10 | Leadership Roundtable | Progressing on Space Traffic Coordination

How can nations coordinate safely and effectively in orbit as the number of satellites grows exponentially?

In this Leadership Roundtable from the 7th Summit for Space Sustainability, moderated by Ian Christensen of the Secure World Foundation, senior officials from the European Commission, United Arab Emirates, Thailand, and Georgia Institute of Technology explore how the world can move from dialogue to real coordination on Space Traffic Management (STM) and Space Situational Awareness (SSA).

Panelists discuss the establishment of the new UN COPUOS SSA Expert Group, regional capacity-building efforts, and the urgent need for trust, interoperability, and data sharing among nations.

Featuring:

• Rodolphe Munoz, European Commission
• Mariel Borowitz, Georgia Institute of Technology
• Hamda Al Hosani, UAE Space Agency
• Pakorn Apaphant, Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA), Thailand
• Moderator: Ian Christensen, Secure World Foundation

Timestamps
00:00 – Opening remarks and panel introduction – Ian Christensen (SWF)
00:47 – “When it was created in 2014, it was a nice-to-have. Now it’s a must-have.” – Rodolphe Munoz
03:24 – “There has been a really interesting trend over the last ten years… of an increase in independent national and regional SSA systems.” – Mariel Borowitz
06:05 – Thailand’s SSA capacity-building efforts – Pakorn Apaphant
08:26 – “We see space situational awareness as a vital instrument to protect the safety and sustainability of our assets.” – Hamda Al Hosani
10:44 – Linking SSA with UN COPUOS subcommittee work – Pakorn Apaphant
12:13 – “We can encourage interoperable standards and future collaboration.” – Pakorn Apaphant
18:11 – “There’s pretty much universal agreement that we need operational contact information.” – Mariel Borowitz
21:06 – “For the first time, we have a single venue under the UN to align definitions and compare data formats.” – Hamda Al Hosani
21:08 – “That trust is a fundamental aspect of coordinating the coordinators.” – Ian Christensen
25:25 – “We need to find a way to discuss at the UN level… to avoid one thing — that we lose access to space.” – Rodolphe Munoz
28:11 – “We have to understand the different levels of capability and capacity of each country.” – Pakorn Apaphant
28:52 – “Frameworks must be built with the ecosystem, not for the ecosystem.” – Hamda Al Hosani
39:01 – “To make sure to feed your views through the right channels — brief your national delegations.” – Hamda Al Hosani
42:08 – “It’s time to participate in a great adventure.” – Rodolphe Munoz
42:58 – Closing remarks – Ian Christensen

Highlights

“When it was created in 2014, it was a nice-to-have. Now it’s a must-have.” – Rodolphe Munoz

“There has been a really interesting trend over the last ten years… of an increase in independent national and regional SSA systems.” – Mariel Borowitz

“We see space situational awareness as a vital instrument to protect the safety and sustainability of our space assets.” – Hamda Al Hosani

“There’s pretty much universal agreement that we need operational contact information.” – Mariel Borowitz

“For the first time, we have a single venue under the UN to align definitions and compare data formats.” – Hamda Al Hosani

“That trust is a fundamental aspect of coordinating the coordinators.” – Ian Christensen

“Frameworks must be built with the ecosystem, not for the ecosystem.” – Hamda Al Hosani

“It’s time to participate in a great adventure.” – Rodolphe Munoz

Keywords / Tags
space traffic coordination, space situational awareness, SSA, STM, UN COPUOS, SSA Expert Group, European Commission, UAE Space Agency, GISTDA, Thailand, Georgia Tech, trust in space, data sharing, interoperability, international cooperation, orbital safety, policy, regulation, Secure World Foundation, SWF Summit Paris 2024

Watch more Summit for Space Sustainability sessions to see how global leaders are working to coordinate the coordinators — ensuring that space remains safe, sustainable, and accessible for all.