By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
The United Nations Office
for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) has highlighted the growing importance of
space situational awareness, space traffic coordination and broader access to
space as satellite activity increases, following the conclusion of the International
Space Summit in Paris.
French President Emmanuel
Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed support
for the work of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer
Space (COPUOS) on space situational awareness and the coordination of space
traffic during the summit.
UNOOSA Director Aarti
Holla-Maini participated in a high-level panel on future space infrastructures
alongside the President of Finland, the Prime Minister of Armenia, the Chairman
of the UAE Space Agency and the United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Business
and Trade.
Holla-Maini also discussed
automated collision avoidance with President Macron during a dinner at the
Élysée Palace, highlighting the growing importance of technologies that can
improve the safety and sustainability of space operations as the number of satellites
in orbit increases.
Throughout the summit,
UNOOSA highlighted the role of COPUOS in addressing opportunities and
challenges arising from an increasingly complex space environment.
The UN agency also promoted
the newly launched United Nations Satellite Operator Contact Hub (UN-SOCH),
designed to strengthen communication and coordination among satellite
operators. Operators can register with the platform to support greater
coordination of activities in orbit.
UNOOSA also moderated a
roundtable on space situational awareness and participated in discussions on
the use of space for humanity, where it advocated broader and more equitable
access to space and the benefits generated by space technologies.
Africa’s participation was
also highlighted through the admission of the National Space Program Management
Office of Angola (GGPEN) and the Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute
as new members of the Space4Ocean Alliance, with UNOOSA serving as the
alliance’s secretariat.
The addition of Angola and
Ghana expands African participation in an initiative focused on using space
technologies and data to support the sustainable management and protection of
oceans and coastal areas.
UNOOSA also co-organised a
Space4Water Conference with Blue Water Initiative under the patronage of French
Minister for Higher Education, Research and Space Philippe Baptiste.
The conference brought
together water and space experts to examine how satellite technologies and
other space-based solutions can contribute to addressing global water
challenges.
The engagements underscore
UNOOSA’s growing focus on strengthening international coordination, responsible
space operations and equitable access to space while supporting practical
applications of space technology for development, environmental protection and
human well-being.
