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Secure World Foundation Newsletter
May 2016
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Insight - Building Common Understanding on Space Resources Use
By Ian A. Christensen, SWF Project Manager
Exploration and Use. Concepts at the core of the Outer Space Treaty (OST) - found in the document’s title - and central to the principles that guide human activities in benefitting from space technology and applications. As the global community continues to push further in the development of space, questions relating to the relationship between, and meaning of, these terms are becoming more visible. Commercial exploration, development, and use of space resources (which some refer to as “space mining”) is currently seeing significant renewed international interest and debate.
Interest in the topic is growing as a number of commercial companies - primarily in the United States, but internationally as well - are developing increasingly credible business plans focusing on space resources development. The international debate was sparked by ...continue reading
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Events
April 4, 2016
SWF-State Department Event Highlights International Aspects of Space Weather
Co-organized by SWF and the U.S. Department of State, this event brought together top space weather experts to discuss the international aspects of the recently released National Space Weather Strategy and to inform policy makers of the potential impacts of space weather on infrastructure and the global economy. The event brought together U.S. and international experts from government, industry, and academia to highlight efforts to improve international collaboration on space weather-related policies, research and forecasting programs, as well as risk management activities. Materials from the event are available on the event page.
April 8, 2016
Spectrum Protection: An Examination of the Policy and Practical Implications
SWF hosted a panel discussion to examine issues that may affect our continued ability to access satellite spectrum and how it affects the overall resiliency of space assets.
April 28-29, 2016
SWF Co-hosts Conference on Space Security in Geneva, Switzerland
The United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) and SWF hosted "Sustaining the Momentum - The current Status of Space Security." This small, invitation-only meeting held on a non-attribution basis allowed for an open discussion on understanding how the principles of the right to self-defence may be applied to the outer space domain.
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Staff Activities and Presentations
March 30 - April 1, 2016
Laura Delgado López Presents at the 5th Annual Meeting of the CEOS' WGCapD
SWF Project Manager Laura Delgado López participated in the 5th Annual Meeting of the Working Group on Capacity Building and Data Democracy (WGCapD) of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS). She gave a presentation entitled “Considerations for Leveraging Capacity-Building Activities” at the Capacity-Building Summit held during the meeting. WGCapD-5 was hosted by the CEOS Systems Engineering Office at the NASA Langley Research Center and held in Hampton, VA.
April 10 - 11, 2016
SWF Co-Sponsors Space Generation Fusion Forum
Secure World sponsored and participated at the fifth annual SGAC Fusion Forum, held in early April in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and before the annual Space Symposium. SWF Executive Director Mike Simpson also delivered the keynote address to attending students and young professionals entering the space industry.
April 11 - 14, 2016
SWF Staff Actively Contributes to the 32nd Space Symposium
During the week, SWF co-hosted the "Americas Roundtable," and presented the invite-only lunchtime panel discussion, "Space Security: Norms, Resiliency, and Protection." SWF also conducted the invitation-only roundtable, "Space-based Weather Capabilities in the Arctic." Additionally, Ms. Laura Delgado López co-moderated the panel on “Building a Space Culture in an Emerging Spacefaring Nation."
April 18, 2016
Michael Simpson Addresses Symposium on Legal Aspects of Space Resource Utilization at Leiden University
SWF Executive Director Michael Simpson gave a presentation entitled “Links Between Space Resources Development and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” at a Symposium hosted by the International Institute of Air and Space Law at Leiden University on April 17, 2016. The Symposium was designed to give a broad overview of the legal and regulatory aspects involved in the development of space resources activities, and included presentations from governmental, commercial, and civil society organizations with an interest in space resources-related activities. The agenda, and presentations, can be found here. Dr. Simpson’s presentation is available here.
April 18, 2016
Brian Weeden Briefs Alabama Local Leaders on Trends in Space Security
SWF Technical Advisor Brian Weeden gave a presentation on current trends in space security to local business and government leaders from Alabama. The meeting was organized by the Decatur-Morgan Chamber of Commerce to bring key leadership to Washington, DC, to raise awareness of current policy issues and meet with federal representatives. Mr. Weeden's briefing provided an overview of the current trends towards a more congested and contested space environment, and policy actions being taken by the U.S. government to address those trends.
April 19, 2016
Brian Weeden Participates in Panel Discussion on U.S.-China Relations in Strategic Domains
Mr. Weeden participated in a panel discussion hosted by the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) in Washington, DC, on U.S.-China relations in strategic domains. The panel discussion included experts in the space, cyber, maritime, and nuclear domains who provided overviews and findings from the new report by NBR. Mr. Weeden co-authored the chapter on U.S.-China relations in space, and his remarks highlighted ways space can help strengthen the overall U.S.-China relationship. An audio recording of the event can be found on the NBR event page.
April 21, 2016
Victoria Samson Speaks at UPenn's Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law
SWF Washington Office Director Victoria Samson spoke at the Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law (CERL) at the University of Pennsylvania Law School about an upcoming project of theirs related to space and security. For more information about the CERL program, please visit their website: https://www.law.upenn.edu/institutes/cerl/.
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Publications
April 18, 2016
Brian Weeden Co-Authors New Report on Improving U.S.-China Strategic Relations in Space
SWF Technical Advisor Brian Weeden has co-authored a chapter on space in a new report examining U.S.-China relations in strategic domains. The report, published by the National Bureau for Asian Research (NBR), assesses U.S.-China relations in the maritime, nuclear, cyberspace, and space domains, as well as through the lens of people-to-people and military-to-military exchanges. Employing an innovative approach to represent both U.S. and Chinese perspectives, the members of the study team jointly examine opportunities for collaboration. Each essay identifies areas of divergence and convergence between U.S. and Chinese interests and recommends both cooperative initiatives and mechanisms to manage tensions.
Mr. Weeden and his Chinese co-author, Xiao He from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, examined the role of the space domain in the U.S.-China relationship, propose cooperative initiatives to strengthen the relationship where U.S. and Chinese interests overlap, and recommend measures to mitigate tensions and crises where they diverge. A summary of their findings was published at War on the Rocks.
April 29, 2016
Space-based Weather Capabilities in the Arctic Meeting Report
This non-attribution report captures the background and discussion highlights of an invite-only roundtable to discuss the value of improved weather capabilities in the Arctic, identify projects of mutual benefit and assess means for collective action. The roundtable was co-organized by SWF and Harris Corporation on April 13, 2016, during the 32nd Space Symposium.
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Announcements
April 22, 2016
Job posting: SWF Colorado Office Seeking Administrative Assistant
Secure World Foundation is seeking a proactive, detail-oriented professional to join our team as a full-time Administrative Assistant in our headquarters in Broomfield, CO.
May 2, 2016
SWF Announces Young Professional Scholarships for the 2016 IAC in Guadalajara, Mexico
The Secure World Foundation is pleased to announce that it will be accepting applications from young professionals for scholarships to aid in traveling to present papers at this year's International Astronautical Congress (IAC). The goal of these scholarships is to provide young space professionals an opportunity to participate in one of the most prestigious international space conferences to further their professional development and inject new ideas into the community. Please note that the deadline to apply is June 17, 2016; applications can be found here.
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