United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), Vienna International Centre, P. O. Box 500, Wien (2026)

07/10/2026

Day 3️⃣ of the IAC2026 saw plenary sessions; meetings with space agencies, international organisations, industry leaders, and the Space4Ocean Alliance; media interviews; and an intersessional meeting of COPUOS.

🇺🇳🌐🇧🇷🇿🇦 Director Aarti Holla-Maini moderated Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization’s IAC Plenary Event on fostering cooperation across regional space organisations alongside European Space Agency - ESA, APSCO, Agência Espacial Brasileira, and South African National Space Agency. It discussed the value of regional cooperation at a time of global division, while recognising the need for multilateralism given overwhelming collective action problems including space sustainability, climate change, food security, etc. It also showcased UNOOSA’s work to enhance States’ capacities in becoming authorised users of the International Charter: Space and Major Disasters; developing space law and treaty ratification; and enabling access to satellite data for diverse sustainable development priorities.

🇦🇺🇸🇬🇸🇮 Bilaterals with Enrico Palermo of the Australian Space Agency and Le Na Ngiam of the National Space Agency of Singapore (NSAS) discussed opportunities to enhance collaboration in onboarding satellite operator Points of Contact in the UN Satellite Operators Contact Hub (UN-SOCH) (soch.unoosa.org); the need to ensure registration of objects launched into outer space; bringing space traffic coordination expertise to the Asia-Pacific region under Singapore’s upcoming Chairmanship of ASEAN; and the Space4Oceans Alliance. It was also great to meet colleagues from the Slovenian Space Office, especially with Slovenia as vice-chair of COPUOS.

♀️ We delivered UNOOSA’s poster session on the Space4Women Landmark Study in the Global Space Sector, which has mapped trends in women’s representation in the space sector. To read all 3 phases of the study, see: https://www.unoosa.org/unoosa/en/ourwork/topics/spaceforwomen/study-gender-equality-space.html.

Want solutions for mainstreaming gender in your own space sector, see our 2024 Gender Mainstreaming Toolkit: https://www.unoosa.org/documents/pdf/SpaceforW

06/10/2026

🇺🇳🇹🇷🌌 UNOOSA’s participation at the IAC2026 in Antalya is 🔥. Days 1 and 2 showcased our continued our engagement at IAC Sydney with small island states by hosting a joint exhibition with the Maldives Space Research Organisation called the “Space Island”. 🇲🇻🏝

🛰 Director Aarti Holla-Maini provided the International Astronautical Federation’s Space Security Committee with a timely update on the launch of UN-SOCH (the UN Satellite Operators Contact Hub – soch.unoosa.org), launched in early September. As of 28 September, we’ve seen account requests from 36 operators, across 21 countries, representing 1503 satellites.

🇱🇺🇪🇸🇮🇹🇨🇳🇺🇸 Meetings with the new CEO of the Luxembourg Space Agency Ruy Pinto, VAST Space, Juan Carlos Cortes from the Spanish Space Agency, Star.Vision, the Chair of COPUOS Ambassador Mario Cospito and the Agenzia Spaziale Italiana advancing key workstreams including the Expert Group on Space Situational Awareness and the Working Group on Space Resources, through COPUOS, and seizing new opportunities to enable access to space and very high-resolution imagery for sustainable development.

🌐 We signed a collaboration agreement with Nebex to cooperate on Access to Space for All, opening pathways for emerging spacefaring nations, and address unmet demand for space data, infrastructure, and services globally.

🔬We announced a new partnership with Starlab Space, including an open call for interest (see here: https://www.unoosa.org/unoosa/en/ourwork/access2space4all/Starlab/Starlab.html), to capture demand for R&D opportunities aboard Starlab in microgravity in the post-ISS era. Deadline: 31 January 2027.

🇬🇧🇧🇷🇿🇦 The Director gave a keynote speech and moderated a Special Session focused on Global Space Cooperation in a Regionalised Space Economy alongside UK Space Agency, the ESA - European Space Agency, Brazilian Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency.

🇺🇳 The Director said: “Regionalisation cannot become fragmentation. Mini-lateral and regional arrangements should complement - not substitute for - a shared international framework. Without that common foundation, we risk developing parallel approaches to issues that are inherently global. The United Nations has a unique role in this ecosystem by keeping States together at the same table.”

If you are at the IAC, come and see us at E1-10.

04/10/2026

🇺🇳🇹🇷🌍 Our annual pre-IAC 2026 UN/ IAF Workshop wrapped up today. With a focus on ‘Space Economy Opportunities for Emerging Nations: Advancing Socio-Economic Resilience through Space Technologies and Applications’, our 33rd joint workshop went to the heart of how to kickstart a space economy!

🔑 Here are some of the takeaways:

1️⃣ Space doesn’t have to start with a national satellite, it starts with identifying the national challenges, then converting available data into services for society, for instance to allow governments to take decisions for agriculture, water management, disaster management, etc.

2️⃣ Scaling and replicating existing best practices, from other countries, is where international cooperation can have real-added value and help countries “leapfrog”.

3️⃣ Many national and local stakeholders experience similar challenges (governments not understanding the role space can play, or lack of demand or finance). The creation of national “space clusters” – joint industry, civil society, academia – are platforms to help grassroots space activities coordinate, collectively advocate, and support one another.

4️⃣ When looking at which start-ups to fund to cross the "valley of death" and become a commercial company, the key criteria is to make sure they solve a real-world problem and know their first customer by name.

5️⃣ Understanding the demand is key: work with the future users to make sure the offer will be specifically adapted to the local context: one-size-does-not fit all.

6️⃣ When communicating to investors, talk about the problem you solve, not the technology.

7️⃣ The true end goal is not to be the first space initiative in your country, but to not be the last.

Finally, happy World Space Week (4-10 October) and we look forward to seeing all of you at the IAC at our booth E1-10.

02/10/2026

🇰🇪🇺🇳🌌🚀 To close out Impact Week part one, UNOOSA touches down in Kenya! Read our carousel to hear from Kenya Space Agency Legal Officer Nyangere Rachael Olore about how UNOOSA’s Technical Advisory Mission and Access to Space for All partnerships onboard the International Space Station kickstarted Kenya's space ecosystem.

“Space shouldn’t just be a subject or an issue that is discussed by advanced countries. It affects our daily lives.” - Rachael Olore

🔗 To read the full story of the partnership between Kenya and UNOOSA from 2018 onwards, see our 2023 Annual Report:https://www.unoosa.org/documents/pdf/annualreport/UNOOSA_Annual_Report_2023.pdf

01/10/2026

Today, as part of UNOOSA’s Impact Week, we’re looking at our role in helping prevent collisions in orbit.

Swipe through our carousel to discover the “UNOOSA Hotline” and how the Office acts as a trusted, neutral bridge to connect Member States and satellite operators when coordination matters most.

As our orbits become more crowded and close approaches more frequent, effective international coordination is vital to keeping space safe and sustainable for everyone.

📖 Read the full impact story in our 2025 Annual Report:https://www.unoosa.org/documents/pdf/annualreport/UNOOSA_Annual_Report_2025.pdf

🛰️ Are you a satellite operator? Sign up for our new Satellite Operator Contact Hub and help strengthen coordination to keep our shared orbits safe: https://soch.unoosa.org/

30/09/2026

🚀 Today as part of UNOOSA’s Impact Week we’re showcasing Paraguay.

🇵🇾 Swipe through our carousel to learn how UNOOSA’s opportunities helped Alejandro Roman Molinas and Agencia Espacial del Paraguay - AEP gain both technical knowledge and relationships — collaboration that enabled them to then launch their first satellite, GuaraniSat-1.

🛰 UNOOSA helped open doors for Paraguay they could not have opened on their own.

📖Read the full story in UNOOSA's 2025 Annual Report: https://lnkd.in/d93zUuiw

…and follow UNOOSA as we share more stories of how space is creating opportunities around the world!

29/09/2026

🇹🇹 Next up in UNOOSA’s Impact Week is Tobago! Read our carousel to learn about how Deanesh Ramsewak of the UTT - The University of Trinidad and Tobago partnered with UNOOSA and UN-SPIDER to bring cutting-edge digital twin technologies to the country.

🔗 Read the full story in UNOOSA's 2025 Annual Report: https://lnkd.in/d93zUuiw

28/09/2026

🚀Welcome to UNOOSA's Impact Week! In the lead up to World Space Week we're showcasing how UNOOSA is helping countries build their space capabilities to ensure the benefits of space reach everyone, everywhere!

🇳🇵First stop: Nepal!

🛰️When Abhas Maskey joined UNOOSA's PNST Fellowship, it marked the beginning of an extraordinary journey, from leading Nepal's first satellite mission to inspiring the next generation of space leaders through the nonprofit Antarikchya Pratisthan Nepal.

Today, he has brought space education to over 3,000 students in the country, where the conversation has shifted from "What is space?" to "What can I do with space?"

It's a powerful reminder that building capacity isn't just about technology. It's also about empowering people to shape their and their country's future!

📖Read the full story in UNOOSA's 2025 Annual Report: https://lnkd.in/d93zUuiw
…and follow UNOOSA as we share more stories of how space is creating opportunities around the world!

25/09/2026

Join UNOOSA at the ITU Global Space Connectivity & Sustainability Events (SCS26), 12 to 14 October 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The event is organised by ITU and CST Saudi Arabia with the support of UNOOSA, under the theme "Connected Earth, Sustainable Space". Over three days, governments, industry, international organizations and researchers will meet to discuss sustainable space operations and inclusive global connectivity.

On 14 October from 10:00 to 11:30, UNOOSA brings a dedicated Special Focus Session: "The Legal Framework for Space: International Space Law and the Path to Responsible Governance". The keynote is by Rosanna Deim-Hoffmann, UNOOSA's Lead on Space Law, Policy and Sustainability, and the session is moderated by Peter Martinez, Executive Director of the Secure World Foundation. Speakers from government, industry and intergovernmental organizations will discuss how enabling national regulation can make space activities safe and sustainable in practice.

Also from UNOOSA:
🔹 Director Aarti Holla-Maini joins the Thought Leadership Roundtable at the Opening Session on 12 October
🔹 Matej Siget, Space Policy Expert, speaks on the panel "A Shared Responsibility: Shaping Global Norms and Responsible Behaviour for a Sustainable Space"

More information: https://www.itu.int/scs26/

23/09/2026

🇺🇳 UNOOSA warmly welcomes Ambassador Mario Cospito as the newly appointed Chair of COPUOS, the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.

🇮🇹 Mario Cospito holds the rank of Ambassador in the Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale and currently serves as the Special Commissioner of the Agenzia Spaziale Italiana / the Italian Space Agency (ASI).

🌍 We remain deeply grateful for the dedication and leadership of by Professor Teodoro Valente, who sadly passed away in July 2026, and for the continued commitment demonstrated by the Italian presidency.

🇺🇳 Director Aarti Holla-Maini said “Leadership of COPUOS falls at a critical at this time for international space diplomacy is, especially as space activities and actors are becoming more complex. As we mark the 70th session of COPUOS and the 60th anniversary of the Outer Space Treaty in 2027, we look forward to advancing on key deliverables with Italy.”

🇮🇹 “The confirmation of Italy’s chairmanship of the United Nations COPUOS represents a great opportunity for our country, for Europe and for the Italian Space Agency. It is a great honour for me to serve the international space community in such an important context," saidAmbassador Mario Cospito.
“It is a responsibility that we are taking on in the collaborative spirit that distinguishes us. Italy and the Agency are fully committed to continuing the path already set out by President Teodoro Valente: a path aimed at building the broad consensus needed among all Member States represented on the Committee. The space economy and the evolving global geopolitical landscape are changing the profile of space activities. In response to these new challenges, COPUOS is called upon to develop new responses and new models of cooperation, strengthening its role and continuing to serve as a key forum for peaceful, safe, and sustainable outer space activities, in the interests of the entire international community."

🔗 See ASI’s press release here: https://www.asi.it/en/2026/09/italy-confirmed-as-chair-of-the-united-nations-committee-on-the-peace…

United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)

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