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SWF March 2021 Newsletter
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Upcoming Events

March 16, 2021 
Security and Stability of Space: What You Need to Know

March 23, 2021 
Roundtable on “War and Peace in Outer Space”

Upcoming Engagements

March 10, 2021
Victoria Samson will discuss China’s counterspace capabilities in a panel held by the Lau China Institute at King’s College London and the School of Security Studies

March 18-19, 2021
Peter Martinez will moderate a panel discussion on space forces, space traffic management and space situtional awareness at the 2021 GALIX Inaugural Congess

April 10-11, 2021
Krystal Azelton and Chris Johnson will serve as subject matter experts at the 6th South America Space Generation Workshop

April 29, 2021
Peter Martinez will deliver an invited talk on the UN COPUOS space sustainability guidelines organized by the Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies.

Secure World Foundation Newsletter

March 2021

Insight - Threats to space aren’t just weapons

by Washington Office Director Victoria Samson

Space has become more and more woven into the global society. Barriers to access have dropped, and many countries now have their own satellite programs. This allows for the benefits of space to be proliferated past the established space players and broadens them to encompass nations worldwide. Over 80 countries own or operate satellites now, and practically every person on the planet is a user of space data/services in some form or another.

Incorporating space into daily lives means interrupting this data has even more significant consequences than ever before. Because of the physics of space, actions by one actor can have repercussions for all. Hence, a truly global approach is needed to make space a reliable and predictable domain.

Space is also part of geopolitical competition, and threats to the security and stability of space can have severe and long-lasting consequences. It is not always the deliberate interruption of access to space capabilities that nations find threatening. Sometimes, the mere possibility of interference with this access can be destabilizing. Counter-space capabilities are a vital part of determining space security, but other trends also disrupt space stability.

This article first appeared on the TRENDS Research & Advisory blog

Read more here.

Announcements


SWF and Caelus Foundation Release Paper: "Lost Without Translation: Identifying Gaps in U.S. Perceptions of the Chinese Commercial Space Sector"
By comparing common U.S. stakeholder perspectives with discourse and analysis on China’s commercial space sector, this paper highlights where more effort is required to better understand emerging dynamics. It illuminates barriers to understanding the complexities and conflicts within China's commercial ecosystem, thus providing nuance for one of the most challenging and heated topics in the space industry: U.S.-Sino space relations. 

SWF and Caelus Foundation would like to thank the industry professionals who contributed their time in being interviewed for this analysis; as well as those who served as reviewers for this paper.  A summary video for this paper can be viewed here. To download the report please click here

Save the Date: 2021 Summit for Space Sustainability 
Following on two successful iterations, SWF will be holding its third annual Summit for Space Sustainability on June 22-24 2021! This event will be virtual. More details to come.

Krystal Azelton Selected as a Geospatial World ‘Rising Star’
Ms. Azelton was chosen as one of Geospatial World’s 50 Rising Stars. This initiative by Geospatial Media and Communications seeks to highlight the outstanding accomplishments of young individuals who are proactive and passionate about the value of geospatial technology to the economy and society. Selected from a list of over 250 high-quality nominations from the community, the Geospatial World board of editors agreed that these 50 candidates stand out at the top of their class and are well on their way to redefining the next generation geospatial leadership. 

Publications

Feb 24, 2021
Threats to Space Aren’t Just Weapons
SWF Washington Office Director Victoria Samson writes in TRENDS about how instability can have serious consequences for space security. Counter-space capabilities are a vital part of determining space security, but other trends also disrupt space stability, and that our understanding and approach to space security must evolve accordingly.

Events 

Feb 16–Feb 18, 2021
SWF Moderates Panel on Developing "Rules" For Sustainable Space Logistics
SWF partnered with the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) to organize the first Sustainable Space Logistics Digital Symposium. This event explored the vision of sustainable space logistics (SSL) to enhance space sustainability, examine the changes in the space industry and how they compare to transformations in other industries, the importance of logistics concepts such as active debris removal, and how to overcome legal and policy challenges while engaging the next generation of stakeholders. As part of the event, SWF Director of Program Planning Brian Weeden moderated a panel discussion on developing "rules" for space logistics, including commercial satellite servicing. A video recording of the panel can be found here.

Feb 23, 2021 
Report Release Event: Lost Without Translation: Identifying Gaps in U.S. Perceptions of the Chinese Commercial Space Sector
Following on the recent publication of the joint SWF and Caelus Foundation paper Lost Without Translation: Identifying Gaps in U.S. Perceptions of the Chinese Commercial Space Sector, this release event feature a discussion of the paper’s findings by the paper’s authors – SWF Director of Private Sector Programs Mr. Ian Christensen, Caelus Foundation Executive Director Mr. Rob Ronci and former SWF Research Intern Ms. Kathryn Walsh  – followed by a expert discussant panel. The discussant panel included Dr. Brendan Mulvaney, Director of the China Aerospace Studies Institute (CASI), Ms. Ellen Chang, Managing Partner of Syndicate 708; and Mr. Blaine Curcio, Affiliate Senior Consultant for Euroconsult.

Feb 26, 2021
Moon Dialogues Conveners Announce 2021 Lunar Research Agenda
At this first Lunar Research Salon of the year, the Moon Dialogs Convenors announced the decision to focus on three main themes in 2021: accessible moon, peaceful moon and sustainable moon. Choosing to focus on select themes, working with more focus and going deeper, was the direct result of community input on “what next?” in the Dec 2020 salon. The these themes represent timely issues which the lunar community is discussing actively, and issues where 2021 could be a watershed year for how the policy views are formulated on each. 

Staff Activities and Presentations 

Feb 11, 2021 
SWF Staff Discuss Policy of Space Debris, Large Constellations, and Astronomy in Webinar Hosted by MacMillan Space Center
Dr. Weeden participated in the third annual Space Debris Day virtual event hosted by the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The event focused on the impact space debris and large constellations have on both space activities and terrestrial astronomy and the policy options for mitigating those challenges. Dr. Weeden gave a short presentation with an overview of the current policy framework for managing orbital debris. He was joined on the panel by Rachel Wang, a resident astronomy at the Space Center, and Dr. Aaron Rosengren, an Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at University of California San Diego.

Feb 18, 2021
SWF and Caelus Foundation “Lost Without Translation” Report Discussed at U.S.-China Series Webinar: The Business of Space: China’s Ambitions & the Global Context
Mr. Christensen and Caelus Foundation Executive Director Mr. Rob Ronci presented a summary of the findings of our recently published paper: "Lost Without Translation: Identifying Gaps in U.S. Perceptions of the Chinese Commercial Space Sector." Other panelists at the event included Shelli Brunswick, COO of the Space Foundation; Malak Loeb, CEO and Founder of Vernewell Space Solutions; and Shawna Pandya, Scientist-Astronaut Candidate at Project PoSSUM. Video recordings of the event can be accessed here.

Feb 23, 2021
SWF Staff Participate in Wilton Park meeting, "Responsible behaviours in space, national submissions to the UN" 
Ms. Samson gave presentations on “Counterspace Risks and Threats” and “Understanding Space Systems” at a virtual Wilton Park meeting designed to promote greater understanding of the challenges managing space threats. This event provided the opportunity for nations to consider behaviours they might wish to recommend for addressing threats to space systems, as they begin drafting national submissions to the UN Secretary General on responsible behaviour in space.

Feb 24-26 
SWF Staff Discuss Sustainable Management of Earth Orbit and Lunar Mining at Commons in Space Virtual Conference
Dr. Weeden and Mr. Christensen both participated in the 2021 Commons in Space Virtual Conference organized by the International Association for the Study of the Commons (IASC) from February 23-25, 2020. Mr. Christensen was part of a panel discussing “Social License to Operate for Lunar Resources Activities” and Dr. Weeden moderated a panel on "Moving Towards Space Traffic Coordination and Management." Video recordings of both panels are available here.

Feb 25-26, 2021 
SWF Sponsors 4th African Space Generation Workshop 
SWF Executive Director Peter Martinez participated in the 4th African Space Generation Workshop, "A United Africa for Space Innovation: A Step Towards Our Common Future.”

Experts in the Media

Feb 1, 2021
Biden Admin Expected To Rein In ‘Space Power’ Push
Dr. Weeden was quoted by BreakingDefense on how the Biden Administration can refocus space warfighting efforts

Feb 2, 2021
Billionaire battles will shape our future in space 
Ms. Samson was quoted in Axios Space newsletter on competition in space. 

Feb 2, 2021
Biden Elevates Science in Week One Actions 
Dr. Weeden was quoted by Scientific American on the Biden Administration's space policy priorities.

Feb 4, 2021
Can the Space Force shake off Trump? 
Dr. Weeden was quoted by Politico on the politics of the Space Force. 

Feb 5, 2021
Inside the FAA-SpaceX regulatory saga that delayed Starship SN9
Dr. Weeden was quoted by the Houston Chronicle on the impact of SpaceX launching without a license.

Feb 9, 2021
BBC World Service - Business Daily, Satellites to breach the digital divide 
Ms. Samson was interviewed by BBC Business Daily on the digital divide.

Feb 10, 2021
Krystal Wilson Azelton: from Sciences Po to outer space 
Ms. Azelton was featured in Émile Magazine by Sciences Po alumni. 

Feb 11, 2021
Congress Bars NASA From Working With China. That's Likely a Mistake. 
Ms. Samson was quoted in Futurism on the Chinese space program.

Feb 17, 2021 
Russia, China to sign agreement on international lunar research station 
Dr. Weeden was quoted by Space.com on the impact of a potential Russia-China moon exploration agreement.

Feb 18, 2021
BBC The Inquiry - Can we solve our space junk problem? 
Ms. Samson discussed the challenges of space debris on The Inquiry. 

Feb 19, 2021
Q&A with acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk
SWF and Caelus Foundation's Lost in Translation report was highlighted in the POLITICO Space newsletter. 

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