Res Communis

Presentations from 52nd Session of UNCOPUOS

by P.J. Blount with the blog faculty

Presentations made at the 52nd session of UNCOPUOS are now available at the UNOOSA website.

Brigadier-General Susan Helms Briefs COPUOS on the Iridium-Cosmos Collision

by P.J. Blount with the blog faculty

From the UN:

Brigadier-General Susan Helms Briefs COPUOS on the Iridium-Cosmos Collision

Call for Mitigation of New Space Debris

VIENNA, 10 June (UN Information Service) – Former US astronaut Susan Helms highlighted how international cooperation between space-faring nations could lead to improved space situational awareness at the fifty-second session of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS). Brigadier-General Helms of the United States Strategic Command shared insights on the Iridium-Cosmos collision, which took place on 10 February 2009 at an altitude of 790 km above the Earth.

Ms. Helms described today’s space as “an increasingly crowded sea, crisscrossed by shipping lanes, filled with traffic of myriad kinds bound for multiple destinations” and pointed to an important goal to “maintain an acute awareness of space objects, and to recognize potential threats early enough to refine predictions, and take avoidance if possible”. Ms. Helms commended COPUOS for its Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines, endorsed by General Assembly in December 2007, and emphasized that “one of the most significant ways to act responsibly in space is to mitigate the generation of new debris under normal operations”.

Today, Ms. Helms led the United States delegation in paying a visit to the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) to discuss international cooperation in outer space, recent developments in space debris mitigation and registration of space objects. The Director of the Office, Mazlan Othman, thanked the Brigadier-General for the visit and expressed her appreciation for Ms. Helms’ statement to COPUOS, which served as a “useful epilogue that provided the constructive basis for transparency in the issue and set a positive tone in COPUOS”.

On the space debris threat, Ms. Helms recalled her personal experience as an astronaut, when a mission of taking earth-observation images from the International Space Station had been compromised by the crack in the large observation window, caused by space debris. She further added that “we must encourage all space users to build on the foundations laid during the past half century and to operate responsibly in space so that we can ensure the long-term sustainability of our space activities”.

Ms. Othman thanked the United States delegation for its full-hearted cooperation and commended the United States for its “role model implementation of space law treaties and conventions”.

Russian Ukraine Space Cooperation Agreement

by P.J. Blount with the blog faculty

Roscosmos press release (via unofficial Google translation):

Agreement on space activities between Russia and Ukraine

Сегодня в здании МИД России подписано Соглашение между Правительством Российской Федерации и Кабинетом Министров Украины о мерах по охране технологий в связи с сотрудничеством в области исследования и использования космического пространства в мирных целях и в создании и эксплуатации ракетно-космической и ракетной техники. Today at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia signed the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers on Measures for the Protection of technology in relation to cooperation in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes and in the establishment and operation of space-rocket and missile technology. Соглашение подписали от российской стороны Анатолий Сафонов -Специальный представитель Президента РФ, от украинской – Генеральный директор Национального космического агентства Украины Александр Зинченко. The agreement signed by Russia Anatoly Safonov, Special Representative of the President of Russia, from Ukraine – The Director-General of National Space Agency of Ukraine Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Выступая перед журналистами сразу после церемонии подписания Соглашения, руководитель Роскосмоса А.Н.Перминов отметил: «Двустороннее сотрудничество России и Украины в области космической деятельности имеет достаточно стабильный характер. Speaking to reporters immediately after the signing ceremony, the head of Roscosmos AN Perminov said: «The bilateral cooperation between Russia and Ukraine in the field of space activities is fairly stable. Национальное космическое агентство Украины является стратегическим партнером для Роскосмоса по всем направлениям космической деятельности (пилотируемой космонавтике, «Морскому старту», «Наземному старту», ДЗЗ и др.). National Space Agency of Ukraine is a strategic partner for Roscosmos in all areas of space activity (manned space, «Sea Launch», «Land Launch», CRP, etc.). Достигнуты существенные позитивные результаты, позволяющие реализовать основные принципы интеграционного сотрудничества двух государств, касающиеся космической промышленности. Significant positive results, allowing to implement the basic principles of integrated cooperation between the two States relating to the space industry. Дальнейшим шагом в совершенствовании двусторонней нормативной правовой базы сотрудничества должно стать подписанное Соглашение, где будут урегулированы, по нашему мнению, и отдельные вопросы об использовании прав на результаты интеллектуальной деятельности, правовые вопросы авторского сопровождения и др. Теперь нам предстоит сформировать A further step in improving the regulatory framework of bilateral cooperation should be a signed agreement, which will be resolved, we believe, and some questions on the use of rights to intellectual activity, the legal issues of copyright tracking, etc. Now we have to form a
совместную программу до 2012 года. joint program until 2012.

Прорабатываются вопросы создания единого навигационно-временного пространства Российской Федерации и Украины на базе российской спутниковой системы ГЛОНАСС и других глобальных навигационных спутниковых систем. The question of creating a single space-time navigation of Russian Federation and Ukraine on the basis of the Russian satellite system GLONASS and other global navigation satellite systems.

Немаловажным аспектом нашего сотрудничества будет и повседневная работа по изготовлению и поставкам элементов космических аппаратов, наземных средств и средств выведения в Россию и на Украину, ремонту этих средств, эксплуатации, авторскому надзору и т.д.» An important aspect of our cooperation and will work daily on the manufacturing and supply elements of the spacecraft, ground facilities and launch facilities in Russia and Ukraine, repair of facilities, maintenance, architectural supervision, etc. »

This is an unofficial translation and is provided to the readership of Res Communis as a convenience.

Natural Space Explosions Now Classified

by P.J. Blount with the blog faculty

From Space.com:

Military Hush-Up: Incoming Space Rocks Now Classified
By Leonard David
SPACE.com’s Space Insider Columnist
posted: 10 June 2009
05:35 pm ET

For 15 years, scientists have benefited from data gleaned by U.S. classified satellites of natural fireball events in Earth’s atmosphere – but no longer.

A recent U.S. military policy decision now explicitly states that observations by hush-hush government spacecraft of incoming bolides and fireballs are classified secret and are not to be released, SPACE.com has learned.

The satellites’ main objectives include detecting nuclear bomb tests, and their characterizations of asteroids and lesser meteoroids as they crash through the atmosphere has been a byproduct data bonanza for scientists.

The upshot: Space rocks that explode in the atmosphere are now classified. . . . [Full Story]

Russian General States that New Arms Control Treaty Must Ban Space Weapons

by P.J. Blount with the blog faculty

From RIA Novosti:

New arms treaty must exclude weapons in space – Russian general

18:5310/06/2009

BALABANOVO (Russia), June 10 (RIA Novosti) – A new strategic arms reduction pact with the United States must prohibit any kinds of offensive weapons in space, Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces commander said on Wednesday.

“Our country is interested in including limitations not only on the number of nuclear warheads, but also on the number of their delivery vehicles in the new arms reduction treaty. We also stand for maintaining the ban on the deployment of strategic weapons, offensive and defensive, outside national borders, the prohibition of any kinds of offensive weapons in space, and a more efficient use of inspection and data exchange mechanisms established in line with the START 1 treaty,” Col. Gen. Nikolai Solovtsov said.

Russia and the United States are currently negotiating a replacement to the Strategic Arms Reductions Treaty (START 1) treaty, which expires in December. . . .[Full Story]

Russian Export Control Regulation

by P.J. Blount with the blog faculty

Roscosmos has posted Приказ Роскосмоса от 24 апреля 2009 г №63 «О Комиссии по экспортному контролю Федерального космического агентства», an export control regulation. The regulation is specific to the export control issues dealing with the space agency.