It's the most wonderful time of the year! The staff, Board of Directors, and Advisory Committee of SWF would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your readership and contributions over the past twelve months. We have had another productive year filled with substantial policy and program successes, and are grateful for your continued support as we close 2014 and look forward to 2015.

Beginning on February 1, 2015, SWF is pleased to announce that we will be providing monthly editions of our newsletter! For updates over the month of January, please be sure to visit us online at www.swfound.org, or feel free to contact our staff at info@swfound.org.

November 5, 2014

SWF Hosts AAS International Programs Committee Meeting

SWF was pleased to host a meeting of the American Astronautical Society’s (AAS) International Programs Committee (IPC). Approximately 20 of the AAS IPC members, representing space agencies, embassies, and other institutions with interest in international space activities, participated in the meeting. SWF Project Manager Laura Delgado López discussed SWF’s recent international activities and upcoming projects. The meeting was led by AAS IPC Chair, Ms. Susan Irwin of Irwin Communications and Euroconsult.

November 20, 2014

SWF and AAS Host Congressional Briefing on Space Weather

SWF and the American Astronautical Society hosted “Beyond the Flare,” a briefing on space weather. Speakers from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Oceanic and  Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Department of State, and PJM Interconnection discussed scientific, communication, policy and forecasting challenges related to space weather phenomena. 

December 5, 2014

SWF Co-hosts Workshop on Satellite Export Controls

Participants from various U.S. government agencies administering export controls of space systems, along with representatives from non-governmental organizations and think tanks, participated in an invitation-only conversation to discuss export controls. A delegation of industry representatives from The Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies (SJAC) contributed to the conversation as well. This event, "Export Controls of Space Systems: A Conversation Between The United States and Japan," was co-hosted by SWF and Astroconsulting International. A report summarizing key findings will be availible in early 2015.

December 9, 2014

SWF Holds Panel Discussion on the Changing Nature of Space Situational Awareness

SWF held a panel discussion in Washington, DC entitled "Seeing Into Space: Perspectives and Initiatives for Enhancing Space Situational Awareness." The event featured six speakers from the U.S. government and private sector entities, who provided a range of national security, civil, and commercial perspectives on Space Situational Awareness (SSA). A major focus of the discussion was the increased role the private sector is likely to play in providing SSA capabilities to both governments and non-governmental space actors in the near future.

November 1, 2014

Executive Director Dr. Michael Simpson's Chapter Published in Space Commerce Book

Dr. Michael Simpson's chapter on the "Future of Space Commercialisation – Mining asteroid and celestial bodies" was published in the book, Commercialisation of Space: Opportunities and Challenges. Published by Pentagon Press in India, this volume presents an insightful overview of the legal and policy issues emerging around the growing space commerce sector. Dr. Simpson's chapter outlines opportunities for peacefully resolving disagreements and conflicts surrounding proposals to extract resources from celestial bodies for profit.

November 11, 2014

Asteroid Impact Risk Communication Workshop

SWF has released a report of the two-day workshop on communication about near-Earth object (NEO) hazards and impact mitigation. Held last September, the workshop was organized at the request and for the benefit of the International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN), an international group of organizations involved in detecting, tracking, and characterizing NEOs.

November 19, 2014

U.S.-China Earth Observation Data Sharing Workshop

The report of the "Bilateral US-China CODATA Workshop: Moving Forward on Data Policy and Cooperation in Earth Observations with a Focus on Disaster Data" provides an overview of the program and highlights from the discussion as well as a list of participants. SWF sponsored the workshop, which was organized by the U.S. National Research Council’s Board on Research Data and Information.

December 15, 2014

Public Report on Orbital Slots and Spectrum Use

The public report on "Orbital Slots and Spectrum Use in an Era of Interference," co-hosted by the Secure World Foundation and Institut français des relations internationals (IFRI) in Brussels, Belgium, on October 9, 2014, is now available. 

December 15, 2014

Letter in Space News on Value of Meteorological Cooperation

SWF Technical Advisor Brian Weeden and Project Manager Laura Delgado López co-authored a letter to the editor of Space News in the value of international cooperation in metereology.  The letter was published on the print edition of Space News on December 15, 2014.

November 6, 2014

SWF Brings International Message to Embry-Riddle STM Conference

Speaking to the first annual Space Traffic Management (STM) Conference at Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach campus, Executive Director Dr. Michael Simpson delivered a keynote address on the connection of international cooperation to sustainable space traffic management. Dr. Simpson's address introduced participants to the many international initiatives underway with relevance to the political and legal aspects of STM and highlighted the potential for cooperative and sustainable solutions to current challenges.

November 10, 2014

Brian Weeden Participates in the World Economic Forum's 2014 Summit on the Global Agenda

The World Economic Forum (WEF) held its 7th annual Summit on the Global Agenda in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from November 9-11, 2014. The Summit brought together 1,500 experts from around the world to brainstorm solutions to the most pressing global challenges. SWF Technical Advisor Brian Weeden participated as a member of the Space Council, one of 80 Global Agenda Councils formed by the WEF across a wide range of issues, risks, and regions. Joining Mr. Weeden on the Space Council for the 2014-2016 term is SWF Advisory Committee member Dr. Kazuto Suzuki. Over the course of the three-day summit, the Space Council developed a mandate for the next two-year term:  promoting sustainable innovation in space activities and services for the benefit of humanity. As part of this mandate, the Space Council plans to focus on the role space capabilities and services play in responding to humanitarian crises and disasters on Earth.

November 20, 2014

Brian Weeden Moderates Policy Panel and Delivers Policy Keynote at Inaugural CODER Space Debris Workshop

On November 18-20, 2014, the University of Maryland's inaugural Center for Orbital Debris Education and Research (CODER) Workshop took place in College Park, Maryland. The event brought together more than 100 space debris experts to discuss the technical, legal, and policy aspects of dealing with space debris. On the first day of the workshop, SWF Technical Advisor Brian Weeden moderated a panel discussion on policy aspects of space debris with participants from the U.S. Department of State, Office of the Secretary of Defense, NASA, and Congress. On the last day of the workshop, Mr. Weeden delivered a keynote presentation on space policy and priorities for addressing space debris. His presentation, entitled "Policy and Priorities for Tackling Super Wicked Problems and Avoiding the Tragedy of the Commons (In Space)," provided an overview of why traditional public policy analysis and problem-solving techniques fail at solving "super wicked problems" that involve collective action by a large group of actors.

December 1, 2014

Executive Director Dr. Michael Simpson at The Hague Institute

Executive Director Dr. Michael Simpson was one of thirty participants in an invitation only roundtable on the governance of space mineral resources sponsored by the Hague Institute of Global Justice in the Netherlands.  The roundtable was convened to consider what steps may be necessary to create an encouraging and equitable environment for developing valuable raw materials that are known to exist on celestial bodies orbiting close to Earth.  Dr. Simpson recently published a chapter on the subject in the book Commercialisation of Space published by Pentagon Press in cooperation with Kings College London.