UN Office for Outer Space Affairs and United Kingdom reinforce cooperation to promote space sustainability

The partnership between the United Nations and the Government of the United Kingdom has been strengthened through a new agreement. The continuation of this collaborative effort, announced in January 2021, will advance global awareness on space sustainability and foster tailored capacity-building services for emerging spacefaring nations. 

The United Kingdom will support international efforts to promote space sustainability with funding of USD 125,000. The funds will be used to prepare an anonymized stakeholder study report, to be published in spring 2022, on experiences of Member States in implementing the Guidelines for the Long-term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities of the Committee on the Peaceful uses of Outer Space (LTS Guidelines), that provide guidance to help ensure the safe and sustainable use of space.

UNOOSA Director Simonetta Di Pippo said: “The democratization and intensification we see in the space sector represent encouraging news for the future. The sustainability challenges this new era creates must be addressed as a priority to ensure that the space sector can thrive. We must look at every action we take in space through the lens of sustainability, for which the LTS Guidelines provide an outstanding framework. This project, generously funded by our UK partners, will continue to share information and examples of the practical implementation of the LTS Guidelines. By amplifying existing expertise of member States and international actors, it supports the promotion of actionable solutions.”

Paul Bate, Chief Executive Officer at the UK Space Agency, said: “We’re honoured to continue our collaboration with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs to promote space sustainability. This project with UNOOSA is crucial to making the orbits of our planet safe and keeping space usable for generations to come. It builds on our existing commitment to international action following June’s G7 statement on space sustainability.”

Responsible space operations are paramount for a prosperous space industry in the future. 

More information about the project is available at https://spacesustainability.unoosa.org/