SWF Statement – UN COPUOS LSC, Exchange of Views: SSA, Legal Models, and Responsible Behavior (April 2018)

Secure World Foundation reviews its contributions to legal and policy efforts supporting the peaceful and sustainable use of space since June 2017. Key highlights include:

• Handbook for New Actors in Space: Over 2,600 copies distributed. Now available in print and PDF, with discounts for educational and nonprofit users.
• SSA, STM & Debris:
  • Hosted the 5th AMOS Dialogue on future SSA/STM scenarios.
  • Organized a Washington, DC panel on active debris removal (ADR) with commercial and legal experts.
• On-Orbit Servicing & CONFERS:
  SWF is a founding member of CONFERS, a DARPA-backed consortium aiming to set voluntary norms for on-orbit servicing and proximity operations.
• Youth and Legal Capacity Building:
  Sponsored travel and participation in the 2017 IAC, Space Generation Congress, and Manfred Lachs Moot Court. Presentations addressed space law, resource utilization, and norms for small satellite operations.
• Smallsat Norms & Best Practices:
  Organized side events at the 2017 SmallSat Conference on launch, deployment, and post-mission disposal practices for CubeSats.
• Sustainable Development and UNISPACE+50:
  Participated in the High-Level Forum and events with UNOOSA and the Vatican Observatory, emphasizing how space supports the SDGs and global inclusion.
• Space Insurance & Commercial Incentives:
  Co-organized a roundtable on space insurance as a market mechanism to incentivize responsible space behavior; plans to engage investors in future dialogues.
• Space Resources Governance:
  Continued work with The Hague Working Group to develop building blocks for an international legal framework on space resource activities, with feedback solicited globally.

SWF concludes by reaffirming its commitment to a peaceful, cooperative, and sustainable outer space environment.