US Wont Adopt EU Code of Conduct for Space

“It’s been clear from the very beginning that we’re not going along with the code of conduct,” Ellen Tauscher, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, said during a Jan. 12 breakfast with reporters in Washington.

Asked why the U.S. government would not sign the document, Tauscher said, “It’s too restrictive.”

The European Union has been working the voluntary code of conduct for several years. The document lays out rules of the road for operating satellites and other space vehicles as space becomes increasingly congested, the idea being to minimize the chances of collisions or misunderstandings that could escalate.

The code also focuses on space debris mitigation, an area that began getting greater public attention in 2007 after China destroyed one of its own orbiting satellites with a ground-launched missile.

“We made it very definitive that we were not going to go ahead with the European Code of Conduct; what we haven’t announced is what we’re going to do, but we will be doing that soon,” Tauscher said.

Up to now, the U.S. government has been circumspect about its intentions with regard to the code. In April, for example, Ambassador Greg Schulte, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for space policy, described the code as a “positive approach” but stressed that the U.S. government had not yet decided whether to sign the document.

Some U.S. lawmakers have raised concerns that the nonbinding agreement would tie the U.S. military’s hands in space.

“We’ve advanced further technologically in development and actual deployment of these systems than anyone else, and agreements [and] codes of conduct tend to … constrain our military,” Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) said during a hearing on the subject in May.

“We had never said we were going to do it; we just hadn’t said ‘no,’” Tauscher said.

Hinting at new U.S.-written rules of the road for space, Taushcer said, “You wouldn’t be surprised to find out that we’ve found a nice sweet spot.”

The Pentagon had concerns with the European strategy for space traffic management, but there are also “ways to deal with it,” according to Michael Krepon, co-founder of the Stimson Center, a think tank here.

The U.S. Defense Department did a lengthy assessment of the code of conduct and particular provisions reviewed “would make sense for our national security.”

“If the satellite is stealthy, or we want it to be stealthy, how does that fit into a traffic management system?” he said.

“Now you argue … major spacefaring nations can figure out the orbital characteristics of objects in space, but it you want to move an object in space do you provide advance notice of this or how do you handle that?”

If the Obama administration is going ahead with a new strategy, then the Pentagon’s concerns have likely been addressed, Krepon said.

The results of the public consultations on the European Space Policy

When asked, whether the EU should engage itself an activities related to the space exploration, which currently is lead by ESA and its member states, the vast majority of respondents answered affirmatively, pointing out various reasons for such a decision.

Most (69%; multiple answers could be chosen) responded that this will contribute to the scientific and technological development of the EU.

The European Commission released figures on the public consultations on the European Space Policy, which were finished on March 15th. 608 entities answered the questions from the Commission.

The Commission has collected 608 opinions from the public consultations on the European Space Policy, which began at the turn of 2010/2011. Following is a brief elaboration of the results published by the European Commission.

The characterisation of respondents First of all individuals (39%) and academic institutions (29%) answered the calling. The next largest groups were micro and small enterprises (7%) and government entities (7%). Also 15 NGOs answered the questions (2.5% of respondents). The national share coincides with the degree of development of space technologies in various countries.

Most participants (more than 100) came from Germany and France. They are followed by Belgium (86), Italy (62), Austria (33), Spain (36), United Kingdom (26), the Netherlands and Sweden (both 24).

Poland sent four answers. From two countries, Estonia and Finland, no response was received. The activities of the respondents, which took part in the consultation, were in almost 70% somehow related to the space sector.

About 12%, were engaged in the manufacture of spacecraft and technologies directly associated with spaceflight or were users of space technology. The next largest group (5%) were those involved in space policy.

Space risks awareness The first set of questions dealt with outer space risks awareness, also known as space situational awareness (SSA), i.e. issues of space weather, space debris and near-Earth objects (NEO). The vast majority of respondents were aware of these risks (86%). Only 2% of the involved people and institutions did not know of the SSA problems.

Almost 60% answered that the risk covered by the SSA may interfere or pose a problem for their own statutory activities. Almost 1/3 replied that such connection does not exist.

Again, the vast majority, 70% of the respondents, believes that the authorities should act to reduce the risk of threats from outer space, still marginal 2% had the opposite view.

Questions were asked whether the EU should develop its own measures to protect spacecrafts from collisions and space weather, with the explanation that the EU currently uses such resources from other countries.

More than 57% of subjects responded that the EU should develop its own technical capabilities, preferably complementary to the measures used now. 26% would like to have a completely independent infrastructure.
Every tenth respondent prefers the status quo.

On the question who should be responsible for the construction of such infrastructure, 51% of the entities and individuals responded that it should be developed in a joint effort of the European Union and its Member States.

Every third respondent said that the EU authorities should play a major role in the creation of such a system.

The Construction only by Member States is accepted only by 5% of the consultation participants. In regard to the SSA costs, more than 50% of the responses indicated, that the sources of the funding are irrelevant, as long as the system works effectively.

Almost 30% of the respondents believe that the EU should jointly bear most of the cost. As many as 52% of participants did not reply to this question.

The survey also asked about private capital participation in the financing of the SSA system. 70% of the responses authorized funding from both private and state sources.

Funding only from public funds was noted in almost 20% of the responses, and only 2% of the responses wanted private funds to cover the expenses.

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Space - Expanding The Frontiers Of Risk

When an 84kg lump of metal was shot into space in 1957, few predicted how satellites would revolutionise our world. Since Sputnik entered orbit and its first crackly signal beeps were picked up back on earth, we have come to rely on satellites for what we see and how we communicate - and even for what the weather will be like.

Their ability to warn of impending disasters has saved countless lives. They may even be used to help save the planet. Satellites could be used to generate solar power that could reduce our reliance on harmful fossil fuels, a 2007 study commissioned by the US Department of Defense concluded.

Our insatiable appetite for new technology is driving demand for a new generation of bigger, more complex satellites. But even after 50 years' experience, launching and operating satellites remains a risky business and there are new perils on the horizon.

The new-generation satellites cost as much as $350m - two or three times as much as traditional satellites - and with the Ariane 5 rocket able to deliver two satellites into space in one mission, a problem during launch could be catastrophic and wipe out much of the available insurance capacity.

Once in orbit, if a new 'processed payload' satellite suffered even a relatively minor loss of power, a number of its transponders (which carry the communication signals) may have to be shut down to allow its power-thirsty digital processor to remain running.

This may reduce the satellite's capacity to such an extent that it is rendered largely ineffective, years before the end of its projected lifespan. It may take only a 30% loss in power for it to become an effective insurance write-off, says David Wade, space underwriter at the Atrium Space Insurance Consortium.

Heavy Solar Weather Ahead
Just as property underwriters fret about how changes in sea surface temperatures and wind shear can create more hurricanes, satellite underwriters worry about variations in the sun that can create catastrophic weather in space.

The Sun's intense atmosphere causes solar flares, proton flares and the solar wind, all of which can wreak immense damage on spacecraft and satellites.

Their impact and frequency increase as the sun reaches its peak during an 11-year solar cycle. The next 'solar maximum' is predicted to be in May 2013, according to a recent panel of experts.
Underwriters will consider whether to reduce their aggregate exposures as the solar maximum nears, bringing with it an increased threat of damage to satellites, says Simon Clapham, Head of the Marine Division at Liberty Syndicates.

Lloyd's insurers are prepared for a welter of claims resulting from a large proton flare from the sun that would affect every satellite in orbit, creating a loss of power that would lead to a 5% financial loss on each of the 160 or so insured satellites.