United NationsOffice for Outer Space Affairs

Tanya Keusen has worked for the Committee, Policy and Legal Affairs Section of the Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) since 2014, focusing primarily on the space sustainability portfolio. She is the Secretary of the Working Group on the Long-term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities and was the Secretary of the Action Team on Space Exploration and Innovation, which has concluded its work. Prior to her work with UNOOSA she worked for the United Nations Headquarters in New York and for the Government of Canada. She holds an interdisciplinary Masters degree in the theory and practice of human rights from the University of Essex.

Weiren Wu is a researcher at the Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Centre of the China National Space Administration, and the Director and Chief Scientist of the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory. He is an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, a member of the International Academy of Astronautics and a member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. He is the Chief Designer of China's Lunar Exploration Project. He has long been engaged in the overall technical research and engineering practice of aerospace measurement and control communications and deep space exploration engineering and is a major pioneer in the field of deep space exploration in China.

Xinbo Zhu is a researcher of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), a member of the Telemetry Professional Committee of the Chinese Academy of Astronautics, and the product assurance manager and deputy chief technical officer of the "Tianwen-1" orbiter, China's first Mars exploration mission. He has long been engaged in deep space exploration mission demonstration, deep space probe system design and verification, autonomous management and navigation, etc.

Dr. Greg Chavers is the director for the Technical Integration Office in NASA's Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD). In this role reporting to the ESDMD associate administrator, Chavers leads the integrated human spaceflight strategy, including utilization planning and requirements development, and oversees prioritization and tracking of capability gaps. He applies more than 30 years of engineering and program management experience to lead the Technical Integration office and coordinate human spaceflight plans within ESDMD and across multiple mission directorates.

Bernhard Hufenbach currently acts as head of the ESA strategic planning and outreach office for space exploration. He works since 25 years at ESA in areas such as strategic planning, policy development, programme appraisal and evaluation, strategic partnership development, future studies and programme definition, outreach and technology development with a particular focus on space exploration. He holds two Master degrees from the Technical University of Berlin and Delft in Space Systems and Technologies and Space System Engineering.

Wenjian Ni received the Ph.D. degree in cartography and geography information system from the Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China, in 2009. He was an Assistant Research Scientist with the Institute of Remote Sensing Application, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, in July 2009 - June, 2010 and did postdoctoral research with the Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA, in July 2010-July 2014. He has been a Professor with the Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, since August 2014.

Ms. Soyoung Chung is a Senior Researcher at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI). She currently works at KARI's R&D Strategy Office. Previously, she was at KARI's Space Policy Division (2009-2019) and worked with the government offices on national space policy and plans. Throughout her career, Ms. Chung took part in numerous policy studies and strategic planning exercise for Korea's space program. Her current research focuses on space exploration strategy. She is an active member of ISECG and is responsible for overall coordination of KARI's participation to ISECG. She also serves as a delegation to UNCOPUOS. Ms. Chung has academic background in Space Engineering and Science & Technology Policy.

Since 2020, Rogelio Morales García is engineer at the Bolivarian Agency for Space Activities (ABAE) of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. His interests include remote controlled, autonomous and swarm robotics platforms (land, air, underwater and space) for scientific purposes and augmented reality (AR) applied to underwater and space domains. Among other activities, He is member of the Universidad Central de Venezuela Fire Department (1994-2001) and founder of the Educational Project "Vecindario Submarino" (2010-2017), dedicated to the education of children, adolescents and young people in underwater robotics.

Zhaohui Gao is a researcher and deputy chief engineer in the field of space transportation at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology. He has long been engaged in the overall technical research of space transportation systems and has undertaken many research projects in the fields of new launch vehicle technology, space transportation technology and deep space exploration technology.

Vasco Guerra is Associate Professor at the Department of Physics of Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) and Head of the modelling and simulation activities of the N-PRiME group of Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear (IPFN). He is graduated in Engineering Physics at IST in 1991 and received the PhD degree in Physics from Universidade Técnica de Lisboa (IST) in 1998. Vasco held a visiting professor grant from the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Science in 2020 and was invited professor at Sorbonne Université in 2016. His research focuses on the modelling of non-equilibrium kinetics of low-temperature molecular plasmas. He is currently involved in the study of the fundamentals and mechanisms of CO2 plasmas interacting with surfaces and in the development of simulations tools for the plasma community. In 2016, he was awarded the William Crookes Plasma Prize, co-sponsored by the European Physical Society and the Institute of Physics Publishing, "for the outstanding contribution to the modeling of molecular low-temperature plasmas.

Xiongwen He, Vice-Chairman of the Spacecraft Interface Business Area (SOIS) of the International Consultative Committee on Space Data Systems (CCSDS), a young top talent of the Space Science and Technology Group, a member of the Information Technology and Software Technology Professional Group of the Science and Technology Commission of the Space Science and Technology Group, a director researcher of the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), the chief representative of the CAST of CCSDS, and the leader of the technical demonstration team of the Magpie Bridge Communication and Navigation System of the General Design Department of CAST.

Bernard (left) is a researcher at the Radiation Research Center under the nuclear research umbrella of the Philippine government's science department. Composed of a multidisciplinary team of physicists, chemists, and microbiologists, the research group works with X-ray cabinet irradiators to investigate the effects of ionizing radiation to cells and laboratory animals as well as study potential chemical countermeasures against its deleterious effects. Harlee (right) is currently based in The Philippines where he works through both space and non-space initiatives. Within SGAC, he is currently co-leading projects for commercial space through the CSPG Pre-Accelerator Programme and for space education through the SpaceGen Academy.

Jia Liu, PhD, Professor. Dr. Liu is currently employed in Beijing Institute of Remote Sensing Equipment. His main research area is space radar system design, which is used in Manned Spaceflight, Lunar Exploration , Mars Exploration and other major projects.

Funmilola Oluwafemi is a space bio-scientist, astrobiologist and currently an Assistant Chief Scientific Officer with the Space Agency of Nigeria-National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) at the Space Life Sciences Division. She is the Principal Investigator/Leading Expert in the Microgravity Research. Funmilola Oluwafemi has an academic background in Biochemistry. She has collaborated in research and education with United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) in the Zero-Gravity Instrument Project.

Dr. Antonino Salmeri is a space lawyer specialized in the multilateral, multilevel and multi-stakeholder governance of space resource and lunar activities, currently working as Policy Analyst at the Open Lunar Foundation. He is the recipient of the 2022 Young Space Leaders Award of the International Astronautical Federation and holds four advanced degrees in law: a PhD in Space Law from the University of Luxembourg, an Advanced LL.M. in Air & Space Law from the University of Leiden, a 2nd level LL.M. in EU Law & Policy from the LUISS University of Rome and a Master Degree in Law from the University of Catania, all obtained with the distinction of cum laude. His main expertise is in the development of adaptive governance mechanisms and innovative policy solutions for the peaceful, cooperative, safe and sustainable conduct of lunar and space resource activities.

Shorena Tsindeliani graduated in Health Economics, Policy and Management from Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden and Business Administration and Management from Caucasus University, Tbilisi, Georgia. Shorena joined Scarab Development in 2019 and as result, cofounded its daughter company, Hydromars AB. Based on proprietary technology from Scarab Development, Hydromars uses a new unit operation that will make it possible to recycle all water in space. Hydromars current work focuses on designing a separate more compact unit than the existing one specifically for micro/zero gravity tests. Before going to Scarab, Shorena has been actively involved in governmental organizations as well as held managerial positions in Baltic Sea region."

Carlo Viberti became the first non-U.S.A. citizen to fly from the NASA Space Shuttle L.F. for the first NASA Microgravity Pathfinder Flights in 2005, during which he tested biomedical undergarments to be qualified and then utilized on the Space Station ISS. In 2008 the Italian Space Agency's President proposed him as 1st sub-orbital private astronaut-engineer for sub-orbital research flights. As Lead Engineer of the European Space Agency's Astronaut Activities Office, in the 1990s he was in charge of astronaut systems development and microgravity test campaigns for ESA at NASA, both underwater and on-board zero-gravity flights, particularly for the design and development of the Space laboratory Columbus of the International Space Station; after designing and testing the underwater operational model of Columbus lab now utilized at the Astronaut Training Center ESA/EAC), became responsible of the European technology facilities for the ISS Phase 1 on the Space Station MIR.

Wenbin Zhang is an expert at the United National Office for Outer Space Affairs and is responsible for Access to Space for All activities. He worked for China National Space Administration for 3 years as an international liaison officer. He is also a senior engineer in satellite tests with more than 10 years' experience. He holds a master degree in Space science from Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a master degree in Space studies from the International Space University.

Rowena Christiansen teaches within the Melbourne Medical School, and has developed a new MD1 'Discovery Subject' "Human health in the space environment", as well as lecturing on 'humans in space' for Swinburne University of Technology. Her post-graduate studies include emergency and critical care, aerospace medicine, disaster management, child health, and space studies, with earlier qualifications in business, law, humanities, and education. As a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association, she is passionate about aerospace medicine advocacy, education, and volunteer service, and serves on the Aerospace Medical Association Council and a number of its constituent bodies. Rowena is a member of the Australian Space Agency Space Medicine and Life Sciences Technical Advisory Group.

Dr. Setsuko AOKI is Professor of Law at Keio University Law School, Japan since April 2016. Previous positions include: Professor of Law (2004-2016) and Associate Professor of Law (1999-2004), Faculty of Policy Management, Keio University, Japan; Associate Professor (1995-1999) and Assistant Professor (1994-1995), School of Social Science, National Defense Academy, Japan (1994-1999); and Assistant, Faculty of Law, Rikkyo University, Japan (1991-1993). She specializes in public international law especially space law and arms control. She obtained Doctor of Civil Law (D.C.L.) from McGill University, Montreal, Canada in June 1993. She has B.C.L. (1983) and LL.M. (1985) from Faculty of Law and Graduate School of Law, Keio University, Japan.

Dennis O'Brien is a retired lawyer and former member of the NASA - UC Law Research Project in San Francisco. He is the founder and president of The Space Treaty Project, a scientific/educational nonprofit located in northern California. He is a member of the International Institute of Space Law, the Space Renaissance Institute, the Planetary Society, the Moon Society, and the Moon Village Association, where he participates in the Benefit Sharing Project.

Rosanna Hoffmann (left) is the Executive Officer of the European Centre for Space Law (ECSL) and a Junior Lawyer in the Public International Law Division at European Space Agency, where she works mainly on space law and international law matters. Before joining the ECSL and ESA, Rosanna worked at the Section for International Law and International Relations within the Department of European, International and Comparative Law at the University of Vienna as an assistant lecturer and project assistant. Hristina Talkova (right) is currently working as a paralegal & executive assistant in the Legal Services Department of the European Space Agency, after previously completing an internship in the Public International Law Division of the European Space Agency. She has studied law and political science at the University of Vienna. She is currently also serving as ECSL Student Representative and has experience in volunteering in regional and international student organisations in the fields of European Law and Space Law.

Prof. Dr. Li Shouping is an academician of IAA, professor of international law and the Dean of law school of Beijing Institute of Technology, the General Director of Space Law Center of China National Space Administration, The General Director of Aerospace Policy and Law Institute of BIT. He is the editor in chief of Chinese Yearbook on Space Law. He is an executive director of Chinese Institute of Space law, the President of Beijing Society of International law.

Florian Micco is Project Manager for the Space Sustainability Rating (SSR), an initiative hosted by the EPFL Space Center in Lausanne, Switzerland. The SSR seeks to foster voluntary action by satellite operators to reduce the risks related with space debris and on-orbit collisions, and was first proposed by the World Economic Forum and supported in its design by the Space Enabled Research Group at MIT, the European Space Agency, the University of Texas at Austin, and BryceTech. Prior to EPFL Space Center, Florian has managed sectoral and crosscutting projects at WBCSD, a CEO-led community of over 200 global businesses for sustainable development in Geneva, Switzerland. He also worked in international collaboration in Brussels, Belgium and in New York, USA.

Dimitra is part of the International Institute of Air & Space Law of Leiden University and Faculty at the International Space University. She focuses her research and teaching on space data policies, cybersecurity and privacy in space activities, space resources governance, and is writing her PhD on the "Legal and Policy Aspects of Space Big Data", with the support of the Netherlands Space Office and the European Space Agency.

Dr Natália Archinard holds the space portfolio at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland. She has been leading the Swiss delegation to the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) since 2007 and served as Chair of COPUOS Scientific and Technical Subcommittee in 2020-2022. She participated in different multilateral processes, such as the development of the Guidelines on the Long-term sustainability of outer space activities (2011-2018), the draft International Code of Conduct for outer space activities (2012-2015) and the Open-Ended Working-Group on reducing space threats (2022-2023). She is also member of the Swiss delegations to the European Space Agency (ESA) and the United Nations General Assembly 1st and 4th Committees. At national level, she is involved in the revision of the Swiss Space Policy 2008 and in the establishment of a national space legislation. She was educated in Mathematics, and obtained her MSc from the University of Geneva (1996) and her PhD from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich (2000).

Hongyu Cui is second secretary in the Department of Treaty and Law of Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Peter Martinez is the Executive Director of the Secure World Foundation. He has extensive experience in multilateral space diplomacy, space policy formulation and space regulation. Prior to joining SWF, from 2011 - 2018 he chaired the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN COPUOS) Working Group on the Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities that negotiated a set of international consensus guidelines to promote the safety and sustainability of space operations. In 2012 and 2013 he was South Africa's representative on the United Nations Group of Government Experts on transparency and confidence-building measures for space activities. From 2010 - 2015 he was the Chairman of the South African Council for Space Affairs, the national regulatory authority for space activities in South Africa. He is a member of the International Academy of Astronautics, the International Institute of Space Law, a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and an Honorary Professor at the University of Cape Town.

Ms Maruping's career spans both private and public sector at executive level. She is the Managing Director: Operations and Business Processes at South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO). SARAO is a facility of the National Research Foundation, is responsible for managing all radio astronomy initiatives and facilities in South Africa, including the MeerKAT Radio Telescope in the Karoo, and the Geodesy and VLBI activities at the HartRAO facility. She serves as a member of the board of Mintek and a Trustee on the NRF pension Fund. She is the former chairperson of the South African Council for Space Affairs (2016-2021), an agency responsible for regulating space activities in South Africa and the Science and Technical Subcommittee of the United Nations Committee on Peaceful uses of Outer Space (2018-2020).

Tanja Masson-Zwaan is Assistant Professor and Deputy Director of the International Institute of Air and Space Law at Leiden University, and President Emerita of the International Institute of Space Law (IISL). She serves as a Vice President of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) for the term 2022-2025. Tanja advises the Dutch Government and other institutions on space law issues and was co-founder of the Hague International Space Resources Governance Working Group. She teaches at universities worldwide and is Global Faculty at International Space University (ISU). She co-authored the 4th edition of 'Introduction to Space Law' (Kluwer 2019) and serves on the Board of various organizations, including Open Lunar Foundation and the ASU Interplanetary Initiative.

Prof. WENG Jingnong, Ph.D. of Computer Science, Executive Director of Regional Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in Asia and the Pacific (China) (Affiliated to the United Nations), Director of APSCO Education and Training Center (China), Expert of BeiDou Satellite Navigation Office (CSNO).Dean of International School, Beihang University. His research interest includes Digital Earth, GIS, Date Mining and Space Education, etc. He initiated an International Space Education Forum during IAC (International Aeronautics Congress) 2014 and acted as a Chairman.

Romana works as Programme Officer at the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), the Committee, Policy and Legal Affairs section. Her work includes supporting intergovernmental negotiations pertaining to space matters in the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, its Subcommittees and Working Groups. She serves as the Secretariat to the Space Mission Planning Advisory Group (SMPAG) and cooperates with the International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) in furthering international efforts to prepare to meet a potential threat to our planet by hazardous near-Earth Objects (NEOs).

Graduated from Telecom Paris Tech engineer and Saint-Cyrien, Metmati Jamel is a Cyber Expert.Former Signal Officer and author of articles and books related with the cyber techniques, He studies the networks science applicable in Space. He made an intervention during the International Astronautical Federation in Paris in 2022 and for the SpaceOps conference.

Artem Mokhnatkin received a master's degree in astronomy from Saint Petersburg State University in 2015. He participated in various projects related to space geodesy at the Pulkovo Observatory, Russia, and optical observations of anthropogenic space objects at Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics, Russia. To date, Mr Mokhnatkin co-manages the ISON initiative of Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics for the network of small aperture optical telescopes across the globe for observations of space objects. He has been a member of the delegation of the Russian Federation to the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of UN COPUOS since 2021. He is now a visiting scholar at the University of Texas at Austin, USA, where he works on the concept of a consortium for sharing data on anthropogenic space objects.

Yansong Xu is the Director General of Department of Program Operation and Data Service, Asia Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO). He has long been involved in international cooperation in outer space affairs and has held the position of Director of the Department of International Cooperation at the China National Space Administration.

Fengyu Wang is the Head of the Integrated Multilateral Team and the Space International Cooperation Division in Earth Observation System and Data Center (EOSDC) of China National Space Administration (CNSA). He is an experienced senior engineer in space industry, and is responsible for many international technical cooperation research projects. Now he is also a member of Chinese expert group of many international organizations, such as the United Nations Space Missions Planning Advisory Group (SMPAG), International Asteroid Warning Network (IWAN), Dark and Quiet Sky Expert Group, the United Nations ESCAP Working Group, etc.

Qi Chen is the dean of the System Research Institute of Deep Space Exploration Laboratory and a member of the Space Energy Specialized Committee, China Astronautics Society. He has made significant contributions to multiple successful satellite programs, such as the HY-2 satellite. He is also the project leader on several civil space infrastructure and equipment research projects. In recent years, Dr Chen has won the China Aerospace Fund Award, the first prize for National Defense Science and Technology Progress and the first prize in science and technology progress awarded by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Group.

Niklas Hedman is designated Acting Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA). He is Chief of Committee, Policy and Legal Affairs Section of UNOOSA. He serves as Secretary to the intergovernmental Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) and its Scientific and Technical Subcommittee and Legal Subcommittee. He is responsible for the UNOOSA capacity-building programme on space law and policy. Before joining the United Nations in 2006 he worked in the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, mainly in the areas of ocean affairs and law of the sea, space affairs and space law, as well as biological weapons and missiles. He represented Sweden to COPUOS before joining the United Nations. He is currently Vice-Chair of the COSPAR Panel on Planetary Protection.

Alessandro is approaching the end of his PhD studies, co-funded by Politecnico di Milano at the Department of Aerospace Science and Technology and the European Space Agency (ESA). His research, published and presented in several conferences and journals, involves High Performance Computing (HPC), planetary protection, and orbital uncertainty propagation. In 2020, Alessandro obtained a double Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering and Applied and Computational Mathematics from Politecnico di Milano (Milano, Italy) and KTH Royal institute of Technology (Stockholm, Sweden). His work directly aims at addressing and implementing planetary protection requirements on newly developed space missions, ensuring the compliant design of disposal trajectories. He is currently working as visiting scientist in the Mission Analysis section at ESA's European Space Operations Centre (ESOC), Darmstadt, Germany.

Dr. Maria-Paz Zorzano is a Planetary Physicist; she is a senior scientific researcher in the Department of Planetology and Habitability, of the Astrobiology Center (CAB) of the National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA), Spain. Dr. Zorzano has done research for more than 20 years in astrobiology, investigating the habitability of Mars, participating in several NASA and ESA Mars exploration missions, including the Mars Sample Return program. She investigates the conditions necessary for the origin and evolution of life on Earth and other planets in the solar system. She also works on the design of new solutions to facilitate the sustainable exploration of Mars and is committed to promoting international scientific cooperation and raising awareness about the sustainable exploration of space.

Alessandro Bartoloni joined the Italian Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN) in 1992, working in the Rome division on developing supercomputers for theoretical physics numerical simulations. Later as a User Associate at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), He took part in the construction of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). In 2012 CMS was one of the experiments that observed a new particle consistent with the predicted Higgs boson.

Mr. Du got his Master's Degree of Engineering from Peking University in 2007. From 2007 to 2015, he worked in the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) as a spacecraft system designer and was involved in more than 6 space missions and several advanced technology development programs. From 2015 to 2017, he joined the China National Space Administration (CNSA) as a program officer in charge of multi-lateral projects and space policy. From 2017 to 2019, he worked as a senior expert on space applications in the United Nations Office for Space Affairs (UNOOSA) . Since 2019, he works in CAST and leads research on projects where technology is closely related to international rules.

Professor Ehrenfreund has a strong science background in astrophysics and biology. She has contributed to astro-space missions as Principal Investigator, Co-Investigator, Project Scientist, and Team Leader for ESA and NASA planetary and astronomy missions and has conducted experiments in low Earth orbit and on the International Space Station. She has served on the steering group for the US Space Studies Board Decadal Survey in Planetary Science and on the Committee on Human Spaceflight, the FP7 Space Advisory Group, and the Horizon2020 Space Advisory Group of the European Commission. She has been President of the Austrian Science Fund and between 2015-2020 she served as the Chair of the Executive Board of the German Aerospace Center. She is currently President of the International Space University in Strasbourg, France, and Research Professor of Space Policy and International Affairs at the Space Policy Institute/George Washington University in Washington DC. A longstanding active COSPAR Associate, she was also Chair of COSPAR's Panel on Exploration between 2010-2019.

Günther Hasinger is the Director of Science and Head of ESAC in the European Space Agency. He has received numerous awards for his research and scientific achievements, including the Leibniz Prize of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, the most significant research prize in Germany, and the international Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) Award for his outstanding contributions to space science. He is a member of the Academia Europea, the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences, and Leopoldina (the German National Academy of Sciences), and an external member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Clezio Marcos De Nardin obtained the degree of electrical engineer in 1996 from the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM) and PhD in Space Geophysics in 2003 by the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), where he advices doctoral, masters and scientific initiation projects. He published 100 articles in international indexed journals and has obtained 16 scientific awards as an author, supervisor, reviewer, and editor of international scientific journals, and 3 other Regional e Nacional awards for his services for the Country. In the international scientific community, he was president of the Brazilian Society of Space Geophysics and Aeronomy (SBGEA) between 2013 and 2016, and the deputy director of the International Space Environment Service (ISES, an international space organization) between 2016 and 2019. Currently, he is the president of the Latin American Association of Space Geophysics (ALAGE). At INPE, he was General Manager of the Embrace Program (the Brazilian Studies and Monitoring of Space Weather) between 2012 and 2018, General Coordinator for Space and Atmospheric Sciences between 2018 and 2020, General Coordinator for Infrastructure and Applied Research, throughout 2020. Currently, he is the INPE's Director. In addition, he serves as the representative of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations, in the Legal Amazon Protection Commission, linked to the Vice-Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil.

Prof. Fabio Favata is the coordinator of the Science Programme of the European Space Agency. In this role he is the key interface with the Programme's international partners. He has been working for the European Space Agency since 1989, and he is currently based in ESTEC, in the Netherlands. He is an astrophysicist who has studied high-energy phenomena in young stars, using a variety of X-ray facilities.

Dr. Ferhat Fikri ÖZEREN is a well-accomplished scientist in Astronomy and Space Sciences; he served at least 32 years as academic and administrative personnel at Ankara University and Erciyes University in Türkiye. Besides, he worked for the National Observatory of The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey as an executive board member and researcher, and administrative person for many years. He worked for APSCO as the Deputy Director-General of the Department of Strategic Planning and Program Management between June 2019 and June 2021. He has been working for APSCO as Deputy Secretary-General since June 2021.

Dr. Anatoli Petrukovich is director of Space Research Institute (IKI) of Russian Academy of Sciences. He received a honours degree in Physics and Applied Math from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology in 1990 (equivalent of Master degree). In 1990 he joined Space Research Institute as researcher and later worked at the positions of senior researcher, head of space weather lab and head of space plasma physics department. He received a COSPAR Zeldovich medal for young scientists in 2002. In 2018 he was elected as the new IKI director.

Prof. WANG Chi is academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Director General of National Space Science Center. Prof. WANG Chi received his PhD from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1998. He is in charge of the Strategic Priority Program on Space Science (Phase II) and is Co-PI of the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) mission. He is the Chief Commander of the Chinese Meridian Project (phase II). He is the Deputy Chief Engineer of Chang'e 4 mission of Chinese Lunar Exploration Program and is in charge of the payloads system of Chang'e 4 mission, Chang'e 5 mission and Tianwen-1 Mars mission. Previously, he has served as the Chief Architect of Chinese Meridian Project (phase I) and Deputy Chief Commander of Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) Mission. Professor Wang's research focuses on the large-scale solar wind structures and the interaction of the solar wind with the magnetosphere. He worked on the plasma experiments on Voyager 2 and developed a multi-fluid solar wind model. He has published more than 300 peer reviewed papers and articles in academic journals home and abroad.