Statement under Agenda Item 11. Long-term sustainability of outer space activities

SECURE WORLD FOUNDATION

Statement under Agenda Item 11. Long-term sustainability of outer space activities

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Sixty-Third Session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee 

of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space

February 2026

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Mister Chair, distinguished delegates, and observers, 

On behalf of the Secure World Foundation, I appreciate this opportunity to recognize and congratulate the Subcommittee on the establishment of the ​​Expert Group on Space Situational Awareness (or SSA), chaired by Fatima Al Shamsi of the United Arab Emirates, and working under the Working Group on the Long-term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities. We wish all success to the  Expert Group, and we are ready to assist its work in any way appropriate. 

In that regard, and in our capacity as a Permanent Observer, we would like to offer some observations that might contribute to the execution of the Expert Group’s Mandate.  Access to SSA information for all space actors is critical to the long-term sustainability, safety, and security of space activities.  SWF views the establishment of the Expert Group on SSA as an important step forward in this regard. SWF has been a source of policy information on SSA issues for nearly two decades, and is regularly called upon to convene dialogues across sectors and disciplines to advance SSA - and space traffic coordination - related policy implementation, and to build capacity to access and use SSA information.

Throughout the course of 2025, SWF partnered with institutions in multiple states to host discussions and workshops focused on advancing and improving space situational awareness data sharing and collaboration.  In February 2025, SWF and the Office for Space Technology & Industry Singapore (OSTIn) co-organized a workshop entitled “Space Traffic Coordination: An Ongoing Conversation About Regional Needs and Information Sharing” at the 2025 Global Space Technology Convention & Exhibition in Singapore. The workshop was keynoted by remarks from the Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and included presentations from spacecraft operators and commercial SSA companies on the needs and drivers for space traffic coordination. In September 2025, we co-organized the annual SSA Policy Forum and associated AMOS Dialogue as part of the annual Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies (AMOS) Conference in Hawaii, USA.  In October 2025, we collaborated with Thailand’s Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) to co-organize a Workshop on Space Traffic Coordination during the 2025 Thai Space Expo in Bangkok.  Also in October, the Foundation convened two dialogues among SSA data providers and space operations experts to discuss practical measures for information sharing to enhance spaceflight safety. 

Throughout these meetings, participants were encouraged to discuss pragmatic ideas related to concrete and implementable actions for enhancing global SSA coordination to create a more predictable, transparent, cooperative, and safer environment for orbital operations.  SWF has submitted input to the Expert Group on SSA, providing a detailed summary of the salient points of these expert discussions as food for thought to support the deliberations of the Expert Group. In the interests of contributing to the work of the Committee, we wish to offer a brief summation of key points here.

First, the approach should be pragmatic and results-oriented by focusing on identifying achievable steps that can deliver tangible improvements to spaceflight safety, rather than pursuing new or comprehensive governance arrangements that may prove difficult to operationalize.  The goal should be to enable those willing to share information, rather than seek to mandate global compliance. Existing national and regional SSA systems should also be leveraged where possible.

Second, prioritizing safety-relevant coordination challenges in discussions and resulting outcomes will preserve a focus on operational safety. Effective SSA coordination depends less on the volume of information shared, than on the relevance, timeliness, and usability of that information. From this perspective, a useful starting point is to identify a minimum viable set of information that should be shared to support spaceflight safety.

Third, it is important to deliver visible and practical outcomes early.  One such practical outcome would be establishing a mechanism to share reliable points of contact among satellite operators, which might be described as creating a “telephone book” to facilitate communication and coordination. Sharing of practical contact information is fully aligned with the Guidelines for the Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities, in particular Guideline B.1.

Mister Chair, distinguished delegates, the Secure World Foundation looks forward to continuing to support the Committee’s efforts to ensure peaceful uses of outer space. 

Thank you for your kind attention.