For information only - not an official document

UNIS/OS/433
21 February 2014

Scientific and Technical Subcommittee concludes its 51st session in Vienna, advances discussion on the long-term sustainability of outer space activities

VIENNA, 21 February (UN Information Service) - "The long-term sustainability of outer space activities is of critical importance in addressing topics on sustainable space utilization to support sustainable development on Earth" said Elöd Both of Hungary upon his election as Chair of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee for a two-year term. He highlighted the important issues that Members had discussed during the session on long-term sustainability and its relation to "space debris, space operations, tools to support collaborative space situational awareness, space weather, and regulatory regimes, including guidance for actors in the space arena".

Long-term sustainability of outer space activities was one of the key items on the agenda of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee, which concluded its 51st session in Vienna today. The Working Group meeting under this topic continued its work towards developing a set of guidelines aimed to improve the long-term sustainability of outer space activities.

Other highlights of the 51st session of the Subcommittee include:

Other key items for discussion by the Subcommittee included space debris mitigation, disaster management and space weather research. In the two week session, the Subcommittee also reviewed the status of implementation of the safety framework for nuclear power source applications in outer space, the use of the geostationary orbit, and matters related to remote sensing of the Earth by satellites, including applications for developing countries.

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For further information, please contact:

Sinead Harvey
United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)
Telephone: (+43-1) 26060-8718
Email: sinead.harvey[at]unoosa.org