Secure World Foundation Newsletter

June 2020

Reflections on a week that showed both the best and worst sides of humanity

This past week has been a week of striking contrasts. The successful launch of the Demo-2 mission last Saturday showed once again what amazing feats humans can accomplish when they collectively set their sights on a shared lofty goal, and it showed, yet again, the astonishing inspirational power of space exploration. At the same time that this historic space exploration milestone was being celebrated, the tragic and shocking killing of George Floyd earlier that week both appalled and outraged people across America and around the world and served as a stark reminder of the dispiriting anguish experienced on a daily basis by millions of people around the world who are subjected to humiliation, violence and injustices rooted in racism, xenophobia and intolerance on a daily basis.

It also exposed an uncomfortable truth to many of us, namely that we often turn a blind eye, or pretend that these things don’t happen in our homes, our schools, our communities and our work places. They do. Racism, xenophobia and intolerance are problems that are prevalent in all societies. We should have the courage to acknowledge this and confront these failings, in ourselves, in our communities and in our work places. Every day, each and every one of us can stand up against racial prejudice and intolerant attitudes to be a human rights champion through our words and actions, no matter how insignificant it may seem in a given
circumstance or moment.

We need to do this, not only because it is the decent and right thing to do, because our future as humanity on this planet depends on all of us getting along peacefully, and this cannot happen as long as we live with the scourges of racism, xenophobia and intolerance. We all share a common future on this Earth. As the COVID-19 pandemic has forcefully reminded us, our futures on one side of the planet are inextricably intertwined with the futures of people living on the other side. We are a global community that needs to listen to the voices of all in order to create just and equitable systems that benefit all humanity.

We in the space community often talk about the inspirational power of space, and this power was evident in abundance again last weekend. If there is one lesson that the space community can take from this past week, it is that we can harness the inspirational power of space to be as inclusive as possible in our work places and in all our activities, to help create a more tolerant, more inclusive and more humane society, right here on Earth. This can be our community’s contribution to honoring the life of George Floyd, and our community’s contribution to ensuring that space exploration will be conducted by humanity in all its wonderful diversity.

Sic itur ad astra.

Dr. Peter Martinez, Executive Director, Secure World Foundation

Insight - A View of the French Approach to the Militarization of Space

The 2020 edition of the Global Counterspace report by the Secure World Foundation, an annual document that has become a reference to help reflect on the dynamics of space security, rightly underlines the recent interest shown by France in the development of counterspace activities. The measures announced a little less than a year ago, well detailed by the authors of the report, show an unprecedented political commitment to reinforce the military organization and develop new programmes to deal with a worrying space security situation. In particular, the choice to clarify the French concept of “active defence” has shown a taste for a certain pragmatism at the same time as it seems to opt for discussions on space security that are both more open and more effective.

Read more here

Announcements

2nd Summit for Space Sustainability Will Now Be Virtual
The Secure World Foundation is transitioning the 2nd Summit for Space Sustainability from a two-day in-person event to a three-day virtual event on September 9, 10, and 11. While we regret the loss of the on-site interaction, this decision was made in order to protect the health of staff and participants and to provide logistical certainty in these uncertain times. We know the future unpredictability around travel and large gatherings has made planning difficult for all of us. By switching to a fully virtual event we hope to provide you with the best opportunity possible to explore the important topic of space sustainability. Our world relies on space applications and data to facilitate our way of life, and we think it’s important to continue to develop solutions for space sustainability. 

Though some aspects of our planned event will no longer be possible, SWF is still committed to providing high quality and unique perspectives around the theme of “What’s Next for Space Sustainability?” We will host six sessions over the three days that will include keynotes, panels, and interactive opportunities for participants. The panels will feature a wide range of space professionals from around the world on topics such as:

• The state of the space environment
• How to incent responsible behavior in space
• Why America should engage in space arms control
• Sustainability of cislunar space activities
• Global perspectives on space activities and the Space Force
• Managing radiofrequency spectrum

In addition, we plan to take this opportunity to integrate new materials from our sponsors, global stakeholders, and young professionals. Keep an eye on the Summit website and our social media for thought-provoking content!

The cost of attendance for all three days of this virtual Summit will be $25, with all proceeds going to the Secure World Foundation’s young professional and student development program, including the soon-to-be-announced Summit for Space Sustainability student essay competition. For those who have already registered for the in-person event, we will be refunding the registration fees in full within 7 business days. 

For more details, including the agenda, registration, and speaker information, please continue to monitor the Summit website. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Conference Chair, Krystal Azelton.

SWF Welcomes Interns Kaila Pfrang and Kathryn Walsh 
Ms. Pfrang joined SWF in June for a 2-month internship from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is working with Director of Program Planning Brian Weeden on a variety of space security and sustainability topics. Ms. Walsh joined SWF in May and is working with Director of Private Sector Programs Ian Christensen, and project partner Caelus Foundation, on a research project examining misperceptions between U.S. and Chinese commercial space industry stakeholders. Please join us in welcoming Kaila and Kathryn!

SWF Congratulates Manfred Lachs Moot Court Team North American Round Winners
Congratulations to Laura Cummings, Ramzi Masri-Elyafaoui, and Almudena Azcárate Ortega of Georgetown University Law Center, the winners of this year’s North American Regional Round of the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court competition!

Publications

May 12, 2020
SWF Staff Call for Discussions on Limiting Anti-satellite Testing in Space
Washington Office Director Victoria Samson and Dr. Weeden published a new op-ed calling for limitations on anti-satellite (ASAT) testing in space. In the article, they discuss the most recent test of the Russian Nudol ASAT system and the U.S. response, ultimately arguing that the United States should change course and take a leadership role in laying the foundation for prohibitions on future testing.

May 18, 2020
SWF Releases Updated Fact Sheet on the X-37B Program
SWF has released an updated fact sheet on the U.S. Air Force's X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV), which was recently launched into orbit for the sixth time by the U.S. Space Force. The updated fact sheet contains information about the history of the program and dates of the previous five flights. It also includes a condensed discussion of the mission of the X-37B, which likely is a platform to test new space technologies for engineering risk reduction, not an orbital weapons platform. The updated fact sheet also discusses the transparency challenges the program has generated, including the secret deployment of cubesats by OTV-5 and the failure to register them with the United Nations. 

May 27, 2020
The Space Law Context of the Artemis Accords
Mr. Johnson published a piece (in two parts) exploring the legal context and underpinnings of NASA’s Artemis Accords, at SpaceWatch Global. Part 1 and Part 2. 

May 29, 2020
Spanish Language Version of the Handbook for New Actors in Space Available on Amazon
The Spanish language version of SWF’s Handbook for New Actors in Space is now available for purchase on Amazon.com. In partnership with Agencia Espacial Mexicana (AEM), this translation was produced to enable greater dialogue on space sustainability issues in Spanish-speaking regions of the world. While a free PDF version will remain available on our website, print versions can now be purchased directly via the Amazon marketplace. SWF will host an event highlighting the new translation on June 12. The event will feature speakers from across Latin America to discuss regional trends and opportunities

Events

May 7, 2020
SWF Co-Hosts Research Salon on Policy Implications of Dust on the Moon
The second Moon Dialogs Research Salon virtual event featured a presentation from Phil Metzger, a planetary physicist at the University of Central Florida, dust dynamics expert, and co-founder of NASA’s KSC Swamp Works.

May 20, 2020, and May 27, 2020
SWF Co-Hosts Webinars on Space Situational Awareness, Cyber Security
These events were a part of "The Launch Pad Seminars: A Virtual Forum For New Ideas on Space Security and Related Matter," a series organized by The United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), in cooperation with Secure World Foundation and the Fondation pour la recherche strategique. The first webinar on space situational awareness and space security featured presentations from Ms. Samson and Dr. Moriba Jah. The second webinar on cyber security and space had presentations by Beyza Unal and Dr. Raji Rajagopalan.

Staff Activities and Presentations 

May 13, 2020
SWF Addresses the Orbital Debris Challenge in Webinar Hosted by the Brookings Institution
Ms. Samson joined Dr. Jer Chyi Liou, chief scientist for orbital debris at NASA, to discuss "space junk," on a webinar hosted by the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution, moderated by Brookings Senior Fellow Frank A. Rose.

May 29, 2020
SWF Speaks on Workforce Development and Capacity Building Issues in Latin America
Executive Director Dr. Peter Martinez joined a Space Generation Advisory Council webinar to speak on SWF activities and the new Spanish-language Handbook for New Actors in Space. This was the final event in a series of Spanish-language SG Latin America webinars on space related topics in the region.

Experts in the Media

May 3, 2020
Cynda Collins Arsenault Talks Space Sustainability 101 on Clayming Space Podcast

May 6, 2020
Brian Weeden Quoted in DefenseOne on X-37B OTV-6's Microwave Power Beaming Test

May 13, 2020
Brian Weeden Quoted by Breaking Defense on US-China Space Law and Policy Exchanges

May 13, 2020
Victoria Samson Quoted in Law 360

May 15, 2020
Brian Weeden Quoted by the Washington Post on NASA's Proposed Artemis Accords

May 15, 2020
Chris Johnson Quoted by The Verge on NASA's Artemis Accords

May 18, 2020
Victoria Samson Quoted in BreakingDefense on Space Debris

May 19, 2020
Brian Weeden Quoted by Breaking Defense on Impact of New U.S. Regulations on Remote Sensing Satellites

May 21, 2020
Brian Weeden Interviewed by The Warcast on the Mission and Implications of the X-37B

May 21, 2020
Brian Weeden Quoted by Breaking Defense on US Allies Joining USSPACECOM's Operation Olympic Defender

May 29, 2020
Brian Weeden Quoted by National Defense Magazine on China's Lunar Ambitions

May 30, 2020
Brian Weeden Quoted by NBC News on the Politics of the Space Force