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SWF December 2021 Newsletter

Secure World Foundation Newsletter

December 2021

Insight - Review of 2021 and Preview of 2022
By Executive Director Peter Martinez

As we approach the end of 2021, we reflect on what a remarkable year this has been for the world in general and for the space community in particular. Despite all the challenges posed by the COVID pandemic, we witnessed a number of momentous developments in the space arena, heralding continued growth of commercial space activities. The deployment of very large satellite constellations has continued unabated during COVID, accounting for the lion’s share of the more than 1,600 new satellites launched during the first eleven months of 2021. These constellations hold out the hope of enhancing global internet access, but they also raise a number of  questions and concerns for the long-term sustainability of space activities that remain unresolved. 

Read More here

Announcements 

Handbook for New Actors in Space Now Available in Chinese and French 
SWF is proud to announce the publication of the French and Chinese translations of the Handbook for New Actors in Space. In partnership with the Chinese Aeronautics Publishing House and a private translator, these editions were produced to enable greater dialogue on space sustainability issues in French- and Chinese-speaking regions of the world. SWF would like to thank our partners as well as our independent reviewers. Free PDF versions can be downloaded directly from our website

SWF Seeking Counterspace Contractor
The Counterspace Contractor will support the development of the Secure World Foundation’s annual Global Counterspace Capabilities Report and associated fact sheets on counterspace activities. The Contractor will report to Dr. Brian Weeden, Director of Program Planning. The Global Counterspace Capabilities Report is an annual report SWF has issued since 2018 to increase public awareness and discussion of the proliferation of counterspace capabilities and their impact on space security and stability. The full job description and application instructions can be found here.

SWF Welcomes Summit Assistant Liz Tang 
Please join us in welcoming Summit Assistant Liz Tang to the team. Ms. Tang received a B.S. and an M.S. in aerospace engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. She also continued on at Georgia Tech to be a PhD candidate with areas of concentration in aircraft design, manufacturing, and supply chain research. With her multi-cultural and technical background, she hopes to contribute to international collaborations in space commercialization and development--starting with the Summit for Space Sustainability. 

Publications 

SWF Responds to Russian ASAT Test
SWF released a brief statement in response to the Nov. 15, 2021, anti-satellite (ASAT) test in low Earth orbit conducted by Russia. Individually, members of our team responded to inquiries from international news outlets including NPR, BBC, Air Force Magazine, Bloomberg, The Economist, POLITICO, The Atlantic, Breaking Defense, and Space.com

See “Experts in the Media” below for additional appearances. 

Events

Nov 17-19, 2021
SWF Co-Sponsors Virtual Kalpana Chawla Dialogue
SWF was delighted to be a co-sponsor with the Observer Research Foundation of the 6th ORF Kalpana Chawla Annual Space Dialogue. Speakers representing all over the Indo-Pacific region spoke about India’s space policy, space weaponization, mega-constellations, global governance of space, women and space, and emerging space actors, among other relevant issues.  SWF staff participated in panels on mega-constellations, space weaponization, and global governance. For more information, including a complete list of speakers and the full agenda, please visit here.

Dec 9, 2021
10 Years of the Wolf Amendment: Assessing Effects and Outcomes
In April 2011, Congress passed the Wolf amendment to put speed bumps in front of possible cooperation with China in space, and has reaffirmed the policy annually in subsequent legislation.  In order to understand how this legislation has shaped U.S. national interests and activities, SWF hosted a virtual panel discussion which looked at the original intent of the legislation and how it has evolved; presented U.S. experiences in carrying out its requirements; examined consequences of the legislation; and analyzed possible paths forward for engagement with China in space. It also included a conversational keynote with former NASA Administrator Charles Frank Bolden, Jr. For the full speaker list and a video recording of the event, please visit the event page here

Staff Activities and Presentations

Nov 5, 2021
SWF Participates in Meeting of the NOAA ACCRES Advisory Committee
Director of Space Applications Programs Krystal Azelton contributed to the fall 2021 meeting of NOAA’s Advisory Committee on Commercial Remote Sensing (ACCRES) to discuss the Committee’s work, including receiving guidance from the new Administration on suggested working group topics for implementing the updated U.S. regulations for Earth Remote Sensing and future commercial space activities. Minutes of the meeting will be posted here.

Nov 8, 2021
Space Warfare: Applying International Humanitarian Law to the Final Frontier
This 2021 Stockholm Security Conference session, organized by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, invited Director of Program Planning Brian Weeden and other legal and technical experts for a discussion on the application of international humanitarian law (IHL) to outer space. The session also considered the technical aspects of different technologies and behaviors in outer space, and the legal implications thereof. In addition, panelists probed the rights and obligations of neutral states and states not directly participating in hostilities with the aim of identifying which issues require policy intervention.

Nov 10-11, 2021 
2021 Cyber and Space Security Conference 
On November 10, Dr. Weeden participated in a panel discussion on cyber security aspects of large satellite constellations at the Cybersatgov 2021 conference, which was held in Chantilly, VA. Dr. Weeden talked about how cyber attacks are a potential part of the counterspace attack surface of space capabilities and how industry standards can help address some of the vulnerabilities.

Nov 11-12, 2021
U.S-Sino Space Commercialization Dialogue Active at 2021 Paris Peace Forum
On November 11, 2021, Secure World Foundation and Caelus Foundation hosted a Small Group Dialogue on Space Traffic Management and Space Safety between American and Chinese commercial space stakeholders on the margins of the Paris Peace Forum. This informal not-for-attribution dialogue was part of our foundations' ongoing dialogue and research program aimed at enhancing understanding of space commercialization perspectives between the U.S. and China.

The following day, the U.S-Sino Space Commercialization Dialogue was reflected in the actual Paris Peace Forum agenda with a panel session entitled How to Establish a Space Commercialization Dialogue between the US and China?. This virtual session discussed our experience over the last three years in working with the Chinese Society of Astronautics to establish a regular dialogue between U.S. and Chinese space stakeholders on trends and activities in space commercialization.

Nov 15-17, 2021
SWF Participates in Australian Cyber Conference: Virtual Edition
The Australian Information Security Association (AISA) hosted its annual cybersecurity conference covering a variety of aspects affecting cybersecurity. SWF Washington Office Director Victoria Samson spoke in a panel discussion, “Cyber-Space: Safeguarding Australia's Space-Based Assets,” which focused on the importance and utility of cybersecurity in outer space. For more information, please visit here.

Nov 22, 2021
Lunar Governance: Lessons from Earth
The 16th Moon Dialogs Research Salon featured a discussion of how good terrestrial governance practices might help inform future lunar governance frameworks. Lukas Kuhn and Jessy Kate Schingler provided an overview of research done by Open Lunar Foundation over the last year on this issue and discussed with Dr. Weeden the implications for future policy, legal, and economic discussions on lunar governance. 

Nov 22, 2021
Nuking the site from orbit? China's Hypersonic Weapons Test
This virtual panel hosted by the Third Nuclear Age project at the School of History, Politics, and International Relations, University of Leicester, discussed what is known and unknown about the alleged test of a Chinese Fractional Orbital Bombardment System (FOBS), and what it can mean for nuclear strategy, space security, and US-China relations.  Ms. Samson spoke on the panel about China’s counterspace and known hypersonic capabilities and compared them to U.S. hypersonic capabilities and plans. For more information, including a video of the discussion, please visit here

Nov 29, 2021
International Norms and Competition in Earth Orbit: Implications for German Industry
The Office of the Representative of German Industry and Trade in the United States hosted a virtual panel discussion which examined the current state of the space environment, possible challenges to the security and stability of the domain, and ways in which to facilitate international cooperation.  Ms. Samson spoke about the role of norms in security, security, and sustainability and the positive effect the commercial sector could have on contributing to shaping those norms.  For the video of the discussion, please visit here

Nov 30, 2021
NIAS-NAS Virtual Dialogue: Space Security Challenges
The National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) and National Academy of Sciences (NAS) have been hosting a series of track 2 dialogues between Indian and U.S. strategic experts. The most recent was “Space Security Challenges,” and it covered a spectrum of issues affecting space security and stability. Ms. Samson presented on “Security Implications of Mega-Constellations and Space Crowding,” where she discussed the disruption the arrival of mega-constellations have placed on the space domain, the role the right of way places in complicating space traffic management, and the consequences that anti-satellite tests much like Russia’s held on Nov. 15, 2021, have for space debris in low Earth orbit.

Experts in the Media

Nov 1, 2021
UN Committee Votes ‘Yes’ On UK-US-Backed Space Rules Group
Ms. Samson expressed support for new UN working group to develop rules of the road for military activities in space (Breaking Defense).

Nov 2, 2021
Here Come the Private Space Stations  
Director of Private Sector Programs Ian Christensen was quoted in an Axios newsletter on private space stations.

Nov 3, 2021
The United Nations Could Finally Create New Rules for Space 
Ms.Samson was quoted in WIRED on UN efforts towards norms and principles for responsible behavior in space.

Nov 3, 2021
UK Wants UN To Create New Space Rules That Could Prevent Military Confrontations Outside Earth 
Comments from Ms.Samson on UK Resolution on Norms of Behavior in Space were featured in Tech Times (via WIRED).

Nov 3, 2021
Loads of New Satellites Joining Earth's Orbit Amid Space Junk Crisis
Dr. Weeden highlighted the growing threat of space debris in Flying Magazine.

Nov 8, 2021
‘It is a game changer’: Waging War on Climate Change from Space 
Ms. Azelton was quoted in POLITICO Space on satellite imagery and climate change. 

Nov 9, 2021
Let’s Get to Know Space Force, Trump’s Most Misunderstood Creation 
Dr. Weeden was quoted on the Space Force in New York Magazine.

Nov 16, 2021
Russian Anti-Satellite Missile Test Draws Condemnation 
Dr. Weeden responded to the Russian ASAT Test (BBC).

Nov 19, 2021
Russian ASAT Test Highlights Urgent Need for Space Governance Negotiations 
Ms. Samson was quoted on space governance and Russian ASAT test in The Diplomat.

Nov 19, 2021
The Week In Russia: QR Codes, Borders, And A Blast On The Final Frontier
Dr. Weeden was quoted on Radio Free Europe on the Russian ASAT test.

Nov 27, 2021
This Could be Why Russia Blew Up its Own Satellite 
Ms. Samson and Dr. Weeden discussed possible motivation behind the Russian ASAT test (Inverse).

Nov 29, 2021
Can SpaceX's Starlink sue Russia for Anti-satellite Missile Test Space Debris Fallout? 
Space Law Advisor Chris Johnson was quoted on Space.com regarding the legality of the Russian ASAT test.

Nov 30, 2021
The Geopolitics of ASAT Weapons and Space Debris (with Brian Weeden)
Dr. Weeden was interviewed by the Main Engine Cut Off Podcast on the geopolitics of ASAT testing and space debris.

Nov 30, 2021
Broadcast 3794 - Dr. Brian Weeden 
Dr. Weeden appeared on the Space Show to discuss ASAT testing and space debris.

Nov 30, 2021
Space Café Radio: A Special on the recent Russian Anti-Satellite Test 
Ms. Samson was featured in a Space Cafe Radio Special on the Russian ASAT Test.

Dec 1, 2021
Ms. Samson was quoted in WIRED and SpacePolicyOnline on the U.S. National Space Council.

Dec 1, 2021
Biden Administration to Propose New Global Norms for Military Space 
Ms. Samson quoted in Breaking Defense on a possible ASAT test moratorium.

Dec 3, 2021
Contesting the Space Domain 
Dr. Weeden was interviewed by Air Force Magazine on the contested nature of space.

Dec 4, 2021
The DownLink: The US National Space Council is Back in Business 
Ms. Samson spoke on the DownLink podcast about the National Space Council.

Dec 8, 2021
The Geopolitics of a New Modern Space Race 
Ms. Samson was interviewed by Institut Montaigne on the geopolitics of space.

Dec 9, 2021
Space Is Getting Messier. Can It Be Cleaned Up? 
Dr. Weeden was interviewed by the Wall Street Journal on the threat posed by orbital debris.

Dec 10, 2021
Welcome to the Space Jam: Canadian startup Kepler stirs debate with huge planned fleet of internet satellites
Mr. Johnson was quoted in the The Globe and Mail on a planned megaconstellation.

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