Outer Space: Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, Scientific and Technical Subcommittee, 62nd session, 1021 meeting
General Assembly
Date: 6 February 2025
Language: English
Transcript: https://transcripts.un.org/es/asset/k15/k15okepfei?lang=en
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.

---

STSC · Chair [23:37]:

Good morning, distinguished delegates. May I have your attention, please? Thank you. Good morning, distinguished delegates. I now declare open the 1021st meeting of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. Distinguished delegates, this morning we will continue our consideration of Agenda Item 3, General Exchange of Views. We will continue and hopefully conclude our consideration of Agenda Item 6, Space System-Based Disaster Management Support. We will continue and hopefully conclude our consideration of Agenda Item 7, Recent Developments in Global Navigation Satellite Systems. We will begin and hopefully conclude our consideration of Agenda Item 8, Space Weather. Time permitting, we will begin our consideration of Agenda Item 9, Near-Earth Objects.


Speaker 2 [24:48]:

Thank you.


STSC · Chair [24:50]:

We will then suspend the plenary meeting so that the Working Group on the Use of Nuclear Power Sources in Outer Space can hold its first meeting today. There will be 5 technical presentations this morning. Delegates are reminded that the full schedule of technical presentations is available on the session's webpage. Are there any questions or comments on this proposed schedule? I see none. Distinguished delegates, I would now like to continue our consideration of Agenda Item 3, General Exchange of Views. I now turn to the list of speakers. The first speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of Singapore.

You have the floor.


Singapore [25:40]:

Madam Chair, Singapore commends you on your able leadership of the Subcommittee and expresses our gratitude to the Director and the team at the Office for Outer Space Affairs for their ongoing work in advancing the peaceful uses of outer space. COPUOS plays an indispensable role in ensuring that outer space remains a peaceful domain, grounded in an inclusive and rules-based multilateral order. This is especially crucial as we seek to address the challenges of an increasingly complex and interconnected space. 2025 is an exciting year for space science and applications. This year marks the midterm review of the Space 2030 Agenda, where we will take stock of how space activities and tools have helped to accelerate attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals, which is especially crucial for developing states. We also look forward to discussions on the Unispace 4 Conference in 2027, As UNISPACE III was convened almost 3 decades ago, it is timely to organise a successor conference that would produce a concrete action plan and chart the Committee's path for the coming years. We hope that a decision to convene the conference can be taken by the Committee this year. We will continue to participate in the Subcommittee's ongoing work on issues such as space situational awareness, space debris mitigation, and the long-term sustainability of outer space activities, while contributing to the discussion on new initiatives, such as the Action Team on Lunar Activities Consultation. As our local space ecosystem grows, Singapore is committed to implementing the Guidelines for the Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities, which are critical to ensuring space remains safe and accessible for future generations. Singapore's National Space Office, the Office for Space Technology and Industry, is proud to support the development of our local space industry. Over the past year, we have made significant strides in space research and development that reflects our commitment to advancing space technology for practical and sustainable applications. This includes very low Earth orbit satellite operations, carbon monitoring, very high-speed intersatellite communications, space-based quantum key distribution, and very high-frequency communications, mixed airspace integration, and trajectory-based operations. In the coming years, we will continue to expand our space sector, forge and deepen international partnerships, and develop space programmes in focus areas. One programme that Singapore has been working on is the Earth Observation Initiative, which catalyses the use of Earth observation to drive innovative solutions for sustainability, and humanitarian goals across the Asia-Pacific region. We will provide more details on Singapore's vision for space, including on the Earth Observation Initiative, or EOI, at the next Global Space and Technology Convention and Exhibition 2025, which will take place from 26 to 27 February 2025 in Singapore. We look forward to welcoming Director Yunusa, Ms. Aarti Holam-Maini, as well as other COPUS delegates to the GSTCE. Singapore firmly believes in the importance of international and regional cooperation in space science and technology for peaceful applications, and participates actively at multilateral fora such as the International Astronautical Congress. At the regional level, Singapore hosted the ASEAN Subcommittee on Space Technology and Applications, or SCOSA, in October 2024, which highlighted our region's collective efforts to build robust space capabilities and address shared challenges. We are pleased to highlight the successful completion of several SCOSSA initiatives, including the ASEAN-Italy Cooperation Initiative on Space and Smart Technologies, co-organised with the Italian Space Agency, and the Space Policy Expert Exchange Seminar, co-organised with the Secure World Foundation for ASEAN member states. We have also published a compendium on ASEAN Satellite Assembly integration and testing facilities together with Thailand. We reaffirm our commitment to the objectives and purpose of COPRUS, and to the peaceful, safe and sustainable use of outer space by all. We believe that small states and emerging space players like Singapore can play a constructive role in promoting the peaceful uses of outer space. We remain committed to promoting an open, inclusive and rules-based approach to the responsible use of space for all. Thank you, Chair.


STSC · Chair [30:15]:

I thank the distinguished representative of Singapore for the statement. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of Switzerland. You have the floor.


Switzerland [30:27]:

Thank you very much, Chair. Thank you for everything you are doing and being so dynamic, and rest assured of our support as you carry out your mandate. We would also like to thank UNOOSA for its committed work and progress made in 2024. The Swiss delegation expresses its heartfelt condolences to the Republic of Poland following the demise of Ambassador Mistal, who was an invaluable and appreciated member of COPOOS. We also express our sincere condolences to Nigeria following the following the death of Dr. Abdi Abdiom, who was a pillar of UNOSA. Our thoughts go to the families and friends. Chair, the Pact for the Future brought high-level attention to challenges having to do with safety, security, and the long-term viability of outer space activities. We hail the mandate given to COPUOS through Action 56, And will support related processes. In our view, UNISPACE 4 should be a way to raise awareness regarding the benefits of outer space activities, particularly for sustainable development. It will also be a time to make concrete headway on space traffic, space debris, and space resources, all in relation with the long-term sustainability Sustainability of outer space activities and dark and quiet skies. Unispace 4 is a time to demonstrate the relevance of COPUOS when it comes to responding to current challenges as well as emerging ones, while allowing for greater participation of non-governmental stakeholders. We'd like to thank Italy and Morocco for the CRP4 and informal held thereon. Madam Chair, following the adoption of a new space law in 2023, the Federal Council started developing a national space law headed by the Federal Department of Economy, Training, and Research. At the end of January, the draft law was opened for public consultations. For 3 months. The document seeks to regulate issues of permitting and monitoring of outer space operations, liability in case of damage, as well as the licensing of space objects in line with international treaties on space ratified by Switzerland. Switzerland is in favor of the safe and viable use of outer space in the long term. This was enshrined in our space policy for 2023. We are committed to the upholding and development of international law, as well as rules, standards, and guidelines that would apply across the board. Swiss stakeholders are on the front lines of research on space debris and capacity building when it comes to monitoring orbital objects. Now, on the matter of space traffic, we promote transparency, coordination, and information exchange so as to limit risks of collision inter alia. We welcome the establishment of ATLAC as well as the swift commencement of its work. By the recently elected Bureau. We congratulate Mr. Hassan Abbas from Pakistan and Madam Upia Elena Budezatu from Romania on their election by acclamation. We also participate in the ESA exploration programs and have signed the Artemis agreements in April 2024. We lend our support to CRP 16 and welcome the conversations that may be held there on with other states in ATLAS and in COPOLIS in a more general manner. Finally, we thank partners on the Group of Friends on Dark and Quiet Skies in the drafting of CRP 22. We took part in this and we would like to co-sponsor the document. When it comes to interferences optical— in the optical, infrared, or radio Red or radio spectrum. We think it would be— is it is important to limit the impact of satellite activity on astronomic observations. The ITU and COPUOS can work together on this. Every challenge should be addressed. We are grateful to Germany, the UAE, Peru, and UNOOSA for holding the World Space Forum in the end of 2024 in Bonn, which was a time for very useful discussions upstream of the work for 2025. I would also like to express my delegation's gratitude for the support provided by OOSA to the Space and Global Health Network, as well as to the 2 groups on near-Earth objects. Following the recent discovery of Asteroid 2024 YO1 Thank you. The swift activation of the ION network and the SMPHA planning group demonstrate the relevance of COPUOSA and the importance of predefined procedures and protocols for a swift reaction when there is imminent risk. Finally, we thank USA for holding the UN Space Sustainability Days and the Cislunar P&T workshop on the margins of this session.

Thank you.


STSC · Chair [36:18]:

I thank the distinguished representative of Switzerland for the statement. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of Algeria. You have the floor.


Algeria [36:56]:

Thank you, Chair.

My delegation would first and foremost like to congratulate you more warm— most warmly on your election to the head of the STSC. and assure you of our full cooperation. We would also like to thank Madam Arti Olomayni and the Bureau of UNUSA for the high-quality preparation of this session. Chair, my delegation fully aligns itself with the statements of the G77 and China, and the African Group allow us to add the following in our national capacity. It is our view that so as to attain the goals of this committee. What is needed is technological capacity building, as well as a transfer of technologies to developing countries and the promotion of international cooperation in outer space. The midterm review of the 2030 Space Agenda, we think, is a time to identify current challenges and provide additional support to developing countries such that they can attain their goals under the agenda. We support the implementation of the ATLAS, as well as has appointed 2 experts to serve thereon. We congratulate Pakistan and Romania following their elections as co-chairs of ATLAS. My delegation would like consultations on the action plan to see serious progress in a substantive manner. We support UNISPACE IV in 2027, as well as focusing it on action, ensuring that outer space remains peaceful, viable, and benefits all humankind in line with the Outer Space Treaty and international law. We continue implementation of our national space program. Through various actions, the Algerian telecommunications satellite ComSat-1 started its 8th year in orbit in 2024. It contributes, inter alia, to ongoing dissemination of public and private broadcasting as well as radio programs. Through the telecommunications satellites, we have applied it to various sectors and users. Furthermore, 2024 was a time for ongoing use of operations for maintenance of the LSAT-2B and 1B. When it comes to space applications, projects are developed with users so as to provide remote sensing, GNSS, and GNSS This was ongoing in 2024. Now, on risk mitigation and prevention, we've done a yearly stocktaking exercise in 2024, as well as various monitoring of biodiversity and vegetation and forests in light of natural disasters that hit Algeria in 2024. We are monitoring the changes in ecosystems as well as the migration of certain types of locusts, all of this through satellite imagery. We have continued also monitoring of crops through satellite imagery as well. These activities are garnering particular attention through the School for Agriculture, inter alia. Madam, we feel that this is the appropriate forum so as to facilitate knowledge transfer and that of technologies, as well as the development of space technologies to develop— to benefit social and economic development. And thus, we have supported work here so as to strengthen regional and international international cooperation. And by way of example, might I note the 3rd edition of the African Space Conference 2024 on the role of space in poverty reduction in Africa, the Symposium for the Earth Observatory organized by the EU Commission, and the 6th session of the Board of Governors of the Regional Center for Space Science and Technologies of Asia and Pacific, which happened in Peking, or Beijing rather. Then our work on geosciences and remote sensing, namely a Mediterranean symposium and that of the Middle East on remote sensing in April 2024. Madam Chair, rest assured of the cooperation and support of this delegation as you ably steer the work of the 63rd STSC session. Thank you.


STSC · Chair [42:06]:

I thank the distinguished representative of Algeria for the statement. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of Portugal. You have the floor.


Portugal [42:14]:

Thank you, Madam Chair. Distinguished representatives, as this is the first time my delegation is taking the floor, I would like to compliment you, Madam Chair, and assure you of your full cooperation during this session. Also, a special recognition to the Secretariat for their excellent support on the ongoing works. I would like to express our sorrow on the passing of Ambassador Andrzej Mieczal to his family and to the Polish delegation. Ambassador Mieczal was a very respected. respected and cherished member of the space community that will be missed, not only for his professional skills, most recently in the Space Resource Working Group, but also for his personal openness and sympathy. Our sincere condolences also to Nigeria on the passing of Dr. Abiodun, another esteemed member of the space community. Portugal would like to welcome Djibouti and Latvia as new member states. Further to the statement delivered earlier by the distinguished representative of the European Union, with a special mention to Ukraine, we would like to convey the following points. Madam Chair, Portugal actively pursues a strong education agenda on STEAM and space. As a result, Portugal issued the first launch licenses of 2 university satellites: ESDS-Sat-1, a CubeSat qualified by the European Space Agency, whose launch was followed by ground station of Santa Maria in the Azores, and Prometheus, with the programmed reentry that emerged from the partnership program with Carnegie Mellon University. Portugal licensed the launch and command and control operation of the PeoSat-2 satellite, whose proposed mission concerns development of advanced space engineering solutions to improve the safety and efficiency of global maritime communication and navigation, based on the phased launch of a constellation of 12 satellites with the aim of providing VHF data exchange system and automatic identification system communication services. Portugal is a strong advocate of sustainable space in which space traffic coordination and space situational awareness are vital. We need to ensure global mechanisms to prevent the increase of space debris and mechanisms mechanisms for space traffic management. We look forward for the developments on this topic during this session. One of the aspects of sustainability is capacity building, awareness, and the adherence to international space law and to international guidelines. Portugal is happy to join the Space Law for New Space Actors project and to assist the office in the Monaco Technical Advisory Mission. To prepare for long-duration missions beyond LEO, ESA and its international partners have been using the ISS to conduct experiments analyzing the impact of space environment on human health. The Portuguese Space Agency, ESA, and the Portuguese Navy are working together in the first scientific mission to study the isolation standard measures. Submarines recreate conditions similar to those of space missions, such as isolation, confined environments, and operational challenges, making them ideal for studying the effects of these conditions on crews and developing strategies to deal with them. Portugal already has several terrestrial analog sites, such as the Capelinhos volcano, all to be found in the National Catalogue of Analog Sites and Facilities. Madam Chair, Portugal remains fully committed to the sustainable use of outer space. The current Working Group is scheduled to conclude its works in 2026, with the final report including information on and recommendations related to each of the 3 key elements within its mandate. We do stress the need for a significant conclusion of the works translated in substantive reports that can effectively support the discussions on these fundamental issues, including further than 2026. We are looking forward to the unfolding of the works during this session, as well as to the progresses to be achieved in the informal consultations of ATLAS, attack, a mechanism that we find of fundamental importance as lunar activities becomes increasingly recurrent by different space actors and latitudes, as we hear regularly in this committee. In this regard, we would like to congratulate China, India, and Japan for their recent successes on the Moon, and Romania and Pakistan for co-chairing this action team. The World Space Forum provided a vital platform the global space community exchange knowledge and elaborate on current and future challenges, including the outcomes of the Summit of the Future. We would like to congratulate the office, Germany, and United Arab Emirates and Peru for hosting such a fruitful event. The Pact for the Future encouraged the committee to consult on a potential Unispace 4 conference and advocated for broad engagement from private sector, civil society, and other stakeholders. We support the general opportunity of Unispace 4 also as a catalyst for the UN system and for the advancement of concrete space governance frameworks, having in mind the need of streamlined work and priorities. An extended version of our statement will be available online. Thank you, Madam Chair.


STSC · Chair [47:21]:

I thank the distinguished representative of Portugal for the statement. We will continue our reconsideration of Agenda Item 3. General exchange of views this afternoon. Distinguished delegates, I would now like to continue and hopefully conclude our consideration of agenda item six: Space system-based disaster management support. Distinguished representative of Luxembourg, you have the floor.


Luxembourg [47:51]:

Merci beaucoup.

Thank you, Chair. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, the world faces humanitarian crises and national disasters that are increasingly complex. They impact in particular the most vulnerable, with more than 300 million people requiring humanitarian assistance urgently in 2025. We must rethink our approaches, drawing on innovative solutions and technologies, is crucial so as to tackle these humanitarian challenges with better efficiency, impact, and in line with local needs. Luxembourg continues to galvanize tech— space technologies and applications when it comes to cooperation and development, as well as humanitarian action, in particular in the management of humanitarian crises and natural disasters. Amongst the flagship projects, I would mention the Emergency.lu platform. This has been designed so as to establish— reestablish communication by providing satellite services for humanitarian organizations and those impacted by humanitarian or environmental disasters. Most recently, Emergency.lu provided 2 antennas through— when the Kido cyclone— hurricane hit the Mayotte Island in December, in coordination with French technicians on the ground. In addition to this, we are particularly engaged in Earth remote sensing, in particular for early warning of emergencies. Thus, we decided to provide— to engage in partnership with the innovative service of the Agency of the United Nations for Refugees and the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology for an early warning system and effective response for this forced displacement by using space technologies. Promoting innovation and research in a constantly changing field is a key priority for humanitarian action in my country. Along these lines, in 2024, we've engaged in strategic partnership with the World Food Programme, the European Center for Nuclear Research, CERN, and the Luxembourg Institute of of Science and Technology. This is a partnership to offer space techno— rather, technological progress, in particular in space technologies, so as to deal with food insecurity and famine. Another initiative I would note is the Humanitarian Innovation Accelerator. This has been launched in cooperation with the World Food Programme and the Austrian Development Agency. This program seeks to provide out-of-the-box solutions to respond to humanitarian crises by focusing on AI, science, data science, and space technology. Furthermore, we decided to support UNICEF in financing various activities in 2025. This focuses on the use of space technologies and geospatial information to respond to various crises. To help humanitarian organizations and other member states of the UN. Ladies and gentlemen, the use of satellite data offers a wealth of opportunity, but also liability and risk, which must be taken into account. Together, we must ensure upholding of the principle do no harm when it comes to collecting satellite data. Also ensure risk management when it comes to the use of said data for non- peaceful purposes. Also, there are ongoing technological divisions across the globe. It's important that skills be transferred to developing countries such that no one is left behind. In this regard, Luxembourg bilaterally is committed to building capacity for youth, students, and professionals when it comes to space technologies and Earth observation, in particular through projects in Costa Rica and Senegal.

Thank you.


STSC · Chair [51:45]:

Thank you very much.

I thank the distinguished representative of Luxembourg for the statement. We have concluded our consideration of Agenda Item 6, Space System-Based Disaster Management Support. Russian Federation.


Russian Federation [52:08]:

Thank you very much, Chair. The delegation of the Russian Federation would like to make a request to you, Madam. Might you leave this agenda item open, please? The reason being that the Russian Federation has not yet taken the floor thereon. That is because our specialized expert on the matter unfortunately hasn't arrived yet. He will be here next week.

Thank you.

And that will be on 11 February. And so we beg your understanding. These people deal with the issues of the impacts of emergency situations and due to professional commitments are not here now but will come next week and will be making a statement on agenda item 6 on 11 February. Thank you, madam.


STSC · Chair [53:08]:

If that is agreeable to all, we will leave this agenda item open until next week. I see no objections. It is so decided. Distinguished delegates, I would now like to continue and hopefully conclude our consideration of agenda item 7, recent developments in global navigation. Satellite systems. The first speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of Italy. You have the floor.


Italy [53:38]:

Madam Chair, distinguished delegates, on behalf of the Italian delegation, I would like to report the national activities under this agenda item. Italy has significantly contributed to the field of global navigation satellite systems in recent years. One of the most notable projects is the establishment of the first national GNSS competence centre, announced in September 2024. This centre will be developed and managed by an Italian industry and hosted in Rome. The project involves Italian university research centres and industrial companies, including the National Institute of Metrology Centre, the Italian Aerospace Research Centre, and several University. The competence center aims to create a laboratory that will use resources distributed through Italy for the development of new capabilities, solutions, and technologies in satellite navigation. It will focus on new software for monitoring GNSS servicing performance and testing new receivers. Moreover, it has been recently launched in collaboration with NASA the Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment, LUGRE. This project, developed by the Italian Space Agency and implemented by the Italian company Castcom, achieved, achieved unprecedented success by detecting GNSS signal at a distance exceeding 300,000 kilometers from Earth. This milestone represents a significant advancement in space navigation capabilities. The NASA and Italian Control Centre continue to analyse the collected data, positioning Italy as a key player for future lunar navigation systems, particularly within the ESA Moonlight programme. Madam Chair, at European level, Italy continues to play a crucial role in the European Union Global Navigation Satellite System, within the Galileo programme and Galileo Second Generation. national key industry player, operates one of the 2 Galileo control centres in the Fucino Space Centre. Moreover, Italy plays a pivotal role in the ESA navigation programmes. As one of the largest contributions to the Navigation Innovation and Support Programme, NAVISP, Italy supports research and development for the next-generation PNT technologies and future NAV programme. Madam Chair, the Italian Space Agency has recently improved the existing national GNSS frame network, entailing 46 stations across Italy. This infrastructure will receive signals from major GNSS systems. The network will provide high-precision geodetic data to support scientific research, professional applications, and innovative positioning services. All data will be processed at the Italian Space Agency's Space Data— Space Center in Matera, offering numerous resources for application spanning from precision farming to space weather monitoring. This achievement reinforced the national geodetic capabilities and contribution to the international reference framework. I thank you very much for the attention.


STSC · Chair [56:50]:

I thank the distinguished representative of Italy for her statement. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of Mexico.


Mexico [56:57]:

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Distinguished delegates, currently Mexico is covered by the Wide Area Augmentation System, or the WAAS, by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. This system has 5 reference stations installed in various regions in Mexico, thereby allowing us to make the most of the advantages offered by trained teams. The challenge is broadening the use of these applications by society and also develop those applications that meet society's needs. And so we still have challenges ahead, which includes setting up an official official monitoring, disseminating information within Mexico about the conditions under which WAAS and GNSS operate in order to give certainties and to provide information needed by those developing applications. There are many, many opportunities and we need to analyze how other GNSS systems can improve. The use of all of these applications, such as autonomous land and sea navigation within an early warning system or a synchronization network, are examples of opportunities to participate in technological development at a global level. For this, the Mexican Space Agency, in collaboration with the National Meteorology Center, undertook the development of a proof of concept concept and prototype for a time and frequency synchronicity network through creating a highly accurate replica of Coordinated Universal Time generated in the National Meteorology Centre, which is the best reference for time and frequency in the country and is internationally recognised. Looking forward, we hope to develop a time and frequency transfer system in real time that is highly accurate using the common view technique with GNSS. Some of the benefits or applications of the time synchronicity network would be the efficient use of the network bandwidth, improved speed of network transmission, strengthening electronic transactions, better security on the network, strengthening technology and communication infrastructure, consolidating the use of electronic signatures and setting up a monitoring and follow-up system for public transport which is automated and can be consulted in real time, among other things. Moreover, the Mexican Space Agency, along with the European Union, issued a call for proposals with the specific aim of setting up a Galileo Information Centre in Mexico for European navigation satellite programmes to— for the region of Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. This information centre was set up in partnership with the EU, the National Autonomous University of Mexico, the Polytechnic University in Madrid, and in partnership with other companies, providing technical experience and institutional capacity as well as the strength of teamwork to provide support services to the satellite navigation industry, to develop applications, and to help end users in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. The goals of the Galileo Information Centre for Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean included guaranteeing visibility of satellite navigation activities in Mexico and in the region, analyzing satellite navigation initiatives in this region, and guaranteeing user support for current and future users in Mexico and in the region for activities including developing new applications, products, and services based on GNSS, as well as facilitating industrial cooperation and research between European and Latin American stakeholders. We would also like to highlight collaboration between the Mexican Space Agency and the European Space Agency in setting up a data— a GNSS data monitoring station in Mexico in the National Meteorology Center located in Querétaro. Where we share real-time data to better understand the behaviour of GNSS in the region in terms of availability, accuracy, continuity, integrity, and robustness. Currently, once we've carried out the necessary adjustments and tests, we will be able to share data with different national users, including the National Geodetic Geodetic Network, the National Institute for Statistics, Geography and Information, Navigation Services in Mexican Space Agency, and other relevant agencies. We will also be able to look at broadening this collaboration with the European Space Agency in other areas of the country. Thank you very much, Chair.


STSC · Chair [1:02:29]:

I thank the distinguished representative of Mexico for the statement. The distinguished representative of Mexico was the last speaker on my list under this agenda item. We have therefore concluded our consideration of agenda item 7, recent developments in global navigation satellite systems. Distinguished delegates, I would now like to begin our consideration of agenda item 8, space weather. The first speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of the United States of America.

You have the floor.


United States of America [1:02:57]:

Thank you, Madam Chair. floor.

Thank you, Chair, and distinguished delegates. The United States remains committed to advancing our space weather observation and prediction capabilities and look forward to enhancing international cooperation as countries around the globe continue to expand their related interests and capabilities. Addressing space weather as a global concern requires coordinated efforts to predict and manage severe events and their impact on Earth. Activity on the Sun has reached its solar maximum period for Solar Cycle 25. In addition to more sunspots, energetic events like solar flares and coronal mass ejections have become more frequent in the past year. Ongoing measurements and focused research efforts are improving modeling and forecasting capabilities, and collaboration with our international partners has helped us to better predict and mitigate severe space weather events effectively. The United States leads and participates in numerous initiatives to improve space weather observations and services to advance the scientific understanding of the space environment and provide warning of critical space weather events. We continue to implement the U.S. 2019 National Space Weather Strategy and Action Plan, which highlight the importance of UN COPUSS and serve as a roadmap for coordinated interagency and international efforts. Chair, the United States makes its space weather data and forecasts available on a free and open basis. The United States strives to improve its space weather observing infrastructure and to maintain long-term continuity of essential observations. To this end, this past June, NOAA launched the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites-19 satellite, which carries a compact coronagraph, a Powerful Space Telescope, Solar Telescope, which is the world's first operational space-based coronagraph, and began observing the Sun's corona, which is used to observe a coronal mass ejection size, mass, speed, and direction, warning forecasters of impending geomagnetic events. Later this fall, NOAA will launch the Space Weather Follow-On mission at Lagrange Point which will orbit the Sun to collect data and measurements and will use a suite of instruments to make real-time measurements of the solar wind, thermal plasma, and the magnetic field. The United States appreciates the support of our international partners such as Korea and Japan, who have agreed to contribute to the operational space-based weather observations to support this mission and future space-based space weather missions with NOAA's Space Weather Next program. Chair, NASA advances the scientific understanding of space weather through improved measurement and analysis techniques and transitioning space weather research into operations and applications for improved nowcasting and forecasting. In 2024, NASA's Centers of Excellence began their first full year of activity to address grand challenges in space weather and transition those outcomes to operational space weather users. The NASA Moon to Mars Space Weather Analysis Office provided real-time space weather environment analysis this past May to NASA missions during the largest solar storm ever measured at Mars. Also in May 2024, the US hosted a space weather tabletop exercise, a simulated event to identify response plans and communication processes. In closing, Chair, the United States appreciates all that member states are doing to implement the LTS guidelines for space weather. Thank you, Chair.


STSC · Chair [1:07:20]:

I thank the distinguished representative of the United States of America for the statement. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of Thailand. You have the floor.


Thailand [1:07:32]:

Madam Chair, distinguished delegates, Thailand realized the crucial impacts of spate weather on global infrastructure and society. To fulfill our commitment on advancing spate weather research and preparedness, we have undertaken taken several initiatives which we would like to present in this agenda item. In October last year, Thailand was honored to hold the 7th Asia-Oceania Fair Weather Alliance, or OSWA, Workshop 2024, bringing together experts and scientists to discuss cutting-edge research and policy under scope of space weather science forecasting and mitigation. The workshop was structured around 8 thematic sessions including dynamic of the magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere system influenced by solar wind and geomagnetic storm, advanced modeling, observation, and new tools for understanding solar activities. The workshop also provides unique opportunity to discuss on Solar Cycle 25 events and lessons learned from the unprecedented G5-level geomagnetic storm in May 2024, which severely impacted technological systems. Through these sessions, OSWA 2024 was enhancing regional cooperation, improving predictive capabilities, and advancing experiential resilience. Public outreach and integration of local observation into international networks are the key to strengthen awareness and foster broader creation in the Asia-Oceania region. For awareness raising, particularly among young generations, Thailand has been conducting outreach programs with the strong intention to expand its monitoring network by installing new bedwetter sensors. Notable events, for example, The workshop on particle detection from ground to space and space weather impacts was hosted by Chiang Mai University in February last year, as well as the Thai Space Physics and Space Weather Workshop was organized during the Thailand Space Week 2024, focusing on integration, local and global participation Madam Chair, distinguished delegates, Thailand is active in fostering international collaboration in the area of space weather. We participate in space weather panel COSPA 2024 Busan, Republic of Korea, and other international events, acquiring benefit from partnerships with international agencies institutes and intergovernmental organizations with our gratitude. This collaboration have been instrumental in enlarging our research capabilities and understanding space weather phenomena. Regarding the update on the operation, Thailand, by Geoinformatics and Space Technology Development Agency, GSDA, Just launched a space weather forecasting system and database in March 2024. Our researchers are eager to— in developing new techniques to enhance the accuracy and capabilities of these forecasts, guided by our 15-year National Space Master Plan and the Earth-Space System Frontier Research Roadmap. In conclusion, Thailand remains committed to advancing spadewater research and enhancing resilience through partnership. We sincerely appreciate the continuous support and cooperation from international organizations, institutes, and universities. Together, we can strengthen our collective ability to address the challenges posed by moderator and protect our shared technological assets. Thank you, Madam Chair and distinguished delegates.


STSC · Chair [1:12:15]:

I thank the distinguished representative of Thailand for the statement. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of Saudi Arabia. You have the floor.


Saudi Arabia [1:12:33]:

Ms. President, space weather is one of the key factors that directly impacts space activities and the technologies associated therewith. Space weather is defined as the dynamic interactions between solar activity and Earth's magnetic field, focusing on various scientific phenomena such as solar emissions, geomagnetic storms, and other phenomena that significantly affect satellites, terrestrial power grids, as well as the health and safety of astronauts during manned space space missions. Given that the current year, 2025, coincides with the solar maximum, which is— or with the solar peak, which is a periodic event that occurs approximately every 11 years as part of the solar cycle, this period is marked by an increase in solar activity that significantly affects the space environment. As we have seen in the past, the solar peak has tangible effects on space systems. For example, in 2003, some satellites experienced service interruptions due to solar flares during the solar maximum, which impacted communication systems. Given our current heavy reliance on space infrastructure in various fields on Earth, such as communications, navigation, environmental monitoring, and others, the potential effects of these solar storms may be more complex. The possible consequences include widespread disruptions in communication systems, significant impacts on global navigation systems, and even terrestrial power grids. It is also important to understand the impact of space weather on exacerbating the challenge of space debris, which poses a significant threat to the safety of satellites and spacecraft. One of the key cases highlighting the impact of space weather on space debris occurred in May last year when satellite data analysis revealed that more than 5,000 satellites maneuvered to change their orbits during a solar storm, which increased the likelihood of collisions, thereby heightening the risk of space debris. In this context, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia recognizes the importance of this field and is giving great attention to developing national capabilities for monitoring and forecasting space weather. The Kingdom is working on launching the first Saudi satellite dedicated to studying space weather and collecting scientific data on Earth's magnetic field, solar particles, and solar radiation. Additionally, Saudi Arabia is enhancing research capabilities through the unification of national efforts which in turn focuses on space weather research and space physics. The Kingdom is committed to developing the space weather infrastructure by providing the necessary technologies to observe space weather phenomena via ground-based systems, which will in turn strengthen the national capabilities in space weather. Forecasting space weather and creating plans to mitigate its effects is of paramount importance, as the impact of these phenomena extends beyond regional boundaries, international cooperation and shared knowledge are essential. It is clear that space weather challenges require a coordinated response on an international scale. Addressing the effects of space weather in terms of forecasting and mitigating its impacts requires international cooperation based on data exchange and the development of accurate and comprehensive predictive models. Therefore, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia calls upon all members to intensify efforts for international cooperation in the field of space weather. This can be achieved through the consolidation of mechanisms for exchanging relevant scientific data, enhancing research partnerships, and developing unified monitoring systems for space phenomena. This will result in highly accurate forecasts and consequently reduce the associated risks of space weather. In conclusion, the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space has long recognized the importance of promoting international cooperation in the peaceful and sustainable use of space. We also recognize and acknowledge the report on the United Nations Germany workshop on the International Space Weather Initiative preparing for the solar maximum that was held in June last in Germany. In this regard, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reaffirms that international cooperation in this field is not only an option but also a scientific and security necessity to ensure the peaceful and sustainable use of space. Thank you.


STSC · Chair [1:17:21]:

I thank the distinguished representative of Saudi Arabia for the statement. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of China. You have the floor.


China [1:17:33]:

Madam Chair, distinguished delegates, China continues to promote capacity building for space weather monitoring, building an integrated space-to-ground observation system. We are strengthening space weather scientific research, enhancing space weather operational capabilities through domestic-international cooperation, providing space weather support services, sharing space weather forecast products with international counterparts, and advancing global coordination. On space weather, China has successively put onboard 12 foreign satellites, 34 space weather monitoring payloads. On the ground, China has established nearly 56 space weather stations capable of systematically monitoring the solar photosphere, chromosphere, magnetic field, and electron density profiles, scintillation, D-region absorption, and upper atmospheric wind field and temperature. Additionally, China has nearly 1,000 GPS water vapor observatories observation stations that also measure total electron content in the ionosphere. With these monitoring systems and the support of international data sharing, China's space weather operations run continuously, providing long, medium, and short-term forecasts for solar, interplanetary, magnetospheric, and ionospheric space weather conditions. Furthermore, China issues early warnings and real-time alerts for space weather events.

Thank you.

Space weather operations are a global effort. Effective and extensive international cooperation is crucial for preventing and mitigating space weather disasters. China's space weather operators value close cooperation with counterparts from countries such as the U.S. and Australia. China always follows the supports the efforts of organizations such as the International Space Environment Service, International Living with a Star Program, International Space Weather Initiative, the Committee on Space Research and International Space Science Institute at Beijing. China actively participated in the space weather work of the WMO and is also one of the global space weather centers under the ICAO. Regarding the Solar Wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer SMILE mission jointly developed by China and Europe, the satellite platform and the payload module have been transported, transported to Europe for integration and testing.

China is also working with global space weather scientists, steadily promoting International Meridian Circle program.

The program aims to establish a global ground-based distributed observation network by connecting over 1,000 instruments from stations across dozens of countries. The 25th solar cycle has entered its peak phase. There is a possibility of global-scale space weather disasters. To effectively address the extreme space weather disasters, the international community must carry out long-term and effective cooperation. We would suggest to continue international space weather activities under the WMO and ISAO frameworks, such as coordinating space-based space weather monitoring. This will bring the benefits of space weather services to the whole world. I encourage more member states to become space weather partner nations. Thank you, Madam Chair.


STSC · Chair [1:20:30]:

I thank the distinguished representative of China for the statement. The next speaker on my list The distinguished representative of France, you have the floor.


France [1:20:43]:

Thank you, Madam Chair. Chair, delegates, dear colleagues, our society increasingly depends on space systems and associated services. Therefore, it's essential that we better understand the impact of space weather. The variations in which are principally caused by solar variability. We need to understand their impact on space systems, but also manned space flights, telecommunications, GNSS systems, high-altitude space plane passengers, and terrestrial technology infrastructure. In this context, France supports international cooperation in the— in applied research to the physics of solar-Earth relations and recommends that we better define and characterize solar events and the probability of their occurrence and analyze their impact on space and air systems. France is very active in this field, in particular through the National Coordination Group in Meteorology and Space. This group coordinates actions undertaken by the French ecosystem on a national, European and international level to assess the impact of space weather in various priority fields such as orbit systems, civil aviation, terrestrial technology infrastructure, and defence. We encourage the sharing of information on major solar events and promote innovation and synergy between research, industry, and leading to the development of space weather as a service. This group uses the French scientific community and has set up a portal for prototype tools for space weather. Other actors in France have specific skills in this field, such as the Spectra French Group, which is the Space Weather Expert Centre for Aviation, and which publishes opinions for civil— international civil aviation in case of solar phenomena that may affect high-frequency radio communications or GNSS performance or increase radiation on aircraft. CNRS, CEA, and ONERA research labs and the industry and startup ecosystem also contribute to the ESA's space safety programme. France is a key provider of space instruments, sensor networks, and services linked to space weather. France indeed provides— provided the key instrument for the future Aurora mission from the ESA, which will observe auroral emissions and quantify in real time the energy transmitted to the upper atmosphere during strong geomagnetic disturbances. By assimilating data, we can also anticipate the impact of solar events on satellite positioning systems, radio communications, or electric networks. France also supports a service-oriented approach like the Swing mission developed within the ESA, which is supported by companies in New Space to propose new solutions for monitoring the upper atmosphere and the near-Earth spatial environment. Madame Chair, French authorities have closely followed the strong solar events in May and October 2024, as well as their potential impact, or operational impact. The risk linked to space weather was particularly closely followed during the recent Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, with the competition from the EU's EGNOS programme. France carried out operational monitoring of the impact on GNSS and the transmission of relevant warnings to critical operators. Very luckily, no exceptional situations for GNSS arose during this period. Madam Chair, the growing importance of space systems and their services calls for active work from the international community on space weather, and you can count on France to continue our efforts in this field. Thank you very much.


STSC · Chair [1:25:19]:

Thank the distinguished representative of France for the statement. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of Japan. You have the floor.


Japan [1:25:28]:

Thank you, Chair, distinguished delegates. On behalf of the Japanese delegation, I am pleased to present Japan's recent activities in the field of space weather. With the increasing number of space operations, monitoring space activity solar activities and the space environment is becoming ever more crucial to ensure the safety and sustainability of outer space activities. The National Institute of Information and Communication Technology, NICET, in Japan has been at the forefront of this effort. NICET conducts solar observations using its own solar radio telescope and operates a ground station to receive data on solar wind and images from U.S. satellites. Additionally, NICT has established a ground-based observation network of the ionosphere to monitor and forecast ionospheric disturbances. These instruments provide useful data for space weather monitoring, forecasting, and research. NICD has been operating 24/7 space weather forecast operations since 2019 and has been monitoring and forecasting large-scale space weather phenomena that frequently occur during the solar maximum. Chair, NICD has made several contributions to the formulation of space weather international framework. It has been a member of the International Space Environment Services, ICES, since its establishment and has been the acting chair of ICES since 2023. Since 2011, NICD has served as a secretary of the Asia-Oceania Space Weather Alliance, AOSWA, in collaboration with space weather operators and researchers in the Asia-Oceania region. Japan highly commends the professional work of JISDA, Thailand, in hosting the 7th AOSWA meeting last October. In the final report of the expert group on Space Weather Towards Improved International Coordination for Space Weather Services, Document AAC 105C-1122, adopted during COPUS in 2022. The group recommended the establishment of, of a forum to discuss space weather coordination. In 2023, COSPAR ISS and WMO led the first roundtable meeting of the International Space Weather Coordination Forum, ISWCF, in Geneva, Switzerland. A positive outcome of the ISWCF discussions was establishment of GEON, a Global Comprehensive Ionosphere Observation Network, in 2025. Japan has been supporting these efforts through NICD. NICD also contributes to the activity of IKO, WMO, and ITU. Additionally, since 2021, NICD has been developing space weather monitoring sensors on geostationary orbit satellites in cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and the Japan Meteorological Agency. The unique sensors will be installed in the next-generation meteorological satellite known as Himawari, which is scheduled to be fully operated by 2029. Observations using these sensors are important not only to monitor regional space weather, but also to help establish a global infrastructure that supports the safety and security of the ICT society. So JAXA has endeavored to contribute to the international space weather community, including to NICD, by providing crucial critical data obtained by JAXA's artificial satellites such as Hinode launched in 2006 and Arase launched in 2016. JAXA is also contributing to to advanced research to improve space weather forecasts, in collaboration with researchers from Nagoya University's Institute for Space Earth Environment Research, the Center for Heliospheric Science, and many other universities across Japan. Currently, JAXA is developing the next generation of solar observing satellites known as Solar-C, which will In the future, JAXA's integrated data obtained from a network of satellites is expected to support current space weather forecasting for human spaceflight activity on the Moon and Mars. Thank you for your attention.


STSC · Chair [1:30:46]:

I thank the distinguished representative of Japan for the statement. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of Italy. Thank you.


Italy [1:31:00]:

Honorable Chair, distinguished delegates, it's an honor for me to provide a brief and not exhaustive report on Italy's activity in the field of space weather. Space weather is a global concern due to its potential impact on space systems, human spaceflight, and both ground and space-based infrastructures. Facing these challenges requires international cooperation and coordination to improve predictive capabilities and mitigate potential risks. Italy has played an active role in the former STSG Space Weather Expert Group and now supports the UNOSA International Space Weather Initiative, ISWI. Furthermore, Italy participates in multiple collaborative projects, aimed at strengthening global resilience against space weather hazards. National efforts rely on a broad scientific community, technological advancements, and international cooperation. Madam Chair, Italian scientific and technological teams have consistently contributed to the development of advanced instrumentation for future space missions and ground-based observations. Forecasting and nowcasting modeling efforts at national and international levels have significantly enhanced space weather capabilities. In this context, Italy actively collaborates with leading international organizations, including the International Space Weather Initiative, the Committee on Space Research, COSPAR, the International Union of Radioscience, URSI, Agency, the Scientific Committee on Solar Terrestrial Physics , the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research , and the World Meteorological Organization. Additionally, Italian scientists have strongly supported the European Space Weather and Space Climate Association, the so-called ESWAN, an independent bottom-up association fostering space weather and space climate research in Europe. Madam Chair, the Italian Space Agency, the National Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology, and the National Institute for Astrophysics play key roles in supporting the European Space Agency Space Weather Services. INGV is also one of the providers for the PECASUS Consortium, one of the 4 global centres selected by International Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO, to deliver 24-hour/7 space weather services for civil aviation. Moreover, it contributes to the development of a prototype for an Italian space weather service, thanks to an agreement with the Italian Air Force and the National Institute for Astrophysics. A collaboration agreement between the Italian Space Agency and INGV has led to the establishment of the first ionospheric observatory in Eastern Africa, located at the Luigi Broglio Space Centre in Malindi, Kenya. This partnership has also facilitated the organization of 2 major capacity-building workshops, training over 100 students and early-career researchers from emerging countries, particularly in Eastern Africa. This workshop has covered key topics such as Sun-Earth coupling, Global Navigation Satellite System, GNSS data analysis, including also low-cost instruments, HF signal propagation, ionospheric measurement and monitoring, ionospheric modeling, and space weather impact forecasting. Madam Chair, distinguished delegates, The Antarctic Geospace and Atmosphere Research Project— Program, that is called AGATA, is a new scientific research program recently approved by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. AGATA is led by the Italian National Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology and the University of Oslo and includes contributions from research institutions across more than 30 countries. AGATA represents a coordinated worldwide effort to monitor, investigate, and better understand the physics of the polar atmosphere and the impact of the Sun-Earth interaction on the polar region. The participation in AGATA is open to all interested polar space weather researchers and institutions. In the context of the international collaboration, Italy is also engaging in the Pan-Arctic GNSS Infrastructure for Atmospheric Science and Space Weather, the so-called Pagina project, in partnership with Canada and Finland, further strengthening global scientific cooperation. Through these efforts, Italy has significantly enhanced scientific expertise and technological capabilities in space weather and ionospheric research. research, while simultaneously fostering capacity-building initiatives. These initiatives contribute to the development of sustainable and knowledgeable research communities in developing regions. Thank you. I would like to thank you for your attention.


STSC · Chair [1:36:22]:

I thank the distinguished representative of Italy for this statement. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of South Africa. You have the floor.


South Africa [1:36:32]:

Thank you, Madam Chair. Distinguished delegates, South Africa continues to actively participate and contribute to global space weather efforts as led by COSPA, ISIS, and WMO. South Africa values all national, regional, and global partnerships as they have enabled us to develop a national space weather capability with the a reasonably short space of time. Furthermore, South Africa remains dedicated to leading space weather development on the African continent through the African Regional Office of IKAO. Madam Chair, my delegation is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Mpho Chisapungu as the Vice Chair representative of the expert team on space weather within WMO.

WMO.

This team has been established to coordinate with relevant WMO bodies the development of WMO technical regulations and guidance and other relevant documents on all aspects related to space weather. My delegation is further pleased to report participation at the 28th meeting of the Met Panel Working Group on Met Operations Group Space Weather Workstream. Forming part of discussions on the progress made by the Regional Space Weather, Weather Center Integration Ad Hoc Group. This group has commenced with preparations for the integration process that is anticipated to be completed by mid-year of 2025, whereafter the regional space weather centers, including ours, will form part of the IKAO Space Weather Information services supporting all the global centers. In conclusion, Madam Chair, South Africa, in partnership with other African states, remains committed to the provision of space weather information services to our continent, and we are confident that our collective contribution will assist in addressing global space weather challenges.

Thank you.


STSC · Chair [1:38:38]:

I thank the distinguished representative of South Africa for the statement. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of the Republic of Korea. You have the floor.


Republic of Korea [1:38:48]:

Thank you, Madam Chair. The year 2024 marks the onset of the solar maximum, a period of heightened solar activity that is already impacting critical infrastructures and services such as satellite operation, aviation, and communication systems. This underscores the urgent need for robust to international cooperation, particularly through the Committee on the Peaceful Use of Outer Space, or COPUSS. The Republic of Korea measures solar activity as a natural disaster that may trigger national crisis. Last year, we experienced a significant space weather event, including the first G5 geomagnetic storms in 21 years. In response, a Level 2 advisory, or caution, has been declared under the 4-phase DGSLR system and activated coordinated measures across relevant ministries. These efforts include assessing potential impact on aviation, power grid, and satellite operations, successfully mitigating the risks associated with the event. Additionally, the 4 G4-level geomagnetic storms were observed last year, prompting a Level 1 advisory or attention has been issued for space weather events. As we face the challenge of the solar maximum, this government-wide effort will continue to play a critical role in minimizing risk and ensuring resilience. Recognize the importance of addressing space weather challenges, the Republic of Korea has integrated the Korea Space Weather Center into the broader framework of Space Situation Awareness, or SSA. This integration reflect the growing recognition of space weather alongside space debris as a key factor in ensuring safe and sustainable space activities. The center plays a vital role in monitoring and forecasting space weather events, as well as providing early warning to mitigate their impact. Through this unified approach, we aim to enhance our capability to respond to space-related hazards and safeguard critical infrastructure. The Republic of Korea is undertaking significant effort to enhance its space weather observation capability. The Korea Aerospace Administration, or KASA, and the Korea Meteorological Administration, or KMA, plan to develop the next geostationary meteorological satellite, GK5, which is scheduled for launch in 2031. It will be equipped with space weather sensors, including electron-proton detector, a satellite charging monitor, and magnetometer. Last year, we further expanded our international partnership by strengthening cooperation in space weather research and joint satellite data reception with key global institutions such as US NOAA, Brazil's National Institutes for Space Research, or INPE, and China Academy of Sciences, or CAS. The Republic of Korea also actively contribute to global effort to address space weather challenges. Last year, we successfully hosted the 45th COSPA Assembly in Busan, bringing together nations and researchers to collaborate on space weather and science. This event included the annual meeting of the International Space Environmental Service, or ISS, fostering knowledge exchange and innovation in space weather forecasting and technology. In addition, the Republic of Korea will host the 2026 International Space Weather Initiative, or ISWI, as announced during the ISWI closing ceremony in Neustadt an der Lech in Germany last June. This event will serve as a key platform for technical cooperation, knowledge sharing, and capacity building between developed and developing countries. It will also provide opportunity for policymakers researchers, academics to engage in meaningful discussion on global space weather challenges. These UN-led initiatives are essential for fostering international collaboration, ensuring the safe and sustainable use of our space, and protecting vital infrastructure from space weather risk. The Republic of Korea remains fully committed to supporting the activities of COPUS and advancing global cooperation in space weather. Thank you, Madam Chair.


STSC · Chair [1:43:02]:

I thank the distinguished representative of the Republic of Korea for the statement. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of the United Kingdom. You have the floor.


United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland [1:43:14]:

Chair, distinguished delegates, the United Kingdom continues to prioritize activities to mitigate the impacts of space weather. Severe space weather is identified in our National Risk Register and our response outlined in our severe space weather preparedness strategy. Achieving resilience requires international collaboration. The United Kingdom has built strong working relationships with our international partners, and we wish to enhance this further. Towards this, the United Kingdom invested a further €95 million into the European Space Agency Vigil space weather mission at the November 2022 ministerial. We would like to express our gratitude to those other nations supporting this mission and would encourage others to join in the global efforts to improve space weather forecasting capabilities. The contract for Vigil was signed in May last year, and preparations for the mission are going The United— the UK Space Agency is working closely with our Met Office Space Weather Operations Centre, Mosswak, to address the threat of severe space weather. Mosswak is one of just a handful of 24/7 space weather prediction centres around the world. Their information, forecasts, and warnings help build the resilience of United Kingdom infrastructure.

Thank you.

infrastructure and industries in the face of space weather events. At a national level, the Space Weather Instrumentation, Measurement, Modeling, and Risk, SWMMR, program is enabling the UK space weather community to make valuable advances in terms of monitoring and modeling many different aspects of space weather, with a key focus of transitioning results into operational use in line with our preparedness strategy. All activities will have concluded by April 2025, with the expectations of transitioning results into operational use at the Met Office, subject to an evaluation phase. Work continues to secure funding for follow-on work to sustain and enhance the achievements of SWMMER, seeking to establish an enduring and consistent process for operationalizing research. Chair, severe space weather is of global concern, which affects every nation. The UK would therefore like to thank those members supporting Vigil and other important missions and research activities. Thank you, Chair.


STSC · Chair [1:45:56]:

I thank the distinguished representative of the United Kingdom for the statement. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of India. You have the floor.


India [1:46:04]:

Thank you, Madam Chair, and distinguished delegates. The Indian scientific community working in the domains of solar physics, heliophysics, ionosphere, thermosphere, magnetosphere integrate their wisdom to understand the science of Sun-Earth connection from the perspective of space weather. Spread across the lower magnetic latitudes, Space weather effects on the Indian region is characterized by several interesting ionospheric phenomena like equatorial plasma bubbles, plasma fountain, posing major concern in space weather research due to their substantial disruption of long-distance communication across various radio frequencies, including over-the-horizon and ground-to-satellite links. These, along with the motivation of understanding the physics of solar eruptions and events have motivated the inception of the Aditya-L1 Solar Observatory, which operates from the first Sun-Earth Lagrange point. Madam Chair, today Aditya-L1 has been India's first dedicated space-based solar observatory that covers the studies of solar corona, photosphere, and chromosphere, X-ray flares both in soft as well as hard X-ray, as well as the solar wind particles and the magnetic field associated. The observatory was inserted to the halo orbit around the first Sun-Earth Lagrange point on January 6, 2024. Since then, the spacecraft has completed more than 2 orbits. On the first anniversary of the successful injection of Aditya-L1 spacecraft to its designated halo orbit, on January 6, 2025, the maiden set of scientific data from from Aditya-L1 has been released by ISRO to the Indian Space Science Data Center portal for the global scientific community. Aditya-L1, building upon India's rich history in solar science, provides continuous solar observation, advancing research in heliophysics and the Sun-Earth connection. The mission is crucial milestone for developing India's own space weather prediction program in the future. Madam Chair, Indian research utilizing the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph, VELC, instrument aboard the Aditya-L1 mission have observed a coronal mass ejection accompanied by a solar flare on July 16, 2024. By analyzing the emission of the green light from highly ionized iron in the solar corona, the VELC provided crucial insight into the dynamics of this significant space weather event. The observatory has also captured the signatures of the solar eruptions during the severe geomagnetic storm during May 2024. Madam Chair, India's ground-based network monitors crucial parameters like ionospheric conditions, magnetic fields, and radiation levels at various locations, complementing the Aditya-L1 mission. Real-time integration and analysis of the multi- sensor data have potential to enable a space weather forecasting program in future. This collaborative approach invites participation from diverse fields including artificial intelligence and machine learning, engineering, and industry. Madam Chair, in the spirit of international cooperation, on December 5, 2024, India has also launched the PROBA-3 of European Space Agency. Comprising 2 spacecraft, the coronagraph spacecraft and the occulter spacecraft, enabling unprecedented observation of the Sun's faint corona near the solar limb. India's endeavor for space and ground-based studies of the Sun, as well as the solar forcing on the Earth ionosphere, thermosphere, magnetosphere region, have significant importance to understand the space weather impacts in the lower as well as middle magnetic latitudes. Thank you, Madam Chair and distinguished delegates.


STSC · Chair [1:49:57]:

I thank the distinguished representative of India for the statement. The next speaker on my list is the distinguished representative of Mexico. You have the floor.


Mexico [1:50:11]:

Muchas gracias, Presidenta.

Thank you very much, Chair. Mexico is researching space system and has been doing so for more than 6 decades, including studies in solar physics, the magnetosphere, the geomagnetic field, and space weather. In June 2014, we had the Law for Civil Protection, which included creating public policy aimed at preventing space astronomic phenomena such as space weather. In October, we started a mission from the Institute of Geophysics in the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and in 2015, the Mexican Space Weather Service was recognized as a regional center for warnings for the International Space Environment Services, becoming the first Spanish language service within the organisation. In 2016, we set up a National Laboratory for Space Weather, which was a national project aimed at coordinating an extensive instrument network looking at space weather throughout the country. The data from the lab allows us to operate an early warning system for space weather with regional information. It is linked to civil protection authorities, governmental agencies, and the armed forces to develop public policies for prevention and mitigation of space weather phenomena. Another notable project is the signing in 2021 of a letter of intent to strengthen collaboration when it comes monitoring and studying space weather between the Brazilian Space Monitoring Center, the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina, the University of Chile, and the National Autonomous University of Mexico. The goal of this collaboration is to set up a regional alliance which other institutions in other countries can join later on in order to incentivize collaboration on space weather in Latin America. In June of 2024, this published recommendations for space weather in Mexico in order to understand and manage the risks associated with space weather to improve continuity in critical operation infrastructure, which would be a valuable resource for taking actions relating to the importance of preparation and collaboration in an environment where preparation is key to ensure a future. The goal of this is to lend visibility to the study and better understand solar phenomena in our country, and thereby to help develop a series of weather instruments, the end goal of which would be to reduce the possibility of disasters linked to extreme Events in space weather. Mexico has also actively participate in— participated in the expert group on space weather. In this context, we would like to reiterate our interest in continuing to work to improve international collaboration on space weather and to promote the implementation of related guidelines, which are included in the guidelines. on the long-term sustainability of outer space in all member states. Through representatives for space climate in Mexico, Mexico supports the group looking at current and future plans for member states when it comes to tackling phenomena caused by space weather and also supports the recommendations contained within the draft report from the Expert Group on Space Weather. Over the past year, many COPUS member states and key organizations linked to space weather have reiterated their desire to undertake actions aimed at improving international coordination on this Thank you, Chair, for this topic. As an active member of the International Space Environment Services and other international organizations linked to space weather, Mexico supports this roadmap. Chair, we believe that international collaboration is crucial to coordinate space weather services and to achieve the goals which is to make space an engine of sustainable development. Mexico's activities will help to comply with the recommendations from the expert group and the goals of the space agenda. And so Mexico would like to reiterate its commitment to continue working in this way. Thank you very much.


STSC · Chair [1:55:22]:

I thank the distinguished representative of Mexico for her statement. We will continue and hopefully Thank you. This concludes our consideration of Agenda Item 8, Space Weather, this afternoon. We will now suspend the plenary meeting so that the Working Group on the Use of Nuclear Power Sources in Outer Space can hold its first meeting. Following the adjournment of the Working Group meeting, we will then resume the plenary to proceed with technical presentations. Distinguished delegates, I would now like to proceed with technical presentations. The first presentation on my list is on findings from the United Kingdom. Space Agency and Office for Outer Space Affairs Space Environment Sustainability Assessment by the representative of the United Kingdom. You have the floor.


United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland · Jennifer Barry [2:16:56]:

Thank you, Chair, and good morning to all delegates. Uh, I'm Jennifer Barry from the Office of Chief Engineer within the UK Space Agency, and I'm honored to be giving this technical presentation titled Finding from the UKSA and NASA Space Environment Sustainability Assessment. Next slide, please. The Outer Space Treaty identifies the exploration and use of outer space as the province of all humankind. However, with increasing orbital use of up to 100,000 satellites estimated by 2030, global efforts should be made in finding and understanding the changing landscape of the space environment through continued activities. Currently, there is no globally accepted consensus view on the acceptable state or threshold for the outer space environment, or an agreed model or metric to measure the impact of space activities, despite the acknowledged importance of space sustainability at all international fora. Noting the importance of evidence-based space-based approaches for international agreements, it is felt that a key element in understanding whether future space activities are sustainable is the development of a threshold-based framework which is agreed and incorporated into global approaches for space governance or regulatory consideration. Next place— slide, please. The recently conducted study on space environment sustainability assessment led by the UK Space Agency, hereafter referred to as CESA, aim to establish a plan for incorporating a threshold-based model into governance or regulatory coordination frameworks, identify, evaluate, and support the development of threshold-based models to be used in assessing the sustainability of the space environment, including development of UK models, assess the technologies that would be needed to achieve a sustainable space environment and promote the need for a threshold-based framework internationally. The study ran for approximately 10 months and involved government, industry, and academia. 4 work streams were developed to align to the above aims.

Next slide, please.

In Work Stream 1, a critical review of similar domains that required environment and resource coordination was undertaken by Secure World Foundation, generating case studies as lessons learned on example governing bodies. This involved looking at case studies across international spectrum management, climate change mitigation, fisheries management, and deep-sea mining. Some key lessons learned are displayed, including that the most effective structure appeared to be an approach in which thresholds are set in a scientific or technical body which is separate from a governance body with implementation being more effective and possible at the national level. Additionally, trade-offs between short-term economic and social benefits and long-term environmental values need to be considered, as well as challenges in reconciling the interests of countries at different stages of use of space assets. Finding from the case studies also emphasized the need for adaptivity and multi-stakeholder involvement, and the important but challenging of transparency and accountability. Additionally, UKSA held engagements with some global space regulators and space agencies to understand how they currently consider space sustainability and document considerations for incorporating a threshold-based model for space environment sustainability into their regulatory frameworks. Through this, thought was given to a governance structure which could oversee the process of implementing and monitoring metrics for the space environment. Next slide, please. Workstream 2 undertook a study to identify different space sustainability or environmental metrics and began an initial assessment of the benefits to modelling approaches. Additionally, UK academia consortia were contracted to begin work to develop a model that could achieve the expected requirements. Note that due to timescales, the models were anticipated to only be at a prototype or functional level by the end of this project phase. The University of Southampton proposed a systems dynamic model which aims to provide a synthetic representation of the space environment in which an understanding of the role of individual factors or indicators can be gained and predictions at the larger macroscopic scale can be made. This allows considerations of trade-offs of policy decisions, which are an important consideration for achieving space sustainability in a holistic holistic context, including social— socioeconomic impact. The genesis of the University of Strathclyde's model comes initially from a project with ESA looking at modeling the space environment as a multi-layer temporal network of connected components. Under CESA, development focused on the space environment and related indicators and integration with the life cycle sustainability model. Within this model, the fragility of the space environment is measured by the degree of connectivity of the equivalent network and the rate at which the consequences and collisions and explosions spread across the environment. Whilst both models have different approaches to their development, some conclusions can be read across. The flexibility of the models to consider different use cases and understand the impact of future policy decisions is a critical factor in model development. Similarly, it is noted that validation of the whole systems model will be very difficult. There are no other models of the space system in the broad holistic context that already exist in literature to compare against. Both models support the idea that a single metric or orbital carrying capacity would be insufficient to capture the required metrics to ensure a sustainable space environment. Ultimately, both models consider the management of the impact of the use of space systems most critical to understanding the sustainability of the space environment. As written by the University of Southampton, the use of frameworks defining thresholds of acceptable conditions to be maintained in the system allows for the identification of a variety of management options to maintain sustainability. This switch in perspective from managing the use of the space system to managing the impact of the use of space systems allows constraining the number of space users to become one of many possible management options. Next slide. Oh, thank you. Um, Workstream 3 initially investigated a selection of agreed space sustainability guidelines or standards, including the LTS guidelines, ISO standards, IADC guidelines, Space Safety Coalition guidelines, and others, to identify commonalities, differences, and gaps. The intent of this work stream would be that this would inform future work on metrics, identifying the technological and behavioral levers that could be used to improve the environment. The work stream utilized sources of best practice for space sustainability to identify the critical technologies and approaches to achieve space sustainability across prevention, mitigation, and remediation. Some key findings from this study include the following: technologies facilitating the detection and tracking of space objects were identified as key, having the broadest impact across the standards. Reliability analysis and design tools were seen to have the second largest contribution to meeting the standards. Active debris removal capabilities and on-orbit services were also identified as ways of proving compliance with the standards and improving sustainability of the space environment. In the near term, compliance with space debris mitigation guidelines should be prioritized until ADR services are commercially sustainable. Other key gaps were identified where technologies would have a broad impact on improving space sustainability and were identified and assessed to have relatively low technology readiness levels. Some overarching conclusions can be drawn from the study. Notably, Further, the challenge of space sustainability continues to require consideration within multilateral forums such as COPUS to ensure appropriate coordination action can be taken. However, there are examples of where targets or metrics can be internationally agreed and governed, and core lessons learned have been determined. To support this, any future project must be clear on both what the underpinning indicators are, but also what the metrics are aiming to achieve, be this identifying risk, managing or allocating orbital resource, or promoting responsible behaviors. Furthermore, the importance of engagements between a variety of stakeholders, including governments, industry, academia, and regulatory body, was also noted. Development of specific engagement strategies to target a variety of stakeholders and ensure buy-in was viewed as critical. Specifically noted was the importance of gauging with emerging space nations to improve transparency on these issues, as well as ensuring operators were consulted to build trust. Corresponding to this, thought was given to a governance structure which could oversee the process of implementing and monitoring metrics for this— for the space environment. Technical conclusions were drawn from a number of the worksheets on the models themselves. Next slide, please. While there is no current commitment to a second or further phase of The UK recognizes the value in sharing work completed and investigating options for future development. It is hoped that some of these findings can be fed into the important research being performed by the Interagency Space Debris Coordination Committee. Overall, all work streams reached a conclusion of the value of a metric, or preferably metrics, which monitored and assessed the sustainability of the space environment. The process to develop such such metrics will likely be a political, diplomatic, and technical one, and we look forward to working with partners to explore this further. In particular, we welcome you to attend our side event co-hosted by UNOOSA tomorrow morning, where we'll provide an open opportunity for discussion on the topic of use of models and metrics for space sustainability. Thank you for your attention.


STSC · Chair [2:27:25]:

I thank the distinguished representative of the United Kingdom for the presentation. The second presentation on my list is on Space Road Rights and the Principles for Avoidance of On-Orbit Collision by the representative of China. You have the floor.


China · Dean · Guoyu Wang [2:27:40]:

Thank you, Chair, for the floor. Um, my name is Guoyu Wang. I'm the Dean of the Academy of Aerospace Policy and Law of Beijing Institute of Technology. So, as a space lawyer, I must talk about the space law right and the relevant principles whenever we will discuss the space traffic coordination. Next, please. So, I'm also the Deputy Director of CNSA Space Law Center and the Board Director of the International Institute of Space Law. I've served as the delegate and legal advisor of our delegation to COPUOS and various arms and Shore Platform in Geneva. I've been attending the LTS Working Group for 8 years and broadly involved in some international projects regarding treaty interpretation and decision-making. Next, please. So I'd like to take this great opportunity to introduce a new legal concept, space law right, which is envisaged to be the fundamental basis for the establishment of the regime for space traffic coordination at the operational level. The operator who has a legal obligation to conduct a proactive maneuver must have more motivation than the other— than others to initiate an STC procedure. Thus, identification of space road right is critical for a rational operator to take the cost-benefit analysis legal risks analysis as well before deciding at operational level. Unfortunately, the existing space law cannot provide enough legal certainties and predictabilities to manage AOC. I hereby propose 6 principles for your consideration about relevant agenda items and proposals in both SC&C and Legal Subcommittee. Next, please.

Thank you.

We are supposed to be aware of the right of way on ground. When two vehicles approach the same location simultaneously, the party with the right of way has a privilege to go first. However, there's no such legal concept and regime in space, but there is national practice in this regard, like the agreement between NASA and SpaceX, which stipulates that the requirement of starting launch. injection orbits at least 5 kilometers in altitude above or below ISS or NASA SS. Although it does not expressly raise the flag of space road right, it is obvious that ISS or NASA SS have the priority right of road in this case. Such national STM measures provide useful references to the STC internationally. Thank you. Next, please. In general, I define the space law right as the right of a space actor to operate the space object under its jurisdiction and/or control in certain orbits, trajectory, or areas. From legal perspective, the subjects of this right are states and intergovernmental organizations. As to the space law right of non-governmental entities, it should should be recognized under the relevant domestic law. Space road right includes access right, passage right, priority right, and right of stay. The critical issue of space traffic coordination is which party has the priority right in specific cases. Next, please. Now I briefly introduce the specific right under the umbrella of space road right. First, the right to Right to access means the right of a space actor to launch or release its object into outer space. The qualifications to enjoy the right to access manifest radio frequency and launch license. The right to access is the prerequisite to exercise other rights.

Next, please.

Passage right in space means the right of space actor to run its object along a certain orbit or trajectory including the passage right in the process of launching and reentry. We're familiar with the passage right of traffic law on Earth. Although it's not the case in space, the registration of space object provides similar specific line for a space object. It provides a new perspective to understand the significance of registration and notification. That is, it can confirm and protect the passage right of relevant states or operators.

Next, please.

Now come to the most important one, priority right. The right of space actor to go first or to maintain a scheduled trajectory without need to proactively conduct maneuver when there are conflicts of passage rights of different operators.

We are—

again, we are aware of the traffic law. on Earth, but what should be the principles in space to confirm priority rights? Next, please. The last one is right of stay, refers to the right of space actor to remain stationary or stay in certain orbits, trajectory, areas within certain time. It should be exercised in accordance with the non-appropriation principle under the Outer Space Treaty, and it should comply with maximum stay of say, 5, 6 years, 25 years requirements on the relevant domestic and international rules. Next, please. So, as to the principles in space to confirm priority right, first, attribution of burdens to risk-maker principle. The one who brings AOC risks should proactively conduct AOC matters. It's in line with the general principle of law and the due regard obligation under space law. Second, priority of invaluable projects principle. Like the manned mission, deep space exploration mission should be granted priority right of road in general. Then the beneficiary could provide certain identification to the proactive maneuver actor under the principle of justice. Next, please. Third, priority of space mission of public interest principle, such as satellites carrying on disaster management, emergency responses mission, may have the priority right of route in general. Again, the indemnification should be considered to seek the balance of interests of all the involved parties. Fourth, least cost principle, or we say efficiency principle. It means that the legal burdens should be allocated to the one who can avoid collision in lower costs. Then subsequently, the answer to the matter would be how to determine the lower cost in different circumstances. Next, please. Fifth, safety-first principle. Burdens should go to the one who are in a better position to avert the collision, but it does not necessarily mean the other party, for instance, whose satellite has no maneuverability is free from responsibility. The conducting state may claim compensation from this party according to the relevant international rules, precedents, the Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines, ITS guidelines, and so on. The last one is principle of reciprocity and comity. Suppose the, the aforementioned 5 principles do not apply, then states are encouraged to conduct maneuver proactive effectively on a reciprocal basis. Next, please. Last but not least, what are the benefits to recognize the, the space law right concept and the 6 principles? First, to serve as the basic legal term and principles guiding the formulation of international space traffic coordination regime, to allocate the burdens and costs for AOC in the effective and legal means. From the perspective of economic analysis of law. Second, to promote the development of international space law, to enrich and clarify the system of rights in space, to promote the transformation of space law from obligation-oriented to rights-oriented, to form a more balanced system of rights and obligations in space. Third, to provide a new legal tool to regulate even security matters, to better recognize the legitimate rights of a state and the boundary of such rights between states, instead of using the moral tool like defining responsible or irresponsible behavior of a state. I stop there. Thank you for your attention.


STSC · Chair [2:36:29]:

I thank the distinguished representative of China for the presentation. Thank you for your presentation. The next speaker, next presentation on my list is on update of Japanese activities for operational space weather services by the representative of Japan. You have the floor.


Japan · Takeya Tsuga [2:36:43]:

Thank you, Chair, and distinguished delegates. I'm Takeya Tsuga from the National Institute of Information and Communication Technology, Japan. Today I will talk about the update of Japanese activities for operational space weather service. Next, please. Okay, we oversee the operational space weather forecast service. We conduct the space weather briefing every day, and we provide forecast updates twice daily through email and our website. Our forecast covers solar flares, magnetic field, high-energy particles, and HF propagation. Currently, our website received approximately Approximately 70,000 visits per month, and we have about 7,000 email subscribers. The primary users of our services include satellite operators, aviation authorities, power companies, HF communication providers, GNSS service providers, and more. We have been operating 24/7 since December 2019. Next, please. From May 8th to 15th, 2024, multiple X-class solar flares were observed. This included 7 X-class flares occurring within 72 hours, a first in record in history since 1975. NICD issued an announcement warning that the space environment around us could be significantly disturbed for several days due to the arrival of coronal mass ejection. This event had the potential to cause satellite malfunctions, GNSS positioning errors, and HF communication disruptions. Forecast information was posted on the NICD website, a press conference was held, and the information was distributed disseminated to relevant organizations. Next, please. Recent progress in Japan includes completion of engineering model for high-energy particle sensors known as Radiation Monitors for Space Weather, RMS, aboard the Himawari-10 satellite, Japanese meteorological satellite. The RMS mission aims to measure radiation electrons, as well as solar and galactic protons in geostationary orbit. We have completed development of the engineering model and began development of the prototype model in 2024. The Himawari-10 RMS is scheduled to operate— operational in 2029.

Next, please.

In Japan, The Study Group on Advancement of Space Weather Forecasting was established within the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in 2022. The group's report was published in June 2022. Based on this report, NICD has developed a warning operational system using new criteria area that account for the potential risk and damage to social infrastructure. The initial target area include HF communications and broadcasting, space system operations, and aviation human exposure. We established 3 warning levels for each field: normal, Caution and warning. Email notifications are automatically sent when observation value exceeds caution and warning criteria, detailing the social impacts. In the event of a solar flare at the warning level, NICD will manually issue an additional detailed forecast report. Distribution of distribution to generic. General public is planned for March this year. Next, please. As for the international activities related to space weather, we joined the International Space Environment Services, ISIS. As of February 2025, 21 regional warning centers and 3 collaborative expert centers are members. Dr. Mamoru Ishii of NICD has been the director of ICES since 2023.

Next, please.

After the UN Copious SDSC issued recommendations on space weather services in February 2022, 3 organizations, COSPA, ICES, and WMO, discussed and prepared the Coimbra Declaration in September 2022. NICD contributed to this effort as a representative of ISS. NICD also contributed to organizing the first International Space Weather Coordination Forum, ISWCF, in November 2023 at WMO headquarters in Geneva, As a first step to establish the global ground-based observation network, we have been trying to set the Global Ionosphere— Global Ionosphere Observation Operation Network, GEO. Japan contributes to these activities as one of the core members and supports a series of actions.

Next, please.

Conducted by NICT, the Asia-Oceania Space Weather Alliance, AOSWA, was established in 2010 to facilitate information exchange amongst space weather forecasting organizations in the Asia-Oceania region. NICT also serves as the secretary of AOSWA. The most recent AOSWA meeting was held in October 2024 in Thailand, hosted by GISTA. Next, please. NICD is also active in capacity building activities. We have an internship program to support the travel fare to NICD and staying expense for students. In addition, we have received staff for giving training as space weather forecasters since 2014, especially from the Southeast Asian countries shown in the list. Next, please. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, is contributing to International Space Weather observations by providing data obtained from the Space Solar Observatory Hinode and the Geospace Explorer Arase. Both Hinode and Arase have successfully observed the Sun and the Earth's inner magnetosphere, including the radiation belt. During recent extreme space weather events, these satellites will contribute continue to monitor space weather throughout Solar Cycle 25.

Next, please.

JAXA will conduct extensive observations for heliospheric space weather from the Sun to Mars, integrating data from JAXA's planetary missions such as BepiColomb, MMO at Mercury, and MMX at Mars, along with along with those from Hinode and Arase. JAXA is collaborating with Nagoya University to operate the Center for Heliospheric Science, CHS. CHS will contribute to advanced studies for understanding heliospheric space weather by integrating data obtained from JAXA spacecraft, as well as ground observations and numerical models from Nagoya University. This research also aims to enhance the safety of manned activities on the Moon. Next, please. Okay, this is a summary of my talk. Thank you for your attention very much.


STSC · Chair [2:45:26]:

I thank the distinguished representative of Japan for the presentation. The 4th presentation on my list is on results of monitoring by Roscosmos of the key events in the near-Earth orbit in 2024 by the representatives of the Russian Federation. You have the floor.


Russian Federation [2:45:44]:

Good afternoon, Madam Chair. Thank you for giving me the floor. Good afternoon, distinguished delegates. Our technical presentation of the results of monitoring by Roscosmos of the key events in near-Earth orbit We present to your attention a report on breakup events in near-Earth space of the Intelsat 63E— next slide, please— spacecraft and the Atlas V Centaur upper stage and the risk of the impact on spacecraft. Next, please. The effect of the Intelsat 63E spacecraft breakup on October 19th, 2024 was revealed by the results processing information from the monitoring tools of the Roscosmos State Corporation. More than 600 fragments in the Intelsat 63E spacecraft breakup have been discovered by means of the Roscosmos State Corporation, and more than 150 fragments in the Intelsat 63E spacecraft breakup are under preliminary monitoring. Next Based on the updated dynamics of the fragments distribution of the Intelsat 63 spacecraft breakup, it can be concluded that there is a potential threat to all operating spacecraft in the geostationary and highly elliptical regions of outer space. Due to the large number of objects in geostationary orbit, the risk of the Kessler effect increase and the breakup of the Intelsat 63A spacecraft has increased many times. There is a possibility of such a develop— of events in which the geostationary region of outer space will become completely imparable. Next, please. The Intelsat 63A spacecraft was developed by Boeing on the Boeing 002 platform. The period of active existence was supposed to be 15 years. During The launch into orbit due to engine malfunction, the launch to the standing point was postponed until early 2017. In August 2017, problems with the propulsion system also arose, which led to more intensive fuel consumption, a reduction of the active existence by 3.5 years. Currently, there are more than 200 spacecraft in the geostationary orbit due developed on the Boeing 702 platform, its modifications. There is certainly that problems with the propulsion system will not arise again. Next, please. In addition to breakup on the Intelsat 63 spacecraft, monitoring tools of the Roscosmos State Corporation also revealed the breakup of the spent Atlas V Centaur upper stage on September In the orbit plane of the Atlas V Centaur upper stage, more than 950 fragments of breakup were detected by optical-electronic means, and their preliminary motion parameters were obtained. Reliable orbits were obtained from 822 fragments of breakup of the Atlas V Centaur upper stage. Information on breakup is not available.

Thank you.

not presented as the accessible part of the US satellite catalog.

Next, please.

Taking into account the dynamics of the fragments, distribution of the Atlas V Centaur upper stage in orbit with altitude, the perigee from 6,800 to 8,850 kilometers, in the apogee from 30,000 to 44,000 kilometers, it can be concluded that there is a potential threat to medium-high, highly elliptical, and geostationary spacecraft. And there is not the first case on breakup of the Centaur upper stage in orbit.

Next, please.

On August 31st, 2018, monitoring tools of the Roscosmos State Corporation revealed more than 500 fragments of the Centaur upper stage breakup launch on September 17, 2014. In the accessible part of the US satellite catalog, information is presented 109 fragments. On March 26, 2019, monitoring tools of the Roscosmos State Corporation revealed more than 670 fragments of the Centaur upper stage breakup. Launched on September 8, 2009, There is no information available in the available part of the US satellite catalog. On April 7th, 2019, monitoring tools of the Roscosmos State Corporation revealed more than 600 fragments on the Centaur upper stage breakup launch on October 17th, 2018. In the accessible part of the US satellite catalog, information is presented in 254 fragments. Fragments. Next, please. The accessible part of the US satellite catalog does not always provide information on dangerous events in near-Earth space related to the breakup of the US-made space assets and their possible consequences. There is breakup of 2 Centaur upper stage months, for which no data is available, and the breakup of the Intelsat 63 space More than 3 months after the breakup of the spacecraft, accessible part of the US satellite catalog provides information on only ancient fragments of the breakup.

Next, please.

The growing amount of space debris in near space requires active actions by all states involved in space activities. It is extremely important to exchange data on the space object fragmentation in a timely and efficient manner, and its accessible part to conceal to the effect of the space object breakup. In the context of the growth of the density and volume of space debris in near-Earth space, it is also important to develop guidelines for regulating space object motion. Thank you for your attention.


STSC · Chair [2:51:53]:

I thank the distinguished representative of Russian Federation for the presentation. The fifth presentation on my list is on Dark and Quiet Sky Initiative for Peaceful Uses by the representative of Morocco. You have the floor.


Morocco · Researcher · Zahir Belkhedoun [2:52:12]:

Bonjour, je m'appelle Zahir Belkhedoun et je suis chercheur à l'université.

I'm a researcher at a Marrakesh university and director. of an observatory. I'll be speaking today about Morocco's contribution through the Dark and Quiet Sky Initiative and the peaceful uses of outer space. This presentation will follow the following outline. I'll speak about space weather.


Interpreter [2:52:51]:

The interpreter apologizes, but sound quality is too poor to continue interpretation.


Morocco · Researcher · Zahir Belkhedoun [2:52:56]:

Ensuite, c'est des débris de l'espace et du suivi satellitaire, avec l'instrumentation également utilisée pour cela, et aussi les outils que nous développons à l'Observatoire pour un traitement et une analyse efficace des problématiques donc posées par les débris et satellites. Et ensuite, je terminerai par un petit mot sur la coopération et le réseau que nous essayons de monter pour coopérer en commun dans ce domaine, ainsi que les recommandations que nous voulons adresser au COPUOS. Et je terminerai par une petite conclusion. Alors, pourquoi étudier la météo de l'espace? Vous savez que Les effets du Soleil sur la planète Terre sont importants, tant pour le magnétisme solaire que pour les particules à haute énergie qui arrivent jusqu'à la Terre. Et donc là, vous voyez dans ce slide des animations qui montrent les éjections des masses coronales pour le Soleil. Et ceci ne va pas sans perturber évidemment la vie sur Terre.

Hmm.

de façon globale et surtout les télécommunications et autres effets que peuvent avoir donc ces vents solaires et ces éruptions solaires sur la planète Terre. Il y a une couche en particulier qui est digne d'intérêt, c'est ce qu'on appelle l'ionosphère et elle est très étudiée. Et nous avons, c'est elle si vous voulez qui génère ce que nous appelons les aurores, connues par les aurores boréales. D'accord. Boréales, en fait les réglos atmosphériques, et que pour étudier donc ces effets-là, nous avons installé à l'Observatoire de l'Occident une expérience qui s'appelle Roue Noire, installée dès 2013, et depuis nous essayons donc de développer cette thématique au sein de l'Observatoire en mettant à profit les données de cette instrumentation, mais aussi la coopération que nous avons réussi à avoir avec nos collègues, en particulier de l'Université de Lille 1, dans ce domaine. Alors, le phénomène est relativement simple à décrire. Il suffit d'étudier l'effet Doppler généré par donc la variation d'une certaine couche atmosphérique par rapport à une référence laser, et ceci nous permet de suivre donc les vents ionosphériques. Cette thématique a jusqu'à présent permis de produire 2 thèses de doctorat et plus de 10 articles dans des journaux réputés, ce qui nous permet évidemment de mieux approcher et connaître cette thématique. Ensuite, la seconde partie de de la thématique, des thématiques que nous développons en relation avec les sciences de l'espace à l'Observatoire Volcanique de Nice. Il s'agit de suivre et les débris de l'espace et aussi les satellites. Alors, pour plusieurs utilisations et pour plusieurs raisons, mais parmi celles qui nous interpellent le plus, nous en tant qu'astronomes, c'est la pollution générée générée par en particulier la constellation des satellites, mais aussi le risque que peut avoir les débris qui sont de plus en plus nombreux avec l'explosion du nombre de satellites envoyés par l'homme dans l'espace. Alors, les traces évidemment de néfastes pour les images astronomiques, mais pour nous, ça nous permet donc de les étudier, de mieux les approcher, de connaître leur magnitude et de connaître aussi leurs éléments orbitaux, ce qui permet de générer des datas qui sont utiles aussi bien pour les astronomes que pour les opérateurs spatiaux qui s'intéressent à leurs propres satellites. savoir s'ils répondent au modèle qu'ils avaient au préalable établi. Voilà, donc nous avons ça, c'est quelques slides pour montrer ce que nous avons développé à l'observatoire, et ceci grâce en particulier, le point fort pour nous, c'est la qualité du site de l'observatoire qui permet d'observer donc ces satellites et surtout l'instrumentation que nous avons réussi à installer sur le site. Donc là, vous voyez un télescope qui a été installé avec la coopération avec la Corée du Sud, qui est un télescope d'un demi-mètre de diamètre, installé sur une monture très rapide et qui permet donc un très bon suivi des débris de l'espace. Il y a aussi le télescope qu'on appelle MOSE, pour Moment of Occasion Sky Survey, installé dès 2010. Ce télescope, il est très efficace, il a contribué à beaucoup de découvertes. Et maintenant, en partie, nous l'utilisons également pour le suivi satellitaire. Nous avons également mis à profit une coopération qu'on appelle Pro-Am avec une association d'astrophotographes marocains qui ont installé sur le site beaucoup de petits télescopes et qui permettent également de suivre les satellites et les débris. Il y a aussi un grand télescope d'un demi-mètre également par la même coopération programme qui a été récemment installé. Et aussi le secteur privé n'est pas en reste. À l'Observatoire de Nouakchott, une coopération avec une entreprise anglaise a permis d'installer un télescope dédié essentiellement donc à cette problématique de suivi. Il y a d'autres coopérations en cours avec d'autres partenaires. Ici, nous montrons par exemple un télescope double sous forme de jumelles et un autre télescope de 50 cm également dédié à cette thématique. Donc, comme vous le voyez, à l'observatoire, il n'y a pas moins de 6 à 7 télescopes qui sont tous dédiés à l'observation des satellites et des débris de l'espace. Nous avons donc, avec cette dynamique, développé nous-mêmes des outils pour d'abord générer les cibles à observer. Vous voyez ici l'interface que nous avons mise en place sur le site web de l'Observatoire et qui permet de faciliter les observations des cibles souhaitées. Bien. Maintenant, évidemment, nous faisons face dans cette thématique, comme dans plusieurs thématiques scientifiques maintenant, au flux sans cesse grandissant de données et donc nous nous sommes aussi intéressés à la partie machine learning, intelligence artificielle pour approcher et pour analyser la quantité énorme de données que nous produisons. Cette étude est préliminaire, nous avons commencé par le faire en utilisant des algorithmes qui sont connus dans le domaine. Nous avons commencé à avoir des résultats intéressants et les premières publications sont en cours de préparation pour cette thématique-là. Alors évidemment, nous ne pouvons pas envisager dans cette dans ce genre de travail, un travail sans faire appel à la coopération et au réseautage. Et donc pour cela, nous avons tissé des collaborations avec plusieurs partenaires, ce qui permet d'échanger donc aussi bien les datas que les ressources que l'expertise. Et c'est évidemment important pour le déroulement des futures opérations et surtout pour essayer de prévoir, voire de réduire les risques de collision, comme je l'ai déjà dit, pour les satellites et pour les débris de l'espace. Voilà. Alors, donc c'est une coopération internationale. Je peux rapidement citer qu'à l'Observatoire de l'Océan Indien, nous avons quasiment tous les continents en passant par évidemment l'Europe, les États-Unis, mais aussi la Chine et la Russie, qui ont tous installé des télescopes sur l'observatoire pour ces thématiques. Voilà. Alors, nous voudrions terminer par quelques recommandations pour le Copernicus en particulier et qui concernent aussi bien les régulations, donc les... Les politiques publiques. À faire et à adopter pour que nous puissions minimiser les effets de la pollution lumineuse, mais aussi instaurer un guide international pour les radiofréquences qui sont également néfastes pour l'environnement terrestre. Nous devons faire du, ce qu'on appelle, capacity building. On supporte Nous encourageons des programmes de formation, en particulier dans les pays en voie de développement. Nous œuvrons pour renforcer le networking au sein de l'Afrique, en particulier avec une forte implication avec nos collègues africains, et nous visons donc à développer cette collaboration en échangeant les plateformes pour le suivi satellitaire, pour des plateformes de suivi satellitaire internationales. Voilà, alors on conclut. En conclusion, nous pouvons dire que le Maroc contribue d'une façon exemplaire et en train d'instaurer une sorte de leadership dans la région Maintenant, dans cette partie, grâce à notre implication en particulier dans la thématique Dark and Quiet Sky, que nous avons suivie dès sa mise en place en participant aux workshops 1 et 2 et à plusieurs rencontres internationales dédiées, et aussi à la création du centre CPS de l'Union astronomique internationale. La collaboration développée par l'Observatoire a permis de montrer un fort potentiel dans ce domaine-là. Et je terminerai par dire qu'ensemble, nous pouvons préserver d'une façon durable l'espace


STSC · Chair [3:04:47]:

I thank the distinguished representative of Morocco for the presentation.

The 6th presentation on my list is on designing Resilience: Healthcare Innovation for— from Space to Remote Environment, by the Observer for the National Space Society. You have the floor.


NSS · Observer [3:05:06]:

Thank you, distinguished chair, esteemed delegates. It's my honor to present to you today on behalf of the National Space Society as a proud permanent observer and grateful recurring attendee to COPUOS and the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee established by the founders of the American space program over 50 years ago, the National Space Society, NSS, is the longest-standing organization of our kind in the United States. A global nonprofit organization dedicated to the peaceful exploration, development, and settlement of space, with over 50,000 members and millions in viewership, NSS serves as a bridge between the scientific community, policymakers, and the public, fostering collaboration, exploration, and advancing humanity's shared vision for a sustainable and inclusive space future. Today's presentation will be on the concept of designing resilience in technologies for use off-world and on, with an emphasis on innovation in healthcare specifically. Before we delve in too deeply, I'd like to take a moment to define and align upon a couple of key terms. Next slide, thank you.

Resilience.

Resilience is a word we hear often now. It's become a buzzword, and when that happens, meaning can become diluted. In today's case, as we examine the concept of designing resilience, I mean to implement the word in 2 ways. Firstly, resilience in versatility of application and robustness of implementation, and secondly, resilience as it becomes antifragile, involving more than just adapting but thriving and growing stronger in the face of adverse conditions and unknown unknowns. But what does it mean to design for resilience, particularly in the context of outer space in this presentation? It means designing for cross-purposes, not as an afterthought, but as a starting objective, designed with intentionality for multiple mutually beneficial applications. In design thinking, we seek out an example extreme users as a means of helping identify and provide for edge cases. These extreme users are key to generating innovation, broadening inclusivity, and exploring uncharted territories for a given product or service. Successful capture of the extreme users on both ends of the bell curve results in a maximum viable market range, which in turn is attractive to investors as it dramatically expands the adoption of use. Space provides us some of the most extreme users in the most extreme conditions we know. Healthcare in space poses a particularly grueling set of challenges. As missions expand in scope, distance, and ambition, driven by technological advancements and the worthy goal of broadening access to space, humans will live and work in unprecedented biological and environmental conditions. Presenting novel risks to their health and performance. Historically, engineering safeguards have served as the principal mechanism for risk mitigation, but the expanding frontier has elevated the importance of clinical medicine and human-centered design in risk mitigation. We have reached an inflection point where historically distinct disciplines can no longer work in isolation. Engineers, design experts, clinicians, operators, Innovators, scientists, and other stakeholders must engage in seamless interdisciplinary collaboration to ensure the safety and success of future human spaceflight missions. We require resilient, antifragile solutions. Plato said necessity is the mother of invention, and thousands of years later, this continues to ring true. Space is hard, we say, and designing for space is a harsh but fertile cradle for necessity's driven innovation. And invent we have, inventions from which we reap the benefits on a daily basis. As our esteemed delegate from Japan said earlier this week, life as we know it would be unimaginable without space technologies. Nearly everyone alive today benefits from these technologies one way or another, but credit is rarely attributed to the benefit of space exploration. Pictured on this screen is a table showing the systems engineering lifecycle from the NASA Systems Engineering Handbook and the Technical Readiness Level, or TRL, scale. The amount of rigor required to reach flight-qualified status and operational phase is formidable. To reach this stage is to guarantee a level of functionality and proficiency that is likely to pass the most stringent sets of requirements here on Earth. Part of what makes these achievements so difficult and so impressive is that they must function in dangerous, hostile, and extreme environments. However, unlike vehicles, habitats, and spacesuits, human beings are dynamic biological systems with inherently nonlinearity and often unpredictable responses to external stimuli. A grand challenge indeed, particularly when it comes to healthcare. where we must be prepared to provide life-saving and sustaining care in an extremely resource-restricted setting, with little to no access to outside assistance or reasonable hope of timely rescue. Here on Earth now, many people in many parts of the world are in an analogous situation. So much so that this slide is identical to the last. I have modified only the title. It reads much the same, but with a whole wholly different contextualization. Many of us here on Earth live in dangerous, hostile, and extreme environments. We get sick or injured in dynamic and unpredictable ways. Some of us have extremely limited access to resources or outside assistance, have no specialized medical training, and have no hope of timely rescue. To solve for one scenario may help us to solve for both. There is a current emerging example of one such project in healthcare which is being designed for edge use in both space and the remotest parts of our planet with simultaneous consideration. It is called Lifesaver and was conceived and developed to address the need for access to universal essential healthcare for anyone, anywhere, anytime. Lifesaver deploys a configurable and trustful Trustworthy expert system managing a flexible point-of-care medical architecture capable of diagnosing and supporting life for priority acute and common events any human is likely to face, addressing all of Tier 1 events and 80% of Tier 2 events. Its compact size and highly efficient integrations minimize weight, remove redundancies, and provide biofeedback monitoring of both the system practitioner and the system recipient. Real-time instruction is given to the system practitioner via AR and VR integrations, and no prior professional medical training is required to use, allowing it to be functional even in extreme and remote parts of the world. Including the remotest part of the world. Devon Island, pictured here, is the largest uninhabited island on planet Earth and is found deep in the Arctic Circle. Stationed is the Haughton Mars Project on this island, a NASA-supported research facility that functions as our closest proxy to Mars on Earth. The first prototype of the Life Saver project was sent to undergo extreme environment testing there in August of 2024. Continued studies are planned for testing in remote desert, mountain, and marine environments where the internet and outside assistance is restricted or entirely unavailable. This terrestrial testing will continue in tandem with the project's slow, steady climb up the ladder of the technical readiness levels for flight qualification in space. More than half the world lacks access to emergency life-saving treatments. Cases for sepsis, for example, an easily treatable condition, In 2017 resulted in 11 million deaths worldwide, accounting for 20% of all global deaths that year. This is avoidable. It is a matter of access. When we learn how to do things up there, we unlock new means to fix them down here. This is a question we've all seen before, and many of you here must answer it on a nationwide scale. Why spend money up there when so much is wrong down here? Let's add one more answer to the pile, shall we? Because designing with resilience means you don't have to choose. Off-world, on-world, what benefits us up there can and should benefit all of us down here. JFK is quoted as saying, a rising tide lifts all boats, a sentiment I believe we all share here. That concludes That concludes my presentation today. I look forward to our conversations and collaborations to come. Thank you for your time and consideration.


STSC · Chair [3:14:03]:

I thank the distinguished observer for, for the National Space Society for the presentation. Distinguished delegates, I will shortly adjourn this meeting. Before doing so, I would like to inform delegates of our schedule of work for this afternoon. We will meet promptly at 3 PM. We will continue our consideration of Agenda Item 3, General Exchange of Views. We will continue and hopefully conclude our consideration of Agenda Item 8, Space Weather. We will begin our consideration of Agenda Item 9, Near-Earth Objects. Time permitting, we will begin our consideration of Agenda Item 10, Long-Term Sustainability. We will then suspend the plenary meeting so that the Working Group of the Whole can hold its 4th meeting. Following the adjournment of the Working Group meeting, we will then resume the plenary to proceed with technical presentations. We will have 5 technical presentations this afternoon. Delegates are reminded that the full schedule of technical presentations is available on the session webpage.


UNOOSA · Secretary [3:15:09]:

Thank you, Madam Chair. I would also like to inform delegates that informal consultations on the Conference Room Paper 20 submitted by the delegation of the United Arab Emirates will be held in Conference Room M5 from 1:00 PM to 1:30 PM today. I would also like to inform that there will be informal meetings of the Working Group on the Use of Nuclear Power Sources in Outer Space from 2:00 to 3:30 in Room M6. Also, the Working Group on the Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities will meet from 1:30 to 2:50 PM in Room M2. The schedule of the consultations is available on the webpage of the session.


STSC · Chair [3:15:55]:

I will now give the floor to the Secretary to provide information on side events.


UNOOSA · Secretary [3:16:01]:

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

Distinguished delegates, there will be 2 side events during lunchtime today. At 1:10 PM, 10 past 1 o'clock, there will be a UN-OSA partnership and fundraising side event in Room M3 and via virtual connection as well.

This side event, organized by the Office for Outer Space Affairs, is entitled Supporting UN-OSA Asia's Leadership Vision: Driving Innovation to Address Global Needs.

The other side event is taking place at 2 PM, also in Room M3, organized by the Office for Outer Space Affairs. This event is entitled Harnessing Space and AI for Disaster Risk Management.

We would like to invite all delegations to these side events organized by Thank you very much, Madam Chair.


STSC · Chair [3:16:57]:

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 3 PM today.