These issues were highlighted by experts taking part in Space Law and Policy 2010, convened May 11 at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Building in Washington, D.C.

This first-ever symposium was sponsored by the International Institute for Space Law-International Academy of Astronautics symposium, held in partnership with Secure World Foundation, Arianespace and the European Space Policy Institute.

The seminar examined the breadth and reach of space regulations on international and U.S. activities - civil, commercial and governmental.

"Speakers at this event demonstrated in several different ways the critical need to develop appropriate legal mechanisms to assure the sustainability of space applications," said Dr. Ray Williamson, Executive Director of Secure World Foundation (SWF).

Government, industry and academic leaders from around the globe took part in the meeting, including senior officials from Arianespace, Intelsat, the European Space Agency, the United Nations, the U.S. Department of State, NASA and the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.

Bringing together space stakeholders
"This event brought together the commercial, international and U.S. government perspectives and underlined how important it is to view a U.S. approach to space regulation in a holistic manner," said Ben Baseley-Walker, SWF's Legal and Policy Advisor.

"Domestic and international space regulation has a key impact on critical areas such as the economy, military operations and foreign policy...to name but a few," Baseley-Walker added.

Last week's meeting examined how space regulations affect commercial space, international organizations, U.S. government entities and the average American citizen, said Victoria Samson, Washington Office Director for Secure World Foundation.

"It brought together the disparate elements of space stake-holders," she said, "and examined the effects of current regulations on space activities, both in orbit and on the ground."

Samson said that the symposium provided a practical examination of the current space legal regime and discussed tangible ways in which it could be strengthened.

Panelists focused on the commercial space legal perspective; development of the international legal regime for space; and space law in government daily life - successes and failures.

Global commons
Ambassador Ciro Arevalo, Chair of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) gave a keynote address:

"Space is a 'global commons' to enhance prosperity and security," Arevalo pointed out, underscoring an argument for more effective governance of outer space.

"The space arena is evolving rapidly" and there are a growing number of States seeking to develop or extend their space capabilities, Arevalo told meeting participants.

This has led to the recognition within COPUOS, Arevalo said, of the need for the establishment of standards to guarantee the long-term sustainability of space activities and strengthening international legal and policy frameworks for outer space.

Also presenting keynote remarks, Lori Garver, NASA Deputy Administrator, detailed the space agency's cooperative work with spacefaring nations, noting an increasing number of other nations that are now relying on space for day-to-day activities, such as urban planning, resource management, disaster preparedness and response, communications, weather forecasting, and navigation.

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