Annual Report: International

During 2011, the Space Foundation continued to build global connections and influences through a broad range of activities and events. Foremost was our November delegation to China, in which we took a group of U.S. space executives to visit key organizations involved in China’s burgeoning space program.

At the beginning of the year, we co-hosted, with the Ambassador of Japan to the United States and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, a reception at the ambassador’s home in Washington, D.C., for space policymakers and industry executives. Attended by more than 200, the January gathering celebrated the rich history of U.S.-Japan cooperation in space that began in 1969 and extends to the present day.

During the National Space Symposium, we welcomed delegations from Canada, China, France, Germany and Japan and had more than 120 international attendees from 18 different countries.

Each year, the Space Foundation participates in international symposia and conferences, often presenting papers or appearing on the program. Our 2011 schedule included:

• Vienna, Austria, February: Scientific and Technical Committee of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), where we briefed the committee on space awareness and education activities.
• Strasbourg, France, February: 15th ISU Annual International Symposium, sponsored by the International Space University, where we spoke about the political evolution of the International Space Station.
• Vienna, Austria, June: 54th Session of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), where we serve as a private sector advisor to the U.S. delegation; we participated in the intersessional meetings of the Working Group on the Long Term Sustainability of Outer Space and sponsored the official U.S. reception for more than 100 delegates of the meeting.
• London, England, June: Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) Space for Security & Defence Conference, where Space Foundation CEO Elliot Pulham delivered keynote remarks and led a delegation of speakers featuring Under Secretary of the Air Force Richard McKinney, Commander 14th Air Force Lt. Gen. Susan Helms and Chief Scientist Air Force Space Command Dr. Douglas Beason.
• Cape Town, South Africa, September/October: 10th Annual Space Generation Congress, where we participated as a part of this global congress of top university students and young professionals interested in space issues.
• Cape Town, South Africa, October: 62nd International Astronautical Congress, where we co-chaired the 22nd Symposium on Space Activity and Society and delivered three papers.
• Dusseldorf, Germany, November: MEDICA Messe, the world’s largest medical trade fair, where we spoke about Space Certification and the practical benefits of space technology.

Quantum Leap: 2011 Annual Report to be Released Later this Month
Watch for information about the upcoming Space Foundation annual report, Quantum Leap: 2011 Annual Report, which will be posted on our website.

Pictured, top to bottom: Space Foundation visit to China; Dr. Johann-Dietrich Wörner, chairman of the Executive Board of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), at the 27th National Space Symposium; Hirofumi Katase, deputy secretary-general for the Cabinet Secretariat of the government of Japan’s Secretariat Headquarters for Space Policy, at the 27th National Space Symposium; United Nations Headquarters in Vienna, Austria 

 

This article is part of Space Watch: January 2012 (Volume: 11, Issue: 1).