Res Communis

Fourth IAASS Conference: Making Safety Matter – Session 2 – Regulations and Standards for Safety – Part I

by P.J. Blount with the blog faculty

The first session on Regulations for Standards for Safety was Chaired by Ram Jahku, McGill University and Tanja Masson-Zwaan, Leiden University.

The first presentation of the session was “Harmful Interference: Its Meaning and Prospects of Enhancing Space Security and Safety” given by P.J. Blount, National Center for Remote Sensing, Air, and Space Law. My presentation is available to download.

The second presentation was given by Bruno Lazare, CNES and was titled “The French Space Operations Act:Technical Regulations.” He stated that the French Space Operations Act was intended to help France fulfill its Obligations under Article VI of the Outer Space Treaty (specifically the duty to authorize and continually supervise space activities). To this end he stated that the act set out an authorization and verification regime that was applicable to a variety of actors under French Jurisdiction. After an overview of the Space Activities Act, he gave an overview of the Technical Regulations which are expected to enter into force in December 2010. He stated that the purpose of these regulations was to protect people, public health, property, and the environment. The regulations, according to Lazare, set out a variety of standards for things such as risk management, collision avoidance, debris mitigation, nuclear safety, and planetary protection, among other things.

Fourth IAASS Conference: Making Safety Matter – Plenary 2

by P.J. Blount with the blog faculty

The second plenary session of the included keynote speeches from J. Duffy, FAA, Chief Engineer, Commercial Space Transportation; S. Simpson, SAIC, Vice President, Safety and Mission Assurance; J. Pelton, ISSF, President Ad-Interim; and R. Jakhu, Professor, McGill University Institute of Air and Space Law.

The main legal content during this plenary was from Prof. Jahku who gave a report on the International Interdisciplinary Conference on Space Debris which was being hosted by both McGill University and the University of Cologne. He stated that space debris was currently the largest threat to space safety and that there was a need for globally harmonized technical standards that could be implemented through the appropriate national means. He stated that to this end the Interdisciplinary Conference was to begin the process for suggesting specific and viable policy and regulatory changes. He said that this conference resulted in the McGill-Cologne Declaration on Space Debris which will be part of the report that is released as a result of the Conference.

Fourth IAASS Conference: Making Safety Matter – Plenary 1

by P.J. Blount with the blog faculty

The first plenary at the Fourth IAASS Conference included keynote speeches by Rear Admiral S. Daniels, US Navy, Deputy Commander JFCC Space; J. Bosma, ESA, Inspector General; A. Goldman, NASA, Deputy Director, Marshall Spaceflight Center; N. Takeuchi, JAXA, Director S & MA; I. Rongier, CNES, Inspector General; and S. Garon, CSA, Director of Project Management. The Legal content from this plenary was found primarily in the speeches by Daniels, Goldman, and Rongier.

Daniels speech discussed how Space Situational awareness was crucial to space safety not just for Defense users, but also for civil and commercial users. She emphasized how the military’s mission had changed in the wake of the Iridium 33 – Cosmos 2251 collision. She said that after that collision the U.S. military began building on its capabilities for its SSA Sharing Service and increased its screening of all active satellites. Furthermore, she stated that collisions in space threaten every nations freedom of exploration in space. To this end she stated that the United States views international cooperation as crucial in collision avoidance, and that the United States was committed to exploration for peaceful purposes.

Goldman, among other things, discussed the differences between the NASA human space rating regime and the FAA’s human spaceflight requirements. He said that NASA’s rating regime will be hand tailored when contracting with commercial entities, especially if these entities are already functioning under an FAA license. He stated that NASA would do an independent safety evaluation, and that there would be no usage of that provider until NASA is satisfied that the craft is space. he said that this is a process similar to that used when contracting to place U.S. Astronauts aboard Soyuz spacecraft.

Finally, Rongier gave a brief overview of the French Space Activities Act. She stated that one of the purposes of this act was to support safety in space activities, which gives benefits to society as a whole. She also stated that the French Technical Regulaions would be passed later this year and enter into force in December.

Fourth IAASS Conference: Making Safety Matter

by P.J. Blount with the blog faculty

The Fourth International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety Conference: Making Safety Matter begins today in Huntsville, AL. Res Communis will be posting updates from the conference throughout the day (wifi and power outlets permitting; otherwise these posts will come at the end of the day). Stay tuned.