UN COMMITTEE ON THE PEACEFUL USES OF OUTER SPACE CONCLUDES FORTY-SIXTH SESSION IN VIENNA

A report on the implementation of the UNISPACE III recommendations wa
s
prepared, and the issue of space debris,
the international satellite system for search and rescue, and
satellite-based telemedicine were discussed.

VIENNA, 24 June (UN Information Service) — The Committee on
the
Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) held its forty-sixth sessio
n in
Vienna from 11 to 20 June 2003. The Committee finalized the outline
of the
report on the implementation of the recommendations of UNISPACE III, w
hich
will be submitted to the General Assembly in 2004. The Committee re
viewed
and endorsed the reports of both the Scientific and Technical and the L
egal
Subcommittee. Other matters that were discussed included the issue of
space
debris and the international satellite system for search and rescue.
The
Committee also saw a live demonstration of satellite-based telemedicine
.

Implementation of UNISPACE III recommendations

The Third United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful
Uses
of Outer Space was held in 1999. Eleven action teams were establis
hed to
report on progress made in the implementation of the recommendations of
the
conference. Each of the eleven action teams reported to the Commit
tee on
their particular area, on issues such as a global environmental monito
ring
strategy, the activities of the International GPS Service, and new
and
innovative sources of funding. A new action team on knowledge-shari
ng was
established, which will in particular deal with issues related to brid
ging
the digital divide. Based on the input submitted by the eleven
action
teams, as well as input from UN system Organizations and NGOs workin
g in
areas related to Outer Space, the Committee will submit a report to
the
General Assembly, for the “plus 5” review of the UNISPACE III conferenc
e in
2004. The outline of this report was finalized at this session.

International Satellite system for Search and Rescue

The Committee considered the activities of the International Satel
lite
System for Search and Rescue (COSPAS-SARSAT). The system provides di
stress
alert and location information to search and rescue, for aviation, mari
time
and land users in distress, working world-wide, with no discrimination
and
free of charge, using satellite systems to relay and process
the
transmissions of distress radio-beacons. COSPAS-SARSAT has been
in use
since 1982 and has assisted in over 4,500 search and rescue eve
nts,
involving the rescue of over 15,000 lives, and is therefore an excel
lent
example of international cooperation in using space technology for
the
benefit of humankind.

Satellite-based live telemedicine demonstration

The United Nations Programme on Space Applications in cooperation
with
Joanneum Research and the Technical University of Graz conducted a
live
interactive demonstration of satellite-based telemedicine to the Commit
tee.
A transportable satellite station was installed at the Vienna Internati
onal
Centre, and the satellite signal received by the station was further be
amed
in to the room in which interactive equipment was installed.
The
demonstration showed an example of high-speed transfer of comp
uter
tomography images and parallel tele-consultancy: this is where med
ical
experts communicate with each other in a video conference, possibly du
ring
a surgery. The use of satellite-based telemedicine is expect
ed to
significantly improve medical services, particularly in areas where
the
necessary infrastructure is not available, such as rural and isol
ated
areas.

Space debris

The Committee saw a presentation by Italy on the management of
the
re-entry of an Italian scientific satellite called Beppo SAX into
the
atmosphere in 2003. Based on the example of Beppo SAX, the presen
tation
included lessons learned and recommendations for future re-entrie
s of
obsolete spacecraft, in particular concerning information strategy and
risk
management. The Committee agreed that international cooperation was
needed
to expand appropriate and affordable strategies to minimise the poten
tial
impact of space debris on future space missions. The Committee req
uested
all its Member States to study the proposals of the Inter-Agency S
pace
Debris Coordination Committee (IADC), which had been presented at
the
session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee earlier this year
. It
was agreed that Member States would provide their comments on the propo
sals
to the Office for Outer Space Affairs before the next session of
the
Subcommittee early next year, at which a working group would be establi
shed
to consider these comments.

Nuclear power sources in Outer Space

The Committee noted that an exchange of views had taken place in
the
Legal Subcommittee on the review and possible revision of the Princi
ples
Relevant to the Use of Nuclear Power Sources in Outer Space. The issu
e will
be further discussed at the Subcommittee Sessions early next year.

The legal concept of the “launching State”

A proposal for a draft General Assembly resolution on this issue
was
submitted to the Committee. The Committee agreed that a revised text
of the
draft will be further discussed by the Legal Subcommittee during its
next
session in early 2004. The concept of the “launching State” has imp
ortant
legal implications, because the United Nations treaties governing
the
peaceful uses of Outer Space impose obligations on launching Sta
tes,
regarding in particular the registration of objects launched into sp
ace,
and liability for any damages caused.

Space and water

The Committee adopted a new agenda item titled “Space and water” for
its
session next year. Over 1 billion people worldwide lack access t
o safe
drinking water. If current trends persist, two-thirds of the w
orld’s
population will be living with serious water shortages by the year 2
025.
The Committee will explore ways in which space agencies and o
ther
organizations could work together to find ways to facilitate internati
onal
cooperation in the development and use of water resources, u
sing
space-based data.

Bureaux of the Committee and its Subcommittees for 2004

The Committee appointed the following officers for the Bureaux of
the
Committee and its Subcommittees for 2004 and 2005:

COPUOS:

Chairman: Adigun Ade Abiodun (Nigeria)
First Vice-Chairman: Ciro Arevalo Yepes (Colombia)
Second Vice-Chairman/Rapporteur: Parviz Tarikhi (Islamic
Republic of Iran)

Scientific and Technical Subcommittee:

Chairman: Dumitru Dorin Prunariu (Romania)

Legal Subcommittee:

Chairman: Sergio Marchisio

Candidature for Membership

The Committee agreed to consider the candidature for membership of
the
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, endorsed by the Group of African states, at
its
next session.

Membership of the Committee

The Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space currently has
the
following Member States: Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Aust
ria,
Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, C
had,
Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Fra
nce,
Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Ja
pan,
Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Moro
cco,
Netherlands, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippi
nes,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, S
audi
Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Su
dan,
Sweden, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Un
ited
States, Uruguay, Venezuela and Viet Nam.

* * *

For more information visit the web site of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs
at http://www. oosa. unvienna. org

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