International Astronautical Federation Committee on Space Research International Institute of Space Law 94 bis, Avenue de Suffren c/o CNES 94 bis, Avenue de Suffren UNITED NATIONS 75015 Paris, France 2 place Maurice Quentin 75015 Paris, France Tel: +33 1 45 67 42 60 Fax: +33 1 42 73 21 20 Tel. + 33 1 44 76 75 10 E-mail: : [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Fax. + 33 1 44 76 74 37 URL: www.iislweb.com OFFICE FOR OUTER SPACE AFFAIRS URL: www.iafastro.com E-mail: [email protected] URL : http://cosparhq.cnes.fr Highlights in Space 2010 Prepared in cooperation with the International Astronautical Federation, the Committee on Space Research and the International Institute of Space Law The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs is responsible for promoting international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space and assisting developing countries in using space science and technology. United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs P. O. Box 500, 1400 Vienna, Austria Tel: (+43-1) 26060-4950 Fax: (+43-1) 26060-5830 E-mail: [email protected] URL: www.unoosa.org United Nations publication Printed in Austria USD 15 Sales No. E.11.I.3 ISBN 978-92-1-101236-1 ST/SPACE/57 *1180239* V.11-80239—January 2011—775 UNITED NATIONS OFFICE FOR OUTER SPACE AFFAIRS UNITED NATIONS OFFICE AT VIENNA Highlights in Space 2010 Prepared in cooperation with the International Astronautical Federation, the Committee on Space Research and the International Institute of Space Law Progress in space science, technology and applications, international cooperation and space law UNITED NATIONS New York, 2011 UniTEd NationS PUblication Sales no. E.11.i.3 iSbn 978-92-1-101236-1 ST/SPACE/57 © United Nations, January 2011. All rights reserved. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Information on uniform resource locators and links to Internet sites contained in the present publication are provided for the convenience of the reader and are correct at the time of issue. The United Nations takes no responsibility for the continued accuracy of that information or for the content of any external website. Publishing production: English, Publishing and Library Section, United Nations Office at Vienna. This document has not been formally edited. INTRODUCTION This publication has been compiled from reports prepared for the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space It was first published in 1992 as part of the United Nations activities undertaken for the International Space Year, with the objective of making all countries aware of the benefits of sound space activities. The first part of the report on space technology and space applications was prepared by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), including input from technical committees of the IAF; the International Institute of Space Law (IISL) provided information for the section on international cooperation and space law. Both parts cover period from 1 November 2009 to 31 December 2010; covering a fourteen month to bring publication in line with the calendar year, this is a longer report than usual. The second part, focusing on space science and recent progress made regarding space research, was prepared by the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) of the International Council for Science (ICSU) and covers the period from 1 November 2009 to 31 October 2010. Many international experts from various specialized fields have contributed to the drafting of this comprehensive report. The information contained therein indicates a wide variety of ongoing space activities in national as well as international space programmes. A list of coordinators and contributors can also be found at the end of the report. Information within this publication has been partly prepared with information from outside sources. Where this is the case, a citation is provided which can be accessed by clicking on the link marked >>. This publication is available in English only. This 2010 review of latest developments in space science, technology, space applications, international collaboration and space law has the aim to inform a broad worldwide audience of recent advancements in the manifold field of outer space. We hope that “Highlights in Space 2010” can significantly contribute to all the efforts undertaken by the United Nations family, in particular the Office for Outer Space Affairs, in attempting to disseminate information on space activities and on the benefits involved to all nations of the world. iii CONTENTS Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... iii PART ONE: HIGHLIGHTS IN SPACE TECHNOLOGY AND APPLICATIONS FOR 2010 I. Overview .......................................................................................................................1 II. Space transportation ......................................................................................................4 III. Robotic Earth orbital activities....................................................................................20 IV. Human spaceflight.......................................................................................................28 V. Space studies and exploration .....................................................................................35 VI. Technology – implementation and advances...............................................................46 VII. Space and society ........................................................................................................51 VIII. Global space developments.........................................................................................58 IX. International cooperation and space law .....................................................................77 X. Industry......................................................................................................................158 PART TWO: PROGRESS IN SPACE RESEARCH 2009-2010.........................................................160 I. Space studies of the Earth’s surface, meteorology and climate.................................160 II. Space studies of the Earth-Moon system, planets and small bodies of the Solar System..............................................................................................................168 III. Space studies of the upper atmospheres of the Earth and planets, including reference atmospheres ...............................................................................186 IV. Space plasmas in the Solar System, including planetary magnetospheres................200 V. Research in Astrophysics from space…………........................................................211 VI. Life sciences as related to space................................................................................221 VII. Microgravity research................................................................................................229 VIII. Fundamental Physics.................................................................................................232 IX. Satellite dynamics .....................................................................................................233 X. Scientific ballooning..................................................................................................236 XI. Potentially environmentally detrimental activities in space......................................241 XII. Radiation belt environment modelling ......................................................................244 XIII. Space weather............................................................................................................245 XIV. Planetary protection...................................................................................................250 XV. Capacity building ......................................................................................................256 XVI. Education...................................................................................................................259 XVII. Exploration................................................................................................................260 Contributors and coordinators………………………………………… .............................................264 Acronyms, abbreviations and definitions ………………………………………… ...........................266 v PART ONE HIGHLIGHTS IN SPACE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR 2010 I. OVERVIEW It was a busy year for space transportation during the reporting period of 1 November 2009 to 31 December 2010. Overall, in the calendar year 2010 almost half of all launches (31 launches out of 740) were done by the Russian Federation, followed by China and the United States with 15 launches each. The European Space Agency (ESA) conducted 6 launches, India 3, Japan 2, Israel 1 and Republic of Korea 1. The Russian Proton set a record, making 29 launches within 29 months. Four launches in 2010 were unsuccessful. Transfer of crew to and from the International Space Station (ISS) was accomplished through the successful execution of Soyuz/TMA missions from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. These missions accomplished the launch and safe return