Res Communis

by P.J. Blount with the blog faculty

This is part of a series of posts done from the 59th Astronautical Congress and the 51st Colloquium on the Law of Outer Space. The wrap-up has links to all the posts.

Session E.3.1: Developments in National Space Policies and Programs:

John Logsdon:
-Logsdon presented on the challenges facing the next president of the United States. His paper was withdrawn due to his involvement with the Obama campaign. His statements however do not represent the Obama campaign’s)
- He stated that the next resident will have to decide whether or not to adopt the Vision for Space Exploration which he referred to as a proposal.
- He stated that three major decisions will be whether the chosen technical infrastructure for the U.S. space program is right; whether the policy of retiring the space shuttle is correct; and what budget level should NASA be funded at.
- He said that more has been said about space in this campaign than in previous ones, but stated that it was nclear as to whether this was due to an importance in space or an importance in Florida as a voting state.
- He stated that both candidates favor exploring the Moon and Mars. He stated that Obama supports international cooperation in this, but that the McCain campaign has not yet used the word “international.”
- Both Campaigns support continuation of support for the IIS, according to Logsdon.
-Both campaigns support stimulating commerce and education

Mustapha Masmoudi:
- Masmoudi presented on Tunisian space policy
- Tunisian space policy supports the peaceful uses of outer space
- Tunisia has been active in UN meetings on space
-Objectives for the National Space Committee of Tunisia include: Protecting economic, social, cultural, and strategic interests in space matters; promoting technological and science cooperation; protection of natural resources; strengthening industry; communications technology; and an interest in space tourism
- Tunisia also has an interest in education
- Masmoudi also stated that satellite technology could be crucial in reducing disparities between developed and developing countries

Maki Yoshihara:
- Of JAXA presented on space activity in Asia- Pacific region
- The key players in space activities in the Asia-Pacific region are Japan, China, India, Korea
- Other actors are Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam
- There is multilateral cooperation in the region: APSCC, APSCO, and APRSAF
- Yoshihara then highlighted the acomplishments of APRSAF

Charlotte Mathieu:
- Presented on Russia space cooperation with China and India
- She stated that Russia has emerged with a stronger economy based on its defense and energy sectors, a political stability, and a new more assertive and confident international posture.
- Russian space is a strategic sector both politically and economically and had increased in space programs budget
- Russia and China relations were restored in 1989. There is current cooperation in the defense and energy sectors. Space cooperation resumed in the 1990s and there is a Joint Commission on space Cooperation that came into being in 2000. Main fields of cooperation are spaceflight, science, and exploration.
Russia and India have had relations since 1962 and also cooperate in the defense and energy sectors. They have a low level of trade but the cooperation goes further that the cooperation of Russia with China. Space cooperation has existed since the 1970s and focuses on launchers, navigation, and science.
- Russia and Europe are independent partners with strong cooperation. However, Russia has cooperation alternatives with India and China. Because of this Europe faces challenges in its cooperation with Russia.

K.R. Sridhara Murthi:
- presented exstensively on India’s space program.
-Two guiding principles for ISRO: 1) to be second to none in space technology and 2) to be self reliant.
- Three major dimensions of ISRO’s strategy: Organizational, Focus, and Human Resources
- New focuses for the next five years: Communications, Navigation, Earth Observation, Space Sciences

Janusz B. Zielinski:
-Ukraine was the cradle of Soviet Launch capacity, thus infrastructure for space capabilities is already there.
- Poland lacked the same infrastructure, yet after 1989 began to align itself with European space programs
-Cooperation between Poland and the Ukraine Began in 1994 with a formal agreement. Cooperation covers areas such as navigation, satellite tracking, ionosphere investigation, and exchange of staff and students among other areas.

Marius-loan Piso:
- Of the Romanian Space Agency (ROSA) which was established in 1991.
- ROSA serves as a national representative of International organizations such as ESA and UNCOPUOS.
-ROSA space applications focus on space security and disaster management.
- ROSA has a major focus on space security research
- He stated tah Romania will probably apply for membership in ESA in the next year.