The Secure World Foundation Podcast

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Progress on International Best Practices for Space Sustainability - Part 2 Nov 07, 2016

Show notes

Recorded in Washington, DC, on October 21, 2016.

On June 17, 2016, the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN COPUOS) agreed to twelve long-term sustainability (LTS) guidelines, representing "best practices" for the safe and responsible use of space. These twelve voluntary guidelines mark a successful milestone out of years of discussions within COPUOS and represent the Committee's role in fostering international cooperation in ensuring that everyone can continue to derive benefits from the use of space over the long-term.

Co-organized by the Secure World Foundation and the U.S. Department of State, "Progress and Planning Ahead: International Best Practices for Outer Space Sustainability" brought together top U.S. and international space policy experts from governments, industry, and academia to discuss the current state of the long-term sustainability guidelines discussions, national implementation strategies, and next steps for the international community to ensure that space is sustainable over the long-term.

This podcast is a recording of the second panel from the event, on "Multilateral Organizations: International Efforts and Successes." Speakers:

Alexander E. Ermolaev, Embassy of the Russian Federation
Pascal Faucher, Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales, France
Ken Hodgkins, Department of State, United States
Liu Jing, China National Space Administration, China
Andre Rypl, Agência Espacial Brasileira, Brazil
Atsushi Saito, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan
Sarah Telford, British Embassy in Washington, United Kingdom
Moderator: Theresa Hitchens, University of Maryland

More details, including speaker bios and a video recording of the event, can be found at the event page on the SWF website.

Progress on International Best Practices for Space Sustainability - Part 1 Nov 04, 2016

Show notes

Recorded in Washington, DC, on October 21, 2016.

This podcast is a recording of the introductions and first panel from the event, on "Multilateral Organizations: International Efforts and Successes." Speakers:

Simonetta di Pippo, United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)
David Kendall, United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS)
Peter Martinez, COPUOS Long Term Sustainability Working Group
Moderator: Victoria Samson, Secure World Foundation

More details, including speaker bios and a video recording of the event, can be found at the event page on the SWF website.

An Examination of the U.S. National Security Space Strategy Jun 01, 2016

Show notes

Recorded in Washington, DC, on May 31, 2016 In 2011, the Department of Defense and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence published a National Security Space Strategy (NSSS) that provided guidance to the U.S. national security space community on how to address the challenges of what they deemed an increasingly "contested, congested, and competitive" space environment. The 2011 NSSS proposed the following set of interrelated strategic approaches for meeting U.S. national security space objectives:

Promote responsible, peaceful, and safe use of space;
Provide improved U.S. space capabilities;
Partner with responsible nations, international organizations, and commercial firms;
Prevent and deter aggression against space infrastructure that supports U.S. national security; and
Prepare to defeat attacks and to operate in a degraded environment

In the five years since, the debate over the U.S. approach to meeting the challenges of the future space environment has only intensified. Within the national security space community, there has been a significant amount of effort put into fleshing out the concepts to implement the 2011 NSSS, culminating in the publication in 2015 of a white paper outlining a taxonomy for Space Domain Mission Assurance and elements of the FY2016 budget request. But details are still scarce, and both the overall approach outlined in the 2011 NSSS and its implementation have attracted significant criticism and critique. Congress has signaled its concern by mandating a study on "Alternative Defense and Deterrence Strategies in Response to Foreign Counterspace Capabilities" in the FY2015 National Defense Authorization Act. Outsiders have criticized the current approach as both too weak and too aggressive. This luncheon panel discussion provided a range of perspectives on both implementing the 2011 NSSS as well as alternative approaches to addressing the challenges of the current and future trends in space. More details, including speaker bios and an audio transcript, can be found at the event page on the SWF website. Speakers

Mr. Todd Harrison, Director for Defense Budget Analysis and Senior Fellow with the International Security Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Dr. Peter Hays, Adjunct Professor, George Washington University
Dr. Joan-Johnson Freese, Professor for National Security Affairs, U.S. Naval War College
Dr. John Sheldon, Chairman and President, ThorGroup GmbH
Mr. Brian Weeden, Technical Advisor, Secure World Foundation
Moderator: Ms. Victoria Samson, SWF Washington Office Director

Challenges and Opportunities Facing New Space Actors May 11, 2016

Show notes

Space activities are becoming more globalized. Today, more than sixty countries operate one or more satellite in space, and virtually all countries depend on space for some combination of national security, social, and economic benefits. There are an increasing number of space actors as a result. Furthermore, countries with existing space programs are also expanding their space activities into new sectors. At the same time, the world is seeing a boom in private sector activity in space, driven by the commercialization of technology and increasing availability of capital.

As these new government and private sector actors enter into the space domain, and existing actors push into new areas, they face both challenges and opportunities. The growing use of space applications is helping address a greater number of challenges on Earth, while expanding commercial activity is leading to increased innovation and the potential development of new capabilities and lower costs. At the same time, new private sector actors face a steep learning curve for understanding regulatory requirements and safe space operations, and countries face challenges in putting in place national law and policy.

In conjunction with its project to develop a Handbook for new Actors in Space, SWF held a luncheon panel discussion on May 10, 2016, in Washington, DC, to examine the challenges and opportunities facing new actors in space. Panelists provided a range of governmental, international, and private sector perspectives on their experiences, the obstacles they face and efforts to address these challenges.

More information, speaker bios, and presentations can be found on the event page on the SWF website.

Speakers

Mr. Jean-Michel Eid, Managing Director, Space Partnership International, LLC (SPI)
Dr. Rich Leshner, Director of Government Affairs, Planet Labs
Mr. Philippe Moreels, Head of Strategy and Business Development, ASTROSCALE
Dr. Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, Senior Fellow and Head of the Nuclear and Space Policy Initiative, Observer Research Foundation (ORF)
Ms. Laura Delgado López, Project Manager, Secure World Foundation (Moderator)

Asteroids, Mining, and Policy: Practical Consideration of Space Resource Rights May 06, 2016

Show notes

As the domestic and international community discusses and implements policy and legislation focused on space resource rights, this panel will focus on identifying legal, policy, and business implications of that activity. The discussion will focus on practical considerations related to the development of space resources-related regulatory frameworks and their relationship to both commercial development and international commitments.

On May 5, 2016, SWF and the Alliance for Space Development (ASD) hosted a panel discussion in Washington, DC, on "Asteroids, Mining, and Policy: Practical Consideration of Space Resource Rights" to discuss these issues.

For further information, speaker bios, and presentations please see the event page on the SWF website. Speakers:

Kenneth Hodgkins, Director of Space and Advanced Technology, U.S. Department of State
Peter Marquez, Vice President for Global Engagement, Planetary Resources
Jim Dunstan, Founder, Mobius Legal Group
Christopher W. Ingraham, Senior Legislative Assistant, Office of Congressman Jim Bridenstine (R-OK)
Moderator: Ian Christensen, Project Manager, Secure World Foundation

Space Security: Norms, Resiliency, and Protection Apr 25, 2016

Show notes

Space security is an increasingly important issue, and one that has taken on new meaning in recent years with increased concerns about protecting space capabilities from both intentional and environmental threats.

On April 14, 2016, the Secure World Foundation hosted an invite-only luncheon panel discussion at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colorado, as part of the 32nd Annual Space Symposium, to discuss the current state of space security using the lens of existing norms of behavior, concerns about the resiliency of space assets, and changing attitudes about space protection.

For further information and speaker presentations, please visit the event page on the SWF website.

Speakers

Mr. Pierre Delsaux, Deputy Director General at the European Commission Directorate General for the Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SME's
Mr. Erik Eliasen, Vice President at National Security Space Programs
Lt. Col. Mike Hellmann, Assistant Branch Chief of Strategic Planning and Concepts within the German MOD
Lt. General Eduardo Peña Merino, General de Aviación, Comandante del Comando de Combate, of the Chilean Air Force

Moderator: Dr. Michael Simpson, SWF Executive Director.

Spectrum Protection: An Examination of the Policy and Practical Implications Apr 08, 2016

Show notes

Our continued ability to get benefits from space assets will be interrupted if spectrum is not responsibly protected. This issue is coming up more and more often, particularly so at meetings last November in Geneva for the World Radiocommunication Conference and as policymakers look at the future of GPS and other positioning, navigation, and timing systems. As the U.S. government takes on the mantle of looking at how its space assets can overall be more resilient, spectrum protection is a key part of this discussion.

This lunch-time panel will examine what major issues could potentially affect spectrum availability and utility over the near term and discuss what policies and/or legislation could help with those challenges.

For further information and speaker bios, please see the event page on the SWF website.

Speakers

Mr. Christopher Hegarty, Director, Communications, Navigation, Surveillance (CNS) Engineering and Spectrum, The MITRE Corporation
Mr. James J. Miller, Deputy Director, Policy and Strategic Communications Division, Space Communications and Navigation Program, NASA Headquarters
Dr. Scott Pace, Director, Space Policy Institute, George Washington University
Ms. Jennifer Warren, Vice President of Technology Policy and Regulation, Washington Operations Government and Regulatory Affairs, Lockheed Martin

Moderator: Ms. Victoria Samson, SWF Washington Office Director.

Broadcasting GEOSS: Key Issues in Spectrum Management and Earth Observations Nov 18, 2015

Show notes

Recent multi-stakeholder discussions have highlighted the limited awareness on spectrum-related issues and their impacts within the broader Earth observations community, and the challenge of capturing the extent of reliance on potentially impacted programs and systems.

Sponsored by the Secure World Foundation, this morning panel event seeks to raise awareness of the risks facing the frequency bands used for meteorological purposes within the international GEO community, discuss opportunities for improved routine engagement between the relevant stakeholders, particularly at the regional level, and examine ways to communicate the impact of spectrum management decisions on the delivery of critical information services to policymakers.

For further information and speaker bios, please see the event page on the SWF website.

Moderator: SWF Executive Director Dr. Michael Simpson

Speakers:

Dr. Halilu Ahmad Shaba, Director, Strategy Space Applications, National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA)
Mr. David Hartshorn, Secretary General, Global VSAT Forum
Ms. Renee Leduc Clarke, Founder and Principal, Narayan Strategy
Mr. David Lubar, Radio Spectrum Management specialist in the GOES-R Program Office, Vaeros division of The Aerospace Corporation

Commercial Space Stations in LEO: Preparing For the Future Sep 23, 2015

Show notes

Recorded September 22, 2015

Like many other sectors of space activities that were once "government only," the notion of privately owned and operated space stations is no longer science fiction. Within the next decade, it is likely we will have a scenario where there are multiple commercial and government space stations on orbit, with a mix of multiple government and private customers and a mix of government and commercial transportation services going back and forth. Such a scenario holds both incredible opportunity and a number of significant challenges to resolve.

This panel discussion brought together experts from civil society, industry, and the U.S. government to discuss what this future may look like, and what economic, policy, and regulatory challenges need to be overcome along the way.

For further information and a copy of the presentations, please see the event page on the SWF website.

Moderator: Mr. Ian Christensen, Project Manager, Secure World Foundation

Speakers:

Mr. Charles Miller, President, NextGen Space, LLC
Mr. Mike Gold, Director, DC Operations and Business Growth, Bigelow Aerospace
Ms. Carissa Christensen, Managing Partner, The Tauri Group
Mr. Steph Earle, Office of Commercial Spaceflight, Federal Aviation Administration

Challenges In Sharing Weather Satellite Spectrum With Terrestrial Networks Mar 31, 2015

Show notes

This event was recorded on March 27, 2015.

On Friday, March 27, 2015, the American Meteorological Society (AMS) and the Secure World Foundation (SWF) hosted a luncheon panel discussion from 12:00pm to 2:00pm EST on “Challenges In Sharing Weather Satellite Spectrum With Terrestrial Networks” in Washington, DC.

In order to meet the growing demand for wireless broadband connectivity, the U.S. government is developing strategies to share radio frequency spectrum between federal and commercial users. Spectrum historically reserved for broadcasting meteorological satellite data to users from the current generation of polar-orbiting satellites was recently auctioned nationwide by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for over $2.4 billion. Federal regulators are now studying additional bands that may be shared in a future spectrum auction, including those currently used to download weather data from NOAA’s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) and for the future GOES-R series.

If GOES downlink spectrum is selected for sharing, there is a possibility of radio frequency interference between the new terrestrial commercial broadcasts and the existing satellite broadcasts that may render the satellite-received data unusable or degraded. Such interference could have significant impacts on the GOES-Variable (GVAR), GOES-R GOES Rebroadcast (GRB), the Emergency Managers Weather Information Network (EMWIN) - which is used to support first responders around the country, High-Rate or Low-Rate Information Transmission (HRIT or LRIT), as well as relay of hydrometeorological data from the GOES Data Collection System (DCS), used for monitoring and warning of floods.

A panel of experts discussed these issues, including the motivation for the sharing, potential impacts to end users of any interference, and options for mitigating potential interference.

Speakers

Mr. Jack Brown, Director, Arlington County Office of Emergency Management
Dr. Carol Anne Clayson, Senior Scientist in the Department of Physical Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)
Dr. Mike Johnson, Satellite Team Lead, Office of Science and Technology, National Weather Service, NOAA
Mr. David Lubar, Radio spectrum management specialist in the GOES-R Program Office, The Aerospace Corporation
Mr. Robert Mason, Chief, USGS Office of Surface Water, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
Mr. Mark Mulholland, Chief Systems Engineer, Office of Systems Development (OSD), NOAA
Mr. Mike Steinberg, Senior Corporate Consultant, AccuWeather

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