https://spacewatch.global/tag/copuos/ AN INDEPENDENT PERSPECTIVE ON SPACE Thu, 14 May 2026 14:25:15 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://spacewatch.global/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/SpaceWatchGlobal-Sign-90x90.png https://spacewatch.global/tag/copuos/ 32 32 https://spacewatch.global/2026/05/spacewatchgl-opinion-planetary-defense-joins-the-supremacy-stack/ Thu, 14 May 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=73899
Written by Torsten Kriening
At the 41st Space Symposium, a planetary defense luncheon I expected to be apolitical turned into something else. When a former NASA Administrator proposed extending the Artemis Accords to cover asteroid defense, it became clear: the last genuinely multilateral domain in space is being quietly absorbed into the American supremacy stack.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/05/spacewatchgl-analysis-copuos-lsc-2026-and-the-politics-of-doing-more-with-less/ Wed, 06 May 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=73618
Written by Raoul Cardellini Leipertz
The 65th session of the Legal Subcommittee of COPUOS, held in Vienna from 15 to 22 April 2026, had all the expected ingredients of contemporary space governance.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/02/spacewatchgl-opinion-plausible-deniability-in-orbit-the-verification-void-in-space-law/ Tue, 24 Feb 2026 10:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=71341
Written by Raoul Cardellini Leipertz
In spring 2024, a lone Russian satellite drifting through an unexpected low Earth orbit (LEO) set off alarms from Washington to Brussels. Was it an innocuous on-orbit experiment or the first sign of an exo-atmospheric strike platform? ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/08/spacewatchgl-opinion-global-space-governance-under-pressure-from-u-s-deregulation/ Wed, 20 Aug 2025 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=67165 On 13 August 2025, the White House issued an Executive Order titled “Enabling Competition in the Commercial Space Industry.” From where I sit as a space journalist, this marks one of the boldest—and riskiest—moves in U.S. space policy I’ve seen in years]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/06/unoosa-and-the-commonwealth-sign-historic-joint-declaration-on-space-cooperation-for-sustainable-development/ Fri, 13 Jun 2025 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=65770 The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the Commonwealth Secretariat have formalized a strategic partnership through a Joint Declaration that aims to harness space-based solutions in support of sustainable development.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2024/12/spacewatchgl-opinion-moonrise-or-moonfall-assessing-lunar-policy-trends-and-futures-in-a-changing-landscape/ Thu, 05 Dec 2024 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=62655 Written by Sam Jardine and Dr. Antonino Salmeri

With six lunar missions launched this year - the most since 1969 - it is clear the Moon is no longer a distant prospect. Our closest celestial neighborhood is fastly becoming a multi-faceted and politically complex arena for human activity, hopefully collaborative, potentially contested. To capture key trends in 2024, at the Lunar Policy Platform we have surveyed of lunar stakeholders from across the globe in private, public, scientific, and academic spheres. Based on the feedback received, and our own expert assessment, we found three key trends for lunar policy have emerged from 2024: ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2024/11/spacewatchgl-opinion-space4earth-the-billionaire-asteroid-a-golden-opportunity-or-a-legal-and-environmental-challenge/ Fri, 22 Nov 2024 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=62380 Written by Shrawani Shagun

The recent discovery of an asteroid containing a high concentration of precious metals has sparked renewed discussions about the future of space exploration. This finding has generated much interest among investors and space-faring nations, positioning space mining as the next frontier for economic growth. The potential is undeniable: vast, untapped resources beyond our planet could revolutionize global economies, creating new industries and unprecedented wealth.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2024/06/unoosa-hosts-un-conference-on-sustainable-lunar-activities/ Thu, 20 Jun 2024 06:00:22 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=55736  The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) has hosted the first United Nations Conference on Sustainable Lunar Activities, ahead of the 67th Session of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS). The Conference convened astronauts, heads of space agencies, the scientific and legal communities, and industry to address common approaches, priorities, and expectations for the peaceful, sustainable, and cooperative exploration of the Moon.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2024/06/spacewatchgl-geopolitics-give-unoosa-and-portugal-a-chance/ Wed, 05 Jun 2024 08:00:13 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=55412 The “Management and Sustainability of Space Activities Conference” took place in Lisbon, on May 14 and 15, 2024, totalling over 15 hours of talks. A joint event organized by Portugal with UNOOSA (United Nations Office for Space Affairs), this conference was also intended to contribute to the discussion on the space sector at the upcoming United Nations Summit of the Future in September 2024. Besides featuring experts' discussion on the importance of international cooperation and regulations in managing and sustaining outer space activities, a key merit of this conference is to have allowed members states that aren’t dominant space powers to showcase their initiatives. Let’s find out.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2024/03/spacewatchgl-geopolitics-state-of-the-union-address-lost-in-space/ Wed, 27 Mar 2024 09:00:43 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=54263 The 2024 State of the Union Address was given by the 46th President of the United States, Joe Biden, on March 7, 2024, at 9:00 p.m. EST, in the chamber of the House of Representatives to the 118th Congress. Since it took place only two weeks after the “successful” landing of NASA CLPS Intuitive Machine M1 Odysseus on the Moon, and as anticipated during a re-election campaign, many were curious about how the President would capitalize on recent US geopolitical and economic forays in space. Why not even expect the presence of NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, astronauts, and space CEOs, among the honoured invitees? But while the SOTU address did cover essential domestic political ground, there was not one word about space! But how is that even possible?!]]> https://spacewatch.global/2024/03/spacewatchgl-geopolitics-china-and-the-moon/ Wed, 13 Mar 2024 09:00:22 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=54105 What is China's position on space resource activities? The following is a commentary on the Chinese approach following its submission to the Working Group on Legal Aspects of Space Resource Activities of the Legal Subcommittee of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).]]> https://spacewatch.global/2023/05/spacewatchgl-opinion-space-law-2023-can-nationalists-and-internationalists-find-common-ground/ Fri, 05 May 2023 08:00:01 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=48487 The new Working Group on Outer Space Resources held its first meetings during the recent session of the Legal Subcommittee (LSC) of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).]]> https://spacewatch.global/2023/03/ian-grosner-elected-as-chair-of-outer-space-lsc-working-group/ Thu, 30 Mar 2023 06:00:21 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=47635 Ian Grosner, the Brazilian Space Agency federal attorney and host of SpaceWatch Global's Space Café Brazil, has become the chair of the Working Group on the Definition and Delimitation of Outer Space of the Legal Subcommittee of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) in Vienna, Austria. The election happened on Monday, March 20, 2023.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2022/06/omran-sharaf-from-uae-to-chair-uns-copuos/ Fri, 03 Jun 2022 06:00:56 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=41290 The UAE has been chosen to lead the United Nation’s Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) committee with Omran Sharaf Emirati engineer serving as director of COPUOS in 2022 and 2023, the UAE reported.  COPUOS has 100 member states and has been in operation since 1959.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2022/03/space-cafe-webtalk-33-minutes-with-simonetta-di-pippo-recap-international-womens-day-2022-a-conversation-on-women-in-space/ Fri, 11 Mar 2022 09:00:19 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=39784 Space Cafe WebTalk “33 minutes with Simonetta Di Pippo” on the topic of “International Women's Day 2022 - A Conversation on Women in Space,” took place on 8th March interviewing UNOOSA Director, Simonetta Di Pippo. Ms Di Pippo maintains responsibility for the Office's management and administration, ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2022/03/space-cafe-austria-by-judith-delany-recap-andrea-kleinsasser-of-bmk/ Thu, 03 Mar 2022 09:00:37 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=39650 The first-ever Space Café Austria took place on Thursday, 24th of February. Guest Andrea Kleinsasser, Deputy Head of the Department of Space Affairs at the Federal Ministry of Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology, shared her personal experience and insight outside of her work for the government into Austria’s role and engagement at UN COPUOS.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2018/07/spacewatchgl-oped-a-forgotten-disc-a-path-to-peace-by-michelle-hanlon/ Sun, 29 Jul 2018 08:00:24 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=9636 Nestled inside a protective aluminum shell is a silicon disc about the size of a United States half dollar. Inscribed on this disc are microscopic messages from leaders of 73 nations solicited by Thomas Paine, then head of NASA. ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2018/06/south-africa-eyes-potential-space-partners/ Tue, 26 Jun 2018 05:00:33 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=9147 The South African Trade and Deputy Minister, Bulelani Magwanishe, told the UNISPACE+50 High-Level Segment of the 61st session of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPOUS) in Vienna, that South Africa is keen to develop global partnerships in the space arena. He reiterated that the country is committed to the peaceful use of outer space and the long-term sustainability of space-related activities.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2018/06/spacewatchgl-oped-update-on-un-efforts-on-the-prevention-of-an-arms-race-in-outer-space/ Sun, 24 Jun 2018 08:00:55 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=9117 There is widespread concern about the prospect of space becoming militarised and it is a critical issue on the United Nation’s agenda. In this exclusive article, Daniel Porras, Space Security Fellow, United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, gives an update on the efforts of the UN to prevent an arms race in outer space.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2017/11/outcome-of-the-hlf-dubai-2017/ Tue, 28 Nov 2017 04:00:09 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=6438 This content is for members only. Visit the site and log in/register to read.]]>