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A/AC.105/2018/CRP.19/Rev.1

27 June 2018

English only

Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space Sixty-first session Vienna, 20–29 June 2018

UNISPACE+50 Symposium, outreach, awareness-raising and related side-events

1. In accordance with the plan of work for UNISPACE+50, as agreed by the Committee (A/AC.105/L.297 and A/71/20), two days prior to the sixty-first session, 18 and 19 June 2018, had been allocated to symposium and outreach activities. 2. The UNISPACE+50 Symposium benefitted from the participation of more than four hundred participants from government agencies, space agencies, private companies, universities research centres and civil society. Experts from the entire spectrum of the space sector addressed the role of space science and technology in fostering global development and cooperation from various perspectives and subjects. 3. The two days Symposium opened with a special session on ‘Past, Present and Future of Outer Space Activities’ and was followed by dedicated panel sessions on ‘Space and Industry’, ‘Space for Women’ including a Special Advanced Screening of ‘Madam Mars: Women and the quest for the worlds beyond’, ‘Space for Civil Society’ and ‘Space for Youth’. 4. The Symposium concluded with a historic gathering of Heads of Space Agencies in the Panel held on 19 June. Twenty-nine national and regional Space Agencies participated and underscored the broad global interest to contribute towards the Space2030 Agenda. 5. The present conference room paper, prepared by the Office for Outer Space Affairs, outlines in more detail the diversity of the panels and related outreach and side-events that highlighted the actual pace the space arena was currently developing and the importance for the international community to stand together to address the future challenges in outer space, and underlined the importance for the United Nations to stand at the forefront of these developments.

18 June “Past, Present and Future of Outer Space Activities” Opening Panel

6. The opening panel, entitled “Past, Present and Future of the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space”, addressed the growing complexity of outer space activities in a timely manner. Moderated by the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), statements were made by the incoming Chair of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, the President of the International Academy of Astronautics, the Vice-President of the Sierra Nevada Corporation, the President of the International Institute of Space Law and the Director of the Office for Outer Space Affairs.

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7. The panellists presented their views on the past, present and future of outer space activities. Some panellists reminded the audience of historical developments, including the view that although the aim of the Apollo missions was to reach the moon, such missions allowed us to gain a new, global perspective of planet . Furthermore, some panellists noted that since 1984 Arianespace emerged as a private company focusing on launch capabilities in . 8. Panellists indicated that the larger involvement of the private sector in space activities is an issue that needs to be addressed in national and international policies. In addition, there is a need to ensure coherence between national and international policies when considering how best to address this private sector. An example of a specific need is . This includes re-entry of commercial vessels from outer space into the atmosphere and subsequently landing in commercial runways for example. 9. On the topic of international cooperation on the peaceful uses of outer space, panellists reiterated the benefits of existing international space law as a way to keep checks and balances and the usefulness of addressing issues related to liability, the registry of objects launched into outer space, and confidence building measures. 10. The panellists identified the following topics to be addressed further: long-term sustainability of outer space activities, disarmament, the needs of the private sector and the need to facilitate access to and use of outer space by new actors.

“Space and Industries” Panel

11. The panel “Space and Industries” was moderated by the Office for Outer Space Affairs and included panellists from the Space Commercial Services (SCS) Aerospace Group, Green Spin GmbH, Planet Labs, Astroscale, and China HEAD Aerospace. The panel aimed at strengthening cooperation with industry and the private sector in light of the importance of global partnership for the 2030 Agenda of Sustainable Development. 12. Some panellists commented on the approach to set up successful companies dedicated to outer space activities, including the manufacture, launch and operation of for a variety of purposes. As in the case of any private company, those dedicated to outer space activities need to start by establishing financial and human capital in order to begin technological developments including the design, construction and launch of satellites; the subsequent commercialization of services or products that such satellites may offer; and how those services could help in monitoring and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 13. Participants noted how advances regarding miniaturization of electronic components, advances in information and communication technologies and the incorporation of the use of machine learning have allowed services and infrastructure that were not possible a few years ago, such as the launching of a constellation of satellites to image the entire planet on a daily basis and to monitor changes in the environment, or the use of artificial intelligence to process imagery which is used to generate faster and more precise information on crop yields. 14. Taking note of the deployment of satellite constellations by the public and private sectors, participants took note that in the future, commercial start-ups could focus on value-added services.

“Space for Women” Panel

15. The Panel “Space for Women” was moderated by the Office for Outer Space Affairs and benefitted from the participation of panellists from Secure World Foundation, the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Slovenia to the United Nations, OSCE and Other International Organizations in Vienna, the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), the University of Pavia and the .

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16. The special focus of this panel was on the empowerment of women in developed and developing countries. Participants took note of the difficulties and challenges faced by women when trying to incorporate themselves into the space sector; and were presented with statistics on gender distribution in the European in recent years, the gender equality paradox in STEM education, and percentages of women engaged in astronomy in several countries. 17. The following suggestions were presented to address this gender imbalance: (a) Specifically address women in job advertisements; (b) Increase the sensitization of managers on the gender issue; (c) More balanced participation (what does this mean?) (f/m) during personnel selection procedures; (d) New, flexible career models; (e) Proactively addressing women to submit their applications in appointment procedures; (f) Special training offers for women and calls for more female role models; and (g) Support the reconciliation of work and family life.

19 June Keynote address by the United Nations Champion for Space, Scott Kelly

18. In his keynote address, Scott Kelly, the United Nations Champion for Space, highlighted the necessity for global teamwork to make the dream work and underlined the importance of Space in reaching towards the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda. Kelly also reminded the audience of the fact that space flight is risky, but the space community cannot be scared of failure.

“Space and Civil Society” Panel

19. The “Space and Civil Society” Panel was moderated by the Office for Outer Space Affairs and benefitted from inputs by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), Space Trust, the Centre for Research in Air and Space Law at the McGill University in Canada, the Technical University of Vienna, and Secure World Foundation. 20. The participants were made aware of the efforts conducted by the International Charter Space and Major Disasters since it was established 18 years ago. Information was provided on the number of activations and that the Charter has been activated nearly 600 times since it was launched into operation, and shared additional information with participants on the Universal Access Policy incorporated by the Charter to facilitate its activation by national civil protection agencies in case of disasters, and future outlook. 21. Participants were also made aware of the efforts of to carry out a Zero-G summit as a way to facilitate synergies among government agencies, the private sector and civil society in the context of outer space activities. 22. Efforts undertaken on the topics of space law and global space governance, in particular regarding the role of civil society institutions in facilitating international dialogue and collaboration to address pressing issues of global governance, and the sustainability and security of outer space, and by experts on space architecture regarding the design of infrastructure which could be used in outer space or on the Moon were shared with participants. 23. The panel concluded with a presentation regarding activities conducted to promote a secure and sustainable use of the space domain. Different types of activities are carried out including the promotion of international cooperation and dialogue, raising awareness on the benefits that space can provide and capacity building. The challenges that need to be addressed, namely salience, credibility and competition were also noted to the participants.

“Space and Youth” Panel

24. The panel on “Space and Youth” was moderated by the Office for Outer Space Affairs and benefitted from the participation of the Space Generation Advisory Council, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Space Agency, United Nations Champion

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for Space, the Kenya National Space Secretariat, the Natural History Museum Vienna, and the JAXA Space Education Centre. 25. Panellist informed on the efforts to attract the attention of children and young adults to space technologies and noted the need to motivate children and the younger generation as a way to enable the sustainability of out space activities and that space efforts and discoveries could be used to inspire the youth. The need to continue awareness-raising efforts was stressed in order to attract the youth to become engaged in science and engineering academic programmes that are the basis for outer .

Heads of Space Agencies Panel

26. The panel of the “Heads of Space Agencies” benefitted from the participation of Heads of or high-ranking officers of the following national and regional Space Agencies Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO), European GNSS Agency (GSA), European Space Agency (ESA), Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG), (AEB), Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI), Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), China National Space Administration (CNSA), (DLR), Indian Organisation (ISRO), Space Agency (ISA), (ASI), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), Mexican Space Agency (AEM), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Norwegian Space Centre (NSC), Paraguay Space Agency (AEP), Peru Space Agency (CONIDA), Polish Space Agency (POLSA), (ROSA), , South African National Space Agency (SANSA), Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), (SSO), State Space Agency of (SSAU), Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK), United Arab Emirates Space Agency, and United Kingdom Space Agency (UKSA). 27. The representatives of space agencies reiterated their commitment to support the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and the Office for Outer Space Affairs in the elaboration and subsequent implementation of the “Space2030” agenda. Most space agencies commented that space technologies have a role to play in contributing to the achievement of the sustainable development goals, and contribute to economic and social development; and are used to contribute to the systematic observations of climate. 28. Several space agencies commented on their long-term efforts on space exploration and planned missions to the moon and Mars, and reiterated the value of regional and international cooperation to reach goals and outcomes that could not be achieved by a single space agency. 29. Space agencies recognized the role of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space as an honest broker, and cited and commented the following strengths: i. The Committee facilitates the participation of developing countries; ii. The Committee facilitates the compilation of points of view from different Members States; iii. The Committee is able to facilitate discussions on technical and legal topics. 30. In the context of the future “Space2030” agenda, representatives of space agencies reiterated the unique role of the Committee at the global level with the capacity to address global challenges such as the long-term sustainability of outer space activities. 31. The representatives of space agencies manifested the need to widen discussions to norm activities conducted by the private sector, to enable capacity-building efforts, and to continue facilitating the incorporation of new actors.

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32. In addition, the representatives welcomed the idea of forums of Heads of Space Agencies like this one to continue addressing relevant topics as it has been done in the case of climate change in recent years. Side-events

33. The UNISPACE+50 Symposium benefitted from the following 10 side event: i. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) organized a side event highlighting the importance of capacity-building, education and training for space science and technology education. ii. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) organized a “Special joint event on UNOOSA/JAXA KiboCUBE: Capacity-building through Development”. iii. The Moon Village Association organized a side event on “Contribution to Moon settlement”. iv. CANEUS International organized a side event on “My Planet, My Future: Space for the Sustainable Development Goals. v. The Mexican Space Agency conducted a side event on “Climate change challenges as a priority of the 2030 Agenda”. vi. A Special advance screening of “Madame Mars: Women and the Quest for Worlds Beyond” was organized by the San Francisco State University with participation of the Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Futuristas and the Botswana International University of Science and Technology vii. The European Space Agency organized a briefing to the representatives of the parliaments of the member states. viii. China organized a side event on “China’s Space Cooperation: Towards a Shared Future and Benefits for All”. ix. France and Israel organized a side event entitled “Venus - Satellite Technology for Sustainable Development”. x. The International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing focused the side event on “50 Years of Earth Observation — What’s Next?” xi. The Italian Space Agency side event was entitled “Italian Space Economy for Sustainable Development Goals”.

Signing and donation ceremonies and receptions

34. At the sidelines of the UNISPACE+50 symposium the Office for Outer Space Affairs took the opportunity to sign Memorandums of Understanding between the United Nations and Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, the German Aerospace Centre and the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency 35. Amendments to the Memorandum of Understanding with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Concerning Cooperation Programme on CubeSat Deployment from the International Japanese Experiment Module (Kibo) and to the Framework Agreement between the United Nations, represented by the Office for Outer Space Affairs and the China Manned Space Agency concerning Cooperation on the Utilization of China’s Space Station were also signed. 36. A Joint Statement between the United Nations, represented by the Office for Outer Space Affairs and the European Space Agency, a declaration of Intent to Cooperate on the Belt and Road Space Information Corridor between the United Nations, represented by the Office for Outer Space Affairs and the China National Space Administration Declaration on Cooperation among the United Nations, the

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Ministry of Science and Information Communication Technology and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute were issued at the side-lines of the symposium. 37. Furthermore, the symposium saw the following donations to the Office for Outer Space Affairs: the Venμs Satellite Model by Israel and the France, the Chinese Space Station Model by the China Manned Space Agency, the Beidou Navigation Satellite Model by the Beidou Navigation Satellite Office, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Flag, flown to Space by the European Space Agency Astronaut Paolo Nespoli and the Satellite and Launcher Models by Government of Pakistan. 38. The symposium participants were invited to the receptions hosted by the City of Vienna for the Heads of Space Agencies, by the Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs for the Heads of Delegations and by the Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology for all participants to UNISPACE+50.

18–23 June UNISPACE+50 exhibition

39. An exhibition was organized in the Rotunda of the Vienna International Centre (VIC) from 18 to 23 June 2018. The exhibition focussed on promoting the exploration and peaceful uses of outer space, the work of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses on Outer Space and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and its programmes and activities. 40. The following forty-three exhibitors from around the world participated in the exhibition, including governments, space agencies, private sector and industry, and NGOs: Agoria, Airbus, (ASAL), APSCO, Association of Italian Space Enterprises, AUSTROSPACE, Brazilian Space Agency, CANEUS International, Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI), Centre national d’études spatiales (CNES), China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, China Manned Space Agency, China National Space Administration, China Office, Delta State University, the Government of the Republic of South Africa, German Aerospace Centre (DLR), DigitalGlobe, ESO, ESA, European Union, For all Moonkind, ICE Cubes Service, Indian Space Research Organization, International Charter “Space and Major Disasters”, ispace Europe, , Italian Space Agency, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Korea Aerospace Research Institute, National Disaster Reduction Centre of China (NDRCC), Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in Asia and the Pacific, Romanian Space Agency, RT, Sierra Nevada Corporation, SGAC, PSIPW, Twenty First Century Aerospace Technology (21AT), UK Space Agency, UNISEC-Global, UAE Space Agency and the Office for Outer Space Affairs. 41. The exhibition was open to the public on Saturday, 23 June 2018 and received more than 350 visitors.

Media, Outreach and Awareness Raising

42. The Office for Outer Space Affairs undertook a number of public outreach and media engagement initiatives. These included an opinion piece by the Director of the Office, which was translated and placed in media around the world by United Nations Information Centres, a countdown to UNISPACE+50 on Twitter with a new space-related fact every day for 50 days, and the live webcasting via the Office for Outer Space Affairs website of all events in the Plenary Room between 18 and 21 June. The Office for Outer Space Affairs also worked with NASA on the proposal for and planning of the live inflight call with the International Space Station on 20 June. Furthermore, initiatives were undertaken to advertise the UNISPACE+50 Exhibition Open Day. 43. In addition to media that already have annual accreditation to the Vienna International Centre, more than 20 other journalists registered for UNISPACE+50. Press kits with background information on the Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer

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Space, the Office for Outer Space Affairs, the UNISPACE conferences and space and the Sustainable Development Goals were made available to media. 44. Both the Director of the Office and the United Nations Champion for Space participated in media interviews during UNISPACE+50, and a press conference with the Director of the Office for Outer Space Affairs, the Chair of Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and the Champion for Space was organized and webcast on the office website. 45. A team from the News and Media Division of the United Nations Department of Public Information in New York attended UNISPACE+50 to cover the event and interview participants, resulting in a number of United Nations news items and social media coverage from United Nations accounts. 46. The Office also worked with the News and Media Division on the development of the UNISPACE+50 opening video, which was written by Office, as well as with the Executive Office of the Secretary-General to draft the video message from the Secretary-General to UNISPACE+50.

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