Side event on non-governmental perspectives on reducing Space Threats

On 13 October, the United States Department of State hosted a First Committee side event, “Non-governmental perspectives on Space Threats”. The afternoon panel, moderated by Eric Desautels of the US Department of State, focused on the perspectives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) within the framework of norms of responsible behaviour in outer-space with a view to help manage the potential for conflict in outer-space.  

Mr. Michael Gleason, of the Center for Space Policy and Strategy, started off the discussion by reviewing the papers submitted by NGOs to the Secretary-General pursuant to resolution 75/36. Their papers underscored both the value of space as well as current and potential threats to space systems and are intended to support policymakers and non-technical audiences. They covered topics such as the contribution of space-based services to individual quality of life; issues around space debris; the physics of military conflict in space; management of space traffic; the dual-use nature of space systems; and space cyber security.