The Registration Project

Supporting Implementation of Treaty Obligations related to the Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space

 

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), with the generous support from the United Kingdom, launched a new initiative in December 2022, entitled: The Registration Project: Supporting Implementation of Treaty Obligations related to the Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space. The initial press release of 22 December 2022 can be found here. 

Phase One of the Registration Project

Phase one of the Registration Project ran from January to October 2023, and focused on three main deliverables:

  • Conducting interviews with Member States of the United Nations, and States Parties to the Registration Convention, on their approaches to implementing their international commitments related to the registration of objects launched into outer space.
  • An Expert Event on the Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space, which took place in Vienna on 29-30 May 2023.
  • Publication of an anonymized stakeholder study.

 

Registration of Objects Launched Into Outer Space: Stakeholder Study, November 2023

Based on the information provided by 46 Member States and one international intergovernmental organization, the anonymized stakeholder study is available as ST/SPACE/91 (in PDF format in English only).

ST/SPACE/91

 

Phase Two of the Registration Project

Phase two of the Registration Project started in February 2025 and will run until September 2025. The three main deliverables under Phase two of the Registration project are:

  • The Second Meeting of National Focal Points on Registration, to take place in Vienna on the margins of the Legal Subcommittee of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.
  • An Expert Event on Registration coorganised by UNOOSA and the ITU in June 2025.
  • Publication of a toolkit on registration practices, identifying good practices in relation to the the registration of objects launched into outer space by spacefaring nations.

 

Second Meeting of National Focal Points on Registration

The Second Meeting of National Focal Points on Registration took place in person in Vienna over one and a half days, on 12 and 13 May 2025. This event was held on the margins of the Legal Subcommittee of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space to take advantage of the presence of national focal points in Vienna and availing themselves of the opportunity to attend the Legal Subcommittee as part of their national delegations. This event was held in English only. The Final Agenda and Discussion Questions for the event are available here.

 

UNOOSA/ITU Capacity-Building Workshop: "From an ITU Filing to Registration with UNOOSA - The Life Cycle of a Satellite"

On 4 and 5 June 2025, UNOOSA was pleased to convene, in cooperation with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Joint UNOOSA/ITU Capacity-Building Workshop, entitled "From an ITU Filing to Registration with UNOOSA - The Life Cycle of a Satellite". The event was held in English only and in hybrid format. Invitations were dispatched by UNOOSA to Permanent Missions of States Members of the United Nations and organizations with permanent observer status with the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. The Final Agenda of the event is available here.

Link to UNOOSA's work under registration of objects launched into outer space

The Registration Project is well-positioned within UNOOSA's ongoing process to digitise and make fit for purpose the Register of Objects Launched into Outer Space, and forms part of the preparations for the 50 th anniversary of the Registration Convention entering into force in 2026, which allows UNOOSA and the international community to build momentum around enhanced registration practices in the coming years.

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