CSA Seeking Contributions for UN Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities (Podcast)

The Canadian Space Agency wants Canadians to provide input that it can then take back to the United Nations (UN) COPUOS Working Group on the LongTerm Sustainability of Outer Space Activities. That was the message Jean-Marc Chouinard outlined at a presentation to the Canadian Space Commerce Association in the first public meeting on this topic.

Jean-Marc Chouinard is a veteran at the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and is Head of Policy and Regulatory Affairs. In this podcast he provides background information and outlines the importance of Canada’s role in the UN Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities.

The Canadian Space Agency feels that it is very important that Canadians be engaged in this UN activity as it will have consequences for Canadians in the future. At some point this fall the CSA is planning to hold a workshop to get input from the space community in preparation to submit Canada’s input into a final UN report and guidelines that will be published in 2014.

The podcast was recorded on July 10th at the bi-monthly meeting of the Canadian Space Commerce Association in Toronto. Listen or download the podcast from Space Talk @SpaceRef on iTunes, a new podcast from SpaceRef.

Related links and documents from the podcast:

• United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs
• Jean-Marc Chouinard Presentation: The UN COPUOS Working Group on the Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities (PDF)
• Canadian Space Agency Consultant Report: The Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activity – Canadian Consultations (PDF)
• Terms of reference and methods of work of the Working Group on the Long-term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee (PDF)
• Workplan of expert group A: sustainable space utilization supporting sustainable development on Earth (PDF)
• Workplan of expert group B: space debris, space operations and tools to support collaborative space situational awareness (PDF)
• Workplan of expert group C: space weather (PDF)
• Workplan of expert group D: regulatory regimes and guidance for actors in the space arena (PDF)
• Canadian Points of Contact for UN COPUOS Working Group on the Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities (PDF)
• All Points of contact for the Working Group on the Long-term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities, and members of Expert Groups A through D (PDF)
• SPACE MATTERS: Bringing the benefits of space to humankind. United nations Officer for Outer Space Affairs (PDF)
• Long-term sustainability of activities in outer space: Working paper submitted by the Russian Federation (PDF)
• Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development