Excellencies, distinguished delegates, the International Academy of Astronautics has ratified a major update to its declaration of principles concerning the conduct of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, making the first significant version of the SETI Post Detection Protocols since 2010. Developed over several years with input from more than 350 researchers worldwide, the 2026 update reflects advances in technosignature research and the challenges posted by social media, artificial intelligence, and rapid global information sharing. The revised declaration established a framework for verification, transparency, and risk communication in the event of a potential detection of terrestrial technology. It expands the scope of city. Beyond radio signals to include techno signatures across the electromagnetic spectrum such as infrared accesses, optical laser transmission emissions and other multi messenger signals. The protocols also include or introduce measures to protect researchers from harassment and misinformation campaigns and emphasize the need to distinguish verified evidence from hoaxes or terrestrial interference. The declaration reaffirms that any claim of extraterrestrial intelligence must undergo extensive independent verification before public announcement. If a detection is confirmed, researchers are urged to promptly discuss the findings to disclose the findings to the scientific community, the public, and the United Nations. The update also maintains the longstanding principle that no response should be transmitted to extraterrestrial intelligence without broad international consultations through a representative body. Such as the United Nations. The IAA plans to establish a permanent post-detection subcommittee to advise on legal, ethical and societal issues arising from a confirmed discovery. The revised protocols will be formally presented to the scientific community and media at the upcoming International Astronautical Congress in Turkey later this year. The full declaration is available on the website of the Academy. Link to this site is available in the published version of the current statement. I thank you for your attention. COPUOS · Vice-Chair · Melita [2:00:18]: Thank you very much for your statement. Distinguished delegates, I would now like to begin our consideration of agenda item 16, Space 2030 Agenda. Distinguished delegates, Under this agenda item, the committee has the following documents. Document A/AC.105/L.344 titled Mid-term review of the Space 2030 Agenda, Space as a driver of sustainable development. And we have here a note by the secretariat. Yes. Then we have conference room paper eight containing links to submissions from UN member states and permanent observers with the committee as received. conference room paper nine containing an analysis of contributions received and preliminary findings then conference room paper 38 titled how to use the gender mainstreaming toolkit for the space sector from the lab up by the United Kingdom and with your permission I would now like to give the floor to the secretariat to briefly present those preliminary findings including a Space 2030 Agenda interactive platform by the Office for Outer Space Affairs as a tool for mapping space-based solutions and capacity building needs. I see no objections. I give the floor to the Secretariat, please. UNOOSA · Secretariat · Romana [2:01:48]: Thank you very much, Madam Chair. With your permission, we will just present a few slides on the preliminary findings of the midterm review of Space 2030 agenda based on the contributions received by member states and observer organizations. As you recall, the Space 2030 agenda adopted by the General Assembly in 2021 contains part A agenda and four pillars or overarching objectives and part B implementation plan. The status of reporting, the Office for Outer Space Affairs was asked to invite member states and permanent observers with the committee to provide contributions to the midterm review, which was extended and the results of which are presented or are available before this session of the committee. As it's June, there are 33 contributions by member states received and nine contributions from observer organizations. Although this is not a large number as you would expect, in substance there are many solutions and needs, and my colleague will present what could be produced or analyzed based on those contributions. As the Chair has already mentioned, these are the documents before the Committee for the midterm review of the Space 2030 agenda. Now, the analysis of contributions and preliminary findings show the interconnectedness of the four overarching objectives of the four pillars, space economy, which depends on access to data, skilled personnel, regulatory frameworks and partnerships, space society applications that require operational data systems, institutional uptake and sustained services, space accessibility that depends on infrastructure, financing, training and inclusion, and space diplomacy as a cooperative legal and governance environment required for the peaceful, safe and sustainable use of outer space. So while the preliminary findings show that the submissions demonstrate a wide range of relevant solutions, tools, platforms, policies and capacity building activities, as well as cooperation mechanisms, at the same time, the submissions revealed these recurrent needs across the four objectives, and here are listed some of the areas where needs have been identified. There is also a thematic alignment between many proposed solutions and also, and the identified needs. However, thematic alignment does not necessarily mean that needs are fully addressed at the implementation level. Relevant solutions may exist, but the submissions do not always indicate whether they're operationally available to the country. whether an institution or the institution expressing this need, whether access and financing are within the reach, whether the solution can be adapted to the national context, or whether the required institutional and technical capacity is in place and can be shared. Obviously, these findings can be an important part of the next phase of implementation. They suggest that future follow-up should not focus only on identifying additional solutions, but that equal attention could be given to the conditions that allow existing solutions to become more practical, country-owned and sustainable responses to identified needs. The midterm review therefore provides an opportunity to move from a compilation of initiatives towards a more structured approach to connecting needs, solutions, actors and implementation pathways. also to identify where solutions are operational and ready for use, where they require adaptation or financing, where capacity building is needed and where no adequate solution has yet been identified. And with this, I'd like to hand over to my colleague, Nicola Miotto, to present to you an interactive tool, SPACE 2030 Agenda, that maps solutions and needs based on the contributions received to the midterm review of the SPACE 2030 Agenda. I thank you. UNOOSA · Secretariat · Nicola Miotto [2:06:05]: Thank you, Romana. Distinguished delegates, I'm pleased to present the prototype of the SPACE 2030 Agenda interactive map. As my colleague Romana mentioned, we have been receiving several submissions from member states and permanent observers on space solutions and capacity building needs as part of the midterm review of the Space 2030 agenda. We have recorded more than 300 data points testifying to the richness and comprehensiveness of the information from your inputs. In an office-wide effort, we developed a prototype of an interactive digital tool to make data more accessible and easier to navigate, allowing you to autonomously conduct an analysis of existing space solutions, capacity building needs, and possible matches between them. I would like now to briefly guide you through the tool to showcase its functionalities and potential, and I will be grateful to our colleagues if they could screen the tool. Here it is. So as you can see on the screen, you see a map with several green and red dots. The green dots represent identified space solutions while the red dots represent expressed capacity building needs. If one clicks on each dot, a pop-up window opens reporting in a concise manner key information on the submission and I will give you now an example. So this is an example of a submission concerning space solutions and this is an example of a submission concerning capacity building needs. By pressing on view solutions or view needs, you are redirected to the explore section of the tool where you can read through all the information concerning this submission, including what sustainable development goals and what pillars of the Space 2030 agenda it relates to. And I will give you now another example. Another way of exploring the data through the digital tool is to use the two key filters that you see on the right hand side of the map. you can filter the space solutions and capacity building needs by sustainable development goal and by pillar of the Space 2030 agenda. Of course, you can press one single sustainable development goal or more than one, as well as one or more pillars of the Space 2030 agenda, and the map will automatically filter. I would like to emphasize an important point. The digital tool reports information in a factual manner, meaning that any textual or numerical information included is purely based on the submissions received. In the explore section of the tool, where we are right now, you will always find a link to the source of reference, namely the templates that you have been using to submit information about space solutions and capacity building needs, and they're also available on the webpage of the office. So if you click on this link, it will redirect you to the template that was used. To conclude, next we will include two further interfaces in the digital tool. One interface will include a video tutorial explaining you how to use the digital tool. And the other one will direct you to the key resources concerning the Space 2030 agenda. such as the official documentation that the office prepared in support of the midterm review. I would like to thank you, Madam Chair, for giving us the floor, and we hope to receive many more submissions in the near future so that we can further enrich this tool and make it a powerful instrument in your hands. Thank you very much. COPUOS · Vice-Chair · Melita [2:10:13]: I thank the Secretariat for the presentation, and now moving to the list of speakers under agenda item 16. And the first speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of the Philippines on behalf of the G77 and China. You have the floor. Philippines · G77 + China [2:10:32]: Thank you, Madam Chair. The Group of 77 and China underscores the continued relevance of the SDGs, the Space 2030 Agenda and its implementation plan. It is important to highlight that international cooperation in the development of space activities is a paramount principle, especially for those referred to in the Declaration on International Cooperation in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space for the Benefit and in the Interest of All Member States, taking in particular the needs of developing countries. The sustainable use of outer space should place a special emphasis on capacity building activities and technical assistance programs to bridge the huge divide between developed and developing countries in this domain and address the growing need to secure sufficient resources to this end. The group recalls the midterm review of Space 2030 agenda and takes note that the review so far was not conclusive and requests that the review be extended with a view to ensure collection of comprehensive and conclusive views on the review of agenda 2030. The group further reiterates the need to use this opportunity to address current challenges and fully consolidate aspirations of developing countries on peaceful uses of outer space. including strengthening international cooperation, availing of equal access and benefit sharing, providing additional support for space sciences and applications for developing countries. The group recognizes the central role of UNOOSA in advocating for the benefits of space science and technology for sustainable development and in promoting international cooperation in the pursuance of the Space 2030 Agenda. We look forward to working closely with UNOSA in promoting the peaceful uses of outer space for sustainable development, including in meeting the Space 2030 agenda, advancing international cooperation, strengthening the capacity of developing countries in utilizing space applications, and promote inclusivity and gender equality, gender balance, and empowerment of women as applicable in the space sector. Madam Chair, the group also takes positive note of the secretariat's recent approach aimed at developing practical tools and engaging constructively with member states to support the proper and effective implementation of the Space 2030 agenda. The group comments these efforts and encourages the secretariat to continue this work in a transparent, inclusive, and member state driven manner. through close consultations with all member states and particularly with the Group of 77 and China in order to ensure that such tools duly reflect the development dimension of the agenda, the priorities and needs of developing countries and the agreed mandate of COPUOS and its subcommittees. Madam Chair, it is imperative to intensify the efforts to extend to all member states the benefits derived from outer space activities with a view to promoting the contribution of peaceful uses of outer space to socioeconomic development, including the attainment of the sustainable development goals, bearing in mind the outcome of the UNISPACE+50 process, such as the UNGA resolution and the Space 2030 agenda. Thank you, Madam Chair. COPUOS · Vice-Chair · Melita [2:13:59]: I thank the distinguished representative of the Philippines on behalf of the G77 and China for the statement. And the next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of the European Union. EU · EU [2:14:13]: Madam Chair, I have the honor to speak on behalf of the European Union and its member states. The following countries align themselves with this statement, Albania, Armenia, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. Chair, the EU and its member states support the Space 2030 Agenda and its contribution to the achievement of all 17 sustainable development goals. We particularly welcome its emphasis on inclusiveness, gender equality and climate action, recognising that space is an essential enabler of sustainable development. The EU remains committed to global partnership, especially with developing countries, to maximize the societal, environmental, and economic benefits of space applications. The EU and several EU member states contributed to the Space 2030 Agenda Mid-Term Review by reporting on their key activities, including efforts under the EU space programme and capacity building activities under the EU global gateway strategy. The EU continues to advance its space programme, including the expansion of Galileo, EGNOS, SSA and Copernicus, benefiting millions of users, in the EU and in third countries, notably in Africa, Asia and Latin America, with regional Copernicus centres in Chile and Panama, alongside the national Copernicus data centre in the Philippines. We are also supporting space services under the EU-Latin American and Caribbean Digital Alliance and the EU-ASEAN Sustainable Connectivity Package scope. And of a global gateway strategy, the Africa EU Space Partnership program launched in 2025 supports Africa's space ambitions as set out in the Africa space policy, enhancing EU-Africa collaboration on space technologies, services, and applications. The second EU-African Union Space Dialogue in March 2026 confirmed cooperation on Earth observation, satellite navigation, space surveillance and tracking, and space science with a focus on youth and the private sector. Africa's dynamic space sector was also highlighted at the fifth conference, New Space Africa, in April in Gabon. which explored how Africa-Europe cooperation can unlock the full potential of the space sector across the continent. Chair, the EU underscores COPUOS and UNOSA's pivotal role in advancing the SDG through a peaceful, inclusive, and sustainable use of outer space. We strongly support further strengthening both bodies, including through UNISPACE-4, to ensure space benefits all humanity and drive sustainable development, international cooperation, and global resilience. More information can be found in the full version of this statement. Thank you. COPUOS · Vice-Chair · Melita [2:17:42]: Thank you very much for your statement. Moving to the next speaker on my list, the distinguished representative of Saudi Arabia. Please, you have the floor. Saudi Arabia [2:17:55]: Your Excellencies, Madam Chairperson, ladies and gentlemen, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia would like to express its appreciation to UN OOSA for the efforts it deployed in the implementation of the Space 2030 Agenda and its four pillars, namely the space economy, space society, access to space and space diplomacy. The Kingdom recognises the important role of this agenda in linking space activities with the Sustainable Development Goals. Madam, following the midterm review of this agenda, the Kingdom views the space economy as an important pillar for achieving its national goals, especially given the rapid growth of the global space sector. This highlights the importance of developing national legislative and regulatory frameworks that would support investment in space while ensuring at the same time compliance with relevant international treaties and principles. In this context, the Kingdom wishes to brief the distinguished committee on three key developments in the national space regulatory framework of the Kingdom that is supervised by the Communications, Space and Technology Commission in its capacity as the regulator of the space sector. First, allow me to speak about the draft bill on space law its implementing regulations. The Kingdom is finalizing its space law and its rules and regulations, which together establish the comprehensive legislative framework for governing the space sector in the Kingdom, giving effect to its commitment to the peaceful, responsible, and sustainable use of outer space in accordance with the provisions of international law and relevant treaties. Second, the Kingdom published the space sector regulations and guidelines for public consultation on the 25th of December 2025. This document sets out the comprehensive regulatory framework covering space object operations, crewed and uncrewed space flights, spaceports, space resources, space surveillance and tracking, the national registry of space objects and launch operations, alongside guidelines on sustainability and insurance of space activities. Third, the Kingdom has issued the observation platform regulations and has granted the first permit in the space sector for the provision of Earth observation services, thereby enabling the private sector to collect and process Earth observation data in support of environmental monitoring, planning and decision making. The Kingdom is of the view that the continued development of national regulatory frameworks coupled with strengthened international cooperation in the exchange of regulatory expertise will continue to the realization of the objectives of Space 2030 agenda and to the fostering of a sustainable space economy that serves humanity as a whole. Thank you. COPUOS · Vice-Chair · Melita [2:20:53]: Thank you very much. I thank the distinguished representative of Saudi Arabia for the statement. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of the Russian Federation. Russian Federation [2:21:06]: Thank you, Chairperson. This is the short version of our statement. The full version will be placed on the website of the session. We once again draw your attention to the denial by the Austrian authorities of an entry visa for participation in this session of the head of our delegation, the Russian Foreign Ministry's Special Coordinator for International Cooperation on the Exploration and Use of Outer Space for Peaceful Purposes, Mr. Sergei Belousov. This exclusively politically motivated decision harms the professional work of the Committee and the Vienna Platform as a whole. We once again urge Austria to refrain from this approach in the name of constructive dialogue in this multilateral format. The Russian Federation is making active efforts to implement the Space 2030 agenda, space as a driver for sustainable development. As regards addressing the overarching objective of enhancing space-driven economic benefits and strengthening the role of the space sector as a major driver of sustainable development, we are carrying out the following measures at a national level to increase awareness of the importance of space technologies and science and their applications for sustainable development. We're encouraging cooperation between the private and public sector and educational establishments and R&D centers on matters related to the use of outer space for achieving sustainable development goals and ensuring the long-term sustainability of space activities. In practical terms, we're using the potential of various Russian satellites. In terms of addressing the overarching objective of harnessing the potential of space to solve everyday challenges and leverage space-related innovation to improve the quality of life, we are encouraging the use of space technologies at all phases of disaster response activity for both natural and man-made disasters, including prevention, mitigation, readiness, response measures, and post disaster reconstruction and recovery. In terms of improving access to space for all, ensuring that all countries can benefit from socio economic benefits of space science and technology applications and space based data information and products. thereby supporting the achievement of the SDGs. We are improving awareness of risks stemming from unfavourable space weather. We're helping improve international coordination of space weather related activity, including outreach work, communication and capacity building, and creating an international mechanism to step up coordination of efforts on space weather matters. and enhancing global resilience to space weather. We are designing and will be launching space weather monitoring satellites. Distinguished Chairperson, distinguished colleagues, by way of conclusion in this context, we would like once again to draw attention to the efforts that we're making to promote the draft resolution. UNGA resolution on space science and technology for promoting peace. We see these efforts as our substantial national contribution to achieving the key objectives of space 2030 agenda, space as a driver of sustainable development. Thank you. COPUOS · Vice-Chair · Melita [2:25:07]: I thank the distinguished representative of the Russian Federation for the statement. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of Germany. Germany [2:25:16]: Thank you, Madam Chair. Honorable Chair, distinguished delegates, space applications continue to be key enablers of global sustainable development as reflected in the Space 2030 Agenda. Germany's pledge to full support for the agenda's implementation and aligns its national space activities with the objectives of the 2030 Agenda, the European Green Deal, and the Paris Climate Agreement. We are grateful to the Secretariat for its important work in compiling and analyzing national contributions to the Space 2030 Agenda Midterm Review, including through an insightful mapping tool. We also thank all delegations that have contributed to the review. Following our initial contribution to the midterm review of the agenda submitted last year, we have provided a second submission highlighting additional projects and activities conducted by our government, the German Space Agency, German industry and academic institutions at a national level and in collaboration with a range of international partners with the aim of showing the positive impact of these activities across all regions, including for developing countries. Germany remains committed to advance the peaceful, sustainable and inclusive use of outer space. We value the exchange of implementation practices within the international community and look forward to continue implementing the Space 2030 agenda at a national and international level to ensure that space continues to serve the benefit of all humankind. An extended version of this statement will be made available online and provides further information on selected projects and initiatives. I thank you. COPUOS · Vice-Chair · Melita [2:26:38]: I thank the distinguished representative of Germany for the statement. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of Colombia. Colombia [2:26:48]: Vice Chair, Colombia aligns itself with the statement of the G77 and China, and in its national capacity, would like to reiterate that the Space 2030 agenda is a strategic initiative which places outer space as an essential tool to achieve the sustainable development goals, to promote international cooperation and to guarantee a peaceful, equitable and sustainable use of outer space. Colombia would like to highlight that the Space 2030 agenda has a vision of a future where space technology and innovation play a crucial role in overcoming global challenges such as climate change, food security and the management of natural resources. In this manner Colombia believes that achieving this agenda requires political commitment, technical cooperation and international solidarity in particular to facilitate the access of developing countries to resources technologies and benefits of space. Colombia recognizes that space technology and applications are highly relevant to achieve the global development agendas, in particular the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. However, we would also like to highlight that achieving these global agendas should be strengthened with initiatives which promote the principle of benefit sharing, which include equitable access to data and space applications. Colombia underscores its commitment to long-term sustainability of outer space activities and particularly calls attention to the importance of making progress on solutions vis-a-vis the problem of space debris, which amongst any other risks could affect the due monitoring of and therefore the prevention of natural disasters. Finally, we call for equitable access to transparency and sustainability in all space activities to continue to be promoted with the aim of considerably reducing technological gaps between developed countries and developing countries. Thank you very much. COPUOS · Vice-Chair · Melita [2:29:01]: I thank the distinguished representative of Colombia for the statement. And the next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of the United Kingdom. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland [2:29:11]: Chair, distinguished delegates. The UK is pleased to update the committee on the important aspects of the Space 2030 agenda and our associated actions. Our unlocking space portfolio drives investment and adoption of space enabled solutions across public and private sectors. It is delivering benefits in areas such as in orbit manufacturing for cancer treatments and improving public sector decision making across prevention of health, services and environmental monitoring. Through our national space innovation programme and subscriptions to ESA's business applications and space solutions programme, the UK supports development of commercial space technologies, applications and services which contribute to areas such as health and food security. The National Space Operations Centre is helping to mitigate debris risk by tracking space objects and warning of potential collisions. NSPOC is enhancing UK capabilities in space domain awareness through the development of sensors and software to monitor and understand the environment more effectively. In 2025, we published a tender for the UK's first mission to de-orbit two defunct UK-licensed satellites, a critical stepping stone for establishing broader commercial in-orbit servicing, assembly and manufacturing services, such as satellite life extension and in-orbit refuelling. The UK is also publishing two space sustainability standards and has funded four studies to understand any environmental impacts of satellite ablation during re-entry into the earth's atmosphere. Climate impacts are further supported through our contribution to the international charter on space and major disasters, working with partners to support disaster response assistance to those in need. UK commercial satellite communication capabilities are also critical for disaster management, providing resilient, deployable connectivity during terrestrial network disruption for emergency response and delivery of life-saving services. The UK has prioritised space data for Earth applications. We host ESA's climate division, which leads research and development to support climate science and services and national initiatives such as the UK Space Agency's climate service call. During the UK chair of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites, we focused efforts across support for the global stocktake and global methane pledge, public sector capacity building and launch of an international CIOSS in schools programme. We also continue to invest in improving our ability to forecast, mitigate and understand the impacts of extreme space weather events. The UK contributes to the important UN work, including the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, to develop guidelines and governance structures. We engage with Member States to identify improvements to COPUOS ways of working and support the role of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs. Finally, as the former chair of the International Agency Debris Coordination Committee, over the past year the UK has sought to promote the critical importance of this technical committee and its outputs. We look forward to continued engagement of COPUOS and its subcommittees with the IEDC to identify practical approaches to reduce the long-term environmental impacts of global space activities. Thank you for your kind attention. The UK looks forward to continuing our work and partnership to deliver aims of the Space 2030 agenda. Thank you. COPUOS · Vice-Chair · Melita [2:33:10]: I thank the distinguished representative of the United Kingdom. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of Chile. Chile [2:33:21]: Madam Vice-Chair, Chile welcomes the mid-term review of the Space 2030 agenda as an opportunity to assess progress made in its implementation, identify outstanding challenges, reaffirm the role of space activities to support sustainable development. In this context, Chile would like to share some national experiences which illustrate the practical application of the objectives and pillars of the agenda. On the space economy, Chile published in 2025 its national space policy. This recognizes space as a strategic environment for the country's scientific, technological and economic development. During this year, 2026, its action plan will be developed. This will allow for this policy to translate into operative measures and projects from the state. The recently inaugurated National Space Center provides technical support to this process. Its infrastructure will allow us to operate national space system missions and generate critical mass to design develop and test space technology and process information coming from space through data centers and supercomputing Madam Vice chair my country is also incorporating new actors on the national space agenda in 2026 the The training, the formation rather of the first space consortium in Chile was announced, promoted by the private sector and academia. Its goal is to coordinate national capacity and contribute to the development of a space industry which could capitalize on the infrastructure of the National Space Center. On space society, Chile has made progress on the public and scientific use of data. Data Observatory is a public-private-academia foundation, not-for-profit, which acquires, processes and makes available open data in great volume. Its work with CERO and the Open Data Cube uses Landsat images for marine and terrestrial satellite monitoring of Chile. On space accessibility, Chile established the Scientific and Technical Commission on Satellite Matters, which will provide advice to the Ministry of Science with regard to projects which could be developed in the satellite infrastructure administered by the Chilean Air Force. With this, universities and research centres will be able to link their work with the national space system and the priorities of the national space policy. In terms of regional cooperation, Chile makes its National Space Center available as a platform for regional cooperation to develop technology, as well as to carry out the assembly, integration and testing of satellites, and also in order to monitor and track assets and to process information through advanced supercomputing capacity. In addition to other studies and forms of research which require controlled environments in a clean room, this infrastructure could support technical training, exchange of experience and cooperation with countries from Latin America and the Caribbean who are seeking to strengthen their own space programs and at the same time strengthen their knowledge and development of the region. For Chile, the Space 2030 agenda should contribute to more states participating in the peaceful use of space with their own capacity. Our country is making progress in this direction through a space policy which is being implemented, operative national infrastructure and a scientific and manufacturing ecosystem which is beginning to expand. Thank you very much, Madam. COPUOS · Vice-Chair · Melita [2:37:24]: I thank the distinguished representative of Chile for the statement. And the next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of the Republic of Korea. Republic of Korea [2:37:34]: Mr. Chair, following the mid-term review report submitted at the 68th session, my delegation wishes to share the Republic of Korea's follow-up activities centered on the four pillars of the Space 2030 agenda. To begin with, our commitment to fostering a robust space economy was demonstrated by the fourth flight of the Nuri launch vehicle in November 2025. This marked our first privately led launch, opening a new chapter in the commercialization of our space industry. Looking ahead, we are currently preparing for the fifth launch in the third quarter of this year, while further expanding our space transportation capabilities by developing a reusable launch vehicle. In our pursuits to enrich the space society, three scientific payloads aboard the next-generation MIST-I satellite 3 have been operating seamlessly since their launch in November 2025. These instruments are successfully gathering valuable data across diverse fields, including the space environment, space plasma, space medicine, and bio-3D printing. Furthermore, the next generation mid-size satellite two launched in May 2026 and Comsat seven launched in December 2025 have commenced nominal operations significantly enhancing our earth observation capacity. At the same time, we continue to expand our contribution to global disaster response efforts through our active participation in international charters, space and major disasters. Concurrently, advancing space accessibility remains a core priority. The development of the Korean positioning system is in full swing towards the launch of its first satellite in 2029. And in October 2025, we successfully hosted the 19th meeting of the International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems in Busan, demonstrating our active contribution to this platform under the auspices of the United Nations. In parallel, the Danuri lunar orbiter continues its mission successfully, contributing to international cooperation and data sharing efforts in lunar exploration. In the realm of space diplomacy, the Republic of Korea remains committed to promoting space education, engaging the next generation of space professionals, and advancing the meaningful participation of women in the space sector through the Space for Youth and Space for Women initiatives. Moreover, the ROK-UN workshop on the International Space Weather Initiative, which will be held in Seoul from 7 to 11 September this year, is expected to be a milestone event for strengthening international cooperation in the field of space environment. Mr. Chair, the Republic of Korea is participating in the informal consultations on UNISPACE IV during this session, and we look forward to contributing our rapidly accumulated experience in private space development, space science cooperation, and the capacity building for developing countries to the UNISPACE IV agenda. In closing, the Republic of Korea reaffirms its unwavering commitment to global space cooperation and will constructively contribute to shaping the post-2030 space agenda. I thank you, Mr. Chair. COPUOS · Vice-Chair · Melita [2:40:22]: Thank you very much to the distinguished representative of the Republic of Korea for the statement. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of Brazil. Brazil [2:40:34]: Thank you, Madam Vice Chair. Brazil is a strong supporter of the Space 2030 agenda, which recognizes space as a major driver of and contributor to the achievement of the sustainable development goals for the benefit of all countries. Brazil has both benefited from and contributed actively to this process, including in the context of the midterm review of the agenda. We also recognize the legacy of previous UNISPACE conferences, which helped raise the political profile of space activities and stimulate high-level progress in international cooperation and space governance. It is in this spirit of continuity that Brazil welcomes the prospect of UNISPACE-4 in 2027. We are convinced that it can provide an inclusive setting for member states to advance discussions on a consensual framework for voluntary international cooperation, which could include different forms of assistance to enhance and increase the sharing of the benefits of exploration and use of outer space for all, particularly for developing countries and emerging space-faring nations. Brazil is also a proud participant and staunch supporter of the Space for Development Initiative. In that capacity, we have contributed to a complementary process to the Space 2030 Agenda, namely the development of a questionnaire that will enable a gap analysis of current and future benefits, opportunities, needs and challenges. We thank the many delegations that have engaged with this process and provided valuable contributions, which have improved the document. Brazil believes that the questionnaire is now sufficiently mature for endorsement so that we may begin collecting responses and move towards a more evidence-based discussion on how to make space cooperation more responsive to development needs. Finally, since this is Brazil's last formal statement in plenary at this session and with an Italian chair presiding over our work, allow me to acknowledge the cooperation Brazil has been developing with IILA, the International Italian Latin American Organization in the field of space education and capacity building. This cooperation, including in the areas of space governance and practical applications, space economy and entrepreneurship, and also advanced application of open satellite data, is benefiting many students, including many Brazilians, and is making a concrete contribution to capacity building in our region. We appreciate this joint work, which strengthens technical capacities and brings our countries closer together through international cooperation. I thank you, Madam Vice Chair. COPUOS · Vice-Chair · Melita [2:43:00]: I thank the distinguished representative of Brazil. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of the Philippines. Madam, you have the floor. Philippines [2:43:10]: Thank you, Madam Chair. The Philippines aligns with the G77 and China statement and makes the following remarks in our national capacity. The Philippines reiterates its full support for the Space 2030 agenda. We emphasize the relevance of its strategic vision and overarching objectives, especially regarding the use of space-based technologies and their applications in pursuing sustainable development. We emphasize the importance of a collective approach to pursuing this agenda and to ensure that the needs of developing countries are considered. We are pleased to share the progress of our implementation. First, we contribute to the objectives of food security by participating in the assessment of methane emissions from rice paddies and water management project, a multinational initiative under the safe framework of the Asia Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum. The project supports mitigation efforts of methane emissions, improve water management and irrigation practices. Second, in advancing the long-term sustainability of outer space, We are pleased to highlight the successful ASEAN Space Situational Awareness and Space Traffic Management Seminar Workshop in March this year. This activity was organized in partnership with UNOOSA and Thailand, which strengthened the regional dialogue and shared understanding on space situational awareness and space traffic management. We thank our partners for their invaluable support in this successful initiative. Third, in enhancing the country's disaster risk management, we are pleased to also share the successful conduct of the training workshop on multi-hazard risk assessment for risk reduction planning in April 2026 in partnership with UN Spider. The workshop strengthened and maximized the use of space science technology applications in tackling natural and artificial hazards. We will continue to collaborate with member states through the Space for Climate Observatory and Space for Ocean Alliance. In promoting the UN treaties on outer space, the Philippines participated in the UNUSA Space Law and Policy Technical Advisory Mission in Cambodia and remain eager to support our ASEAN partners in this endeavor. The Philippines reaffirms its steadfast commitment to advancing the Space 2030 agenda, contribution in our national capacity, emphasizing that a collective unified approach remains essential to our shared success. Thank you very much, Madam Chair. COPUOS · Vice-Chair · Melita [2:45:50]: I thank the distinguished representative of the Philippines for the statement. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of Italy. Italy [2:46:01]: Thank you, Madam Vice Chair, distinguished delegates. Italy welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the discussion on the implementation of the Space 2030 Agenda and its midterm review in accordance with the mandate entrusted by the United Nations General Assembly. Italy strongly supports the vision of the Space 2030 Agenda, which recognizes space capabilities as essential tools for addressing global challenges and advancing sustainable development. The objectives of the agenda are reflected in the strategic priorities of the Italian Space Agency and guide Italy's national programs and international partnerships. The midterm review highlighted the importance of expanding access to space data and technologies, strengthening public-private partnerships, supporting capacity building and reinforcing international cooperation. Italy fully shares these priorities and remains committed to promoting the use of space applications for societal, environmental and economic benefits. Within this framework, Earth observation represents a key pillar of Italy's contribution to sustainable development. Through the COSMO-SkyMed satellite constellation, Italy provides advanced radar data supporting disaster risk management, environmental monitoring, emergency response and climate resilience. The recent launch of the COSMO-SkyMed second generation FM3 further strengthened its capabilities. Looking ahead, the national IRIDE programme will significantly expand its earth observation capacity. With a constellation expected to comprise 67 satellites, IRIDE will provide integrated radar and optical services supporting environmental protection, urban planning, air quality monitoring and disaster risk reduction, as well as sustainable resource management. The programme is expected to strengthen evidence-based policy making and support a wide range of public services at national level. International cooperation remains essential to maximizing the benefits of space activities. In this regard, Italy continues to promote partnerships that enhance access to space-based solutions and strengthen resilience worldwide. Examples include the Italian-Argentinian Siasge satellite system for disaster management and between ASI and JAXA through the exchange of Earth observation data between COSMO-SkyMed and ALOS satellites. which contributes to improve monitoring capabilities and emergency response. Italy also considers capacity building a fundamental pillar of the Space 2030 agenda. Through initiatives such as the Mate plan for Africa initiative, the ASI, Italo Latin American Institute, ILA program for Latin American countries and cooperation activities with ASEAN partners, Italy supports the development of technical expertise, institutional capacities and integration of space applications, international development strategies. Madam Vice Chair, Italy fully remains fully committed to supporting the implementation of the space 2030 agenda through international cooperation, capacity building initiatives and partnerships with both established and emerging spacefaring nations. We stand ready to continue working with UNOSA, COPOS and all member states to ensure that space remains a driver of resilience, sustainable development and shared prosperity for present and future generations. I thank you for your attention. COPUOS · Vice-Chair · Melita [2:49:11]: I thank the distinguished representative of Italy for the statement. I have two more speakers on my list under this agenda item today. And the first one is the distinguished representative of China. China [2:49:27]: Madam Vice Chair, China welcomes continued in-depth discussions at COPUOS on space 2030 agenda. which we believe as an important guidance document for COPUOS work, plays a key role in narrowing the gaps in space technology and applications supporting the 2030 agenda for sustainable development and improving global space governance. The Space 2030 agenda therefore deserves strong attention and support from all countries. China is actively improving its domestic legal framework and promoting implementation of international space law. China has been strengthening its national space policies and legal regulatory framework. We are in the process of drafting a space act and building a comprehensive legal framework around it. to provide a solid legal foundation for space activities. China has been faithfully fulfilling its international obligations under the Outer Space Treaty. We have been actively participating in discussions to develop rules for space activities and contributing our experience and ideas. China continues to deepen international cooperation and build open partnerships. We work with many countries, especially developing countries and emerging space nations. in scientific research, resource exploration, payload cooperation, disaster prevention and reduction. The Regional Center for Space Science and Technology Education Asia Pacific hosted by Beihang University continues to advance international space education by recruiting overseas students for master programs and by organizing trainings, including space executive training course organized together with COPUAS, which attracted participants from over 50 countries. China supports the use of space technology for sustainable development people's well-being. We continue to strengthen space infrastructure by launching advanced satellites for environment monitoring, weather forecasting, earthquake monitoring, land survey and water body monitoring. China has also been providing space-based public services to help address global challenges. China has used the international charter mechanism to provide satellite data and images to to countries affected by floods and other disasters, supporting emergency response and decision-making. Madam Vice-Chair, China believes that the greatness of a country lies in its ability to help others. The high-quality development of China's space program not only serves China's national development and our people's well-being, but also contributes to the peaceful use of outer space for all humanity. China stands ready to work with all parties to deepen cooperation for more practical results so as to advance the Space 2030 agenda. Thank you. COPUOS · Vice-Chair · Melita [2:52:06]: I thank the distinguished representative of China for the statement. And the last speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of the United States. United States of America [2:52:17]: Thank you, Madam Vice Chair. My delegation would just like to recall our statement made under the Space for Sustainable Development agenda item and our position on the Space 2030 agenda. Thank you. COPUOS · Vice-Chair · Melita [2:52:28]: Thank you very much. Distinguished delegates, we will continue and hopefully conclude our consideration of agenda item 16, Space 2030 agenda tomorrow morning. Distinguished delegates, I will shortly adjourn this meeting and before doing so, I would like to inform you of our schedule of work for tomorrow morning. We will continue and hopefully conclude our consideration of agenda item five, general exchange of views. We will continue our consideration of agenda item 14, future role and method of work of the committee to hear the outcome of the consultation on UniSpace4. We will continue and hopefully conclude our consideration of agenda item 16, Space 2030 agenda. We will begin and hopefully conclude our consideration of agenda item 17, other matters. Time permitting, we will begin our consideration of agenda item 18, adoption of the report. I have also been informed that the final informal consultations on UniSpace IV will be held tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. in room M2. I would now like to give the floor to the Secretariat to provide information on the side events, please. UNOOSA · Secretariat [2:53:51]: Thank you very much, Madam Vice Chair. Distinguished delegates, tomorrow morning there will be just one side event. It's entitled Access to Space for All in the UN 2.0 Era, Enabling Innovation Through Partnerships, organized by the Office for Outer Space Affairs from 9:00 to 9:45 AM in conference room M3. Thank you very much, Madam Vice Chair. COPUOS · Vice-Chair · Melita [2:54:13]: Thank you very much. I thank the Secretariat for the information provided. Are there any questions or comments on this proposed schedule? I see none. Distinguished delegates, this meeting is adjourned until 10:00 AM tomorrow morning. Have a nice evening. Thank you.