UN and UK sign
agreement to promote space sustainability
The increasing complexity
of space missions, the emergence of large
constellations of satellites and the increased
risks of collision all affect the long-term
sustainability of space activities. And there
are currently approximately 170 million objects
in orbit – mainly debris – which could collide
with satellites vital to services we use every
day.
In 2019, the United Nations
Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space
(COPUOS), of which the UN Office for Outer Space
Affairs (UNOOSA) is Secretariat, adopted the
Guidelines for the Long-Term Sustainability of
Outer Space Activities (LTS guidelines), which
provide a framework to ensure the safe and
sustainable use of space. The Guidelines were
subsequently welcomed by the United Nations
General Assembly.
Following today’s
announcement, UK funding of £85,000 will support
international efforts to promote space
sustainability by identifying examples of the
sustainable use of outer space through a series
of events and outreach efforts. This project
will also inform future UNOOSA capacity-building
efforts to promote the future sustainability of
outer space, and it will encourage all actors to
implement the LTS guidelines to the fullest
extent possible.
Science Minister Amanda
Solloway said:
As the Earth’s orbit becomes congested with
potentially hazardous debris, it’s critical that
we work with our international partners to
secure the continued safety and sustainability
of space.
I am therefore delighted
the UK is partnering with the UN to implement
and promote these vital standards to all
emerging and established space-faring nations,
helping to ensure that outer space remains open
for our next generation of astronauts.
This partnership with the
UK Space Agency is the first time the UK has
funded a project with UNOOSA. It will enable the
UN to raise global awareness on this important
issue and foster the global governance of outer
space based on international law.
It is also the first
project to be funded from the international
element of the UK Space Agency’s National Space
Innovation Programme, launched in October 2020
to support collaborative projects between UK
organisations and international partners.
UNOOSA Director Simonetta
Di Pippo said:
Global investment, and dependency, on space
activities are increasing rapidly. It is
essential the international community comes
together to make the long-term sustainability of
space activities a reality. The LTS Guidelines
are a landmark expression of global consensus
and effective multilateralism on this crucial
subject.
UNOOSA is working to put
sustainability at the heart of global space
operations. This project, generously funded by
our UK partners, will help us ‘connect the
dots’; converting the successes of multilateral
policy-making into practice, and help deliver
the predictability the global space economy
needs to ensure its sustained growth in the
years to come.