For information only - not an official document
UNIS/OS/443
3 February 2015
VIENNA, 3 February (UN Information Service) - "The importance attached by the international community to cooperation in the area of peaceful uses of outer space is increasing" said Ms. Simonetta Di Pippo, Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), at the opening of the 52 nd session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee meeting of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) today.
"This cooperation is a necessary driver for bringing the growing number of benefits derived from space science and technology applications to both developing and developed countries in their common pursuit of attaining the objectives of the global development agenda beyond 2015," said Ms. Di Pippo.
The long-term sustainability of outer space activities will be one of the key topics at this 52 nd session, running from 2 to 13 February. Space activities play a vital role in contributing to the post-2015 development agenda process and their future use requires international cooperation. Other key items for discussion include mitigation of space debris, use of space tools for disaster management and space weather research. Recent developments in the use of remote sensing of the Earth by satellites for devolvement goals as well as the safe use of nuclear power sources in outer space, the use of the geostationary orbit and global navigation satellite systems will be discussed.
The Subcommittee will mark the historic milestones in space, including the 50th anniversary of the first space walk performed by a human, cosmonaut Alexey A. Leonov of the Russian Federation, and the 40th anniversary of the "Apollo-Soyuz Test Project", the first international space cooperation project developed by the United States and the former Soviet Union.
The Steering Committee of the Space Mission Planning Advisory Group will meet 5-6 February to continue to prepare for an international response to a Near-Earth Object impact threat (further details at http://cosmos.esa.int/web/smpag/home ).
The full agenda can be found at http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/COPUOS/stsc/2015/index.html
The extensive agenda is supplemented by a variety of side events, open to persons accredited to the VIC:
The UNOOSA permanent space exhibit is open to the public as part of the VIC tours .
Media representatives who wish to attend the side events and who are not accredited to the VIC should contact press@unvienna.org
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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