United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)

28/07/2025

🌍 From the Global South to the Stars 🚀

For decades, outer space exploration was the domain of only a few nations. Today, this is changing.

With help from UNOOSA’s capacity‑building programmes, countries across the Global South are now launching CubeSats, accessing satellite data, and building national expertise to solve real‑world challenges, from climate resilience to disaster response and sustainable development.

Initiatives such as KiboCUBE and Access to Space for All are helping countries like Ghana, Kenya, Guatemala, Mauritius, Tonga and more take their place in orbit.

📖 Read about how UNOOSA is opening space for everyone: https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1164681



Photo: The SS-1 satellite being deployed from the International Space Station on Jan 6, 2023. SS-1 was an initiative to build the first Indonesian nano satellite by students in Surya university, with the aim to increase awareness of satellite technology. SS-1 was the awardee of the 3rd round of the KiboCube program, a UNOOSA partnership with the Japanese national air and space agency, JAXA. Credit: JAXA/NASA

Once the exclusive domain of a handful of technologically advanced countries, outer space is now within the reach of emerging nations from the Global South, as costs fall and technology becomes more widely available.

24/07/2025

🚀🖋️Want to launch an object to space? You’ll need more than a rocket, you’ll need a license and somebody to authorise it. Under Article VI of the Outer Space Treaty, States are responsible for national space activities, including those by private actors. But what does that mean in practice?

🎙️ In Episode 4 of , Ian Grosner of 🇧🇷 Agência Espacial Brasileira - AEB unpacks the meaning and purpose of authorisation and supervision in international space law and national regulatory frameworks. As he highlights, “authorization for space activities goes beyond simply issuing licenses. It requires a comprehensive and proactive strategy that prioritises safety, sustainability, security, and adherence to international obligations.”

🎥 Stay tuned for Episode 5 on Scope of Application, featuring Marchisio from Sapienza Università di Roma !

1️⃣ Learn more about how UNOOSA helps advance global here: https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/spacelaw/index.html

2️⃣ Check out the five UN Space Treaties here: https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/spacelaw/treaties.html

23/07/2025

🇺🇳🇯🇵 Kibo-RPC is a programming competition where participants can gain knowledge/experience in software programming using robots on board the International Space Station (ISS). This year, the participants control a robot (drone) in the ISS to recognize images located in different spots, return and report to an astronaut, and take a picture of the image specified by the astronaut. The competition evaluates the accuracy of the drone’s movement, the precision of image recognition, and the time taken to complete the task. 51 teams from 25 countries with a total of 235 participants joined this programming challenge.

🇵🇰 We’re pleased to announce that Team ‘5AM’ from National University of Science and Technology, Islamabad (Pakistan) has been selected as the awardee of the 6th Kibo-RPC (Robot Programming Challenge) UNOOSA slot. They will move on the final round where they will actually get to fly their drone on the International Space Station!

💪Why is this important? The rapid growth of space activities happening both in-orbit, and as part of a future cis-lunar economy, may require innovative, remote-controlled activities to be taken in zero gravity. These experiments are the start of the that journey.

🔗 For more information on the preliminary round of the 6th Kibo-RPC UNOOSA slot, please read: https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/access2space4all/Kibo-RPC/kibo-rpc_5th_round.html

🔗 For further information on the final round, please follow: Kibo Robot Programming Challenge, https://jaxa.krpc.jp/

22/07/2025

🛰️If you buy a satellite, are you also liable if there is a crash in-orbit? Do you need to notify the UN? As private space activities grow, ownership of space objects is changing hands more often, through sales, mergers, or leases. 💸

🎙️ In Episode 3 of , Bianca Lins from 🇱🇮 the Office for Communications Liechtenstein breaks down the key legal questions around ownership transfers in orbit, and how national laws like Liechtenstein’s are making sure that legal clarity on this emerging matter, and others, is provided for, and that it’s in line with international rights and obligations. As she notes: “In outer space, legal ownership does not determine responsibility. So clarity on this principle is essential for accountability, liability, and the safe use of space.”

🇺🇳 Through the Global Space Law Project, supports countries in building strong legal frameworks aligned with international law, including clear rules on transfers of ownership. This regulatory clarity attracts private sector investment can help launch entire space economies.

🎥 Watch Episode 3 now, and stay tuned for Episode 4 featuring Ian Grosner of 🇧🇷 Agência Espacial Brasileira - AEB , where he unpacks authorisation and supervision in international space law and national regulatory frameworks.

1️⃣ Learn more about how UNOOSA helps advance global here: https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/spacelaw/index.html

2️⃣ Check out the five UN Space Treaties here: https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/spacelaw/treaties.html

20/07/2025

🌖 Today is International Moon Day! An opportunity to celebrate our closest celestial neighbour and its significance for Earth and humanity. The Moon has been a source of wonder and inspiration throughout human history, playing a vital role in our natural world as well as in scientific and technological progress.

🌌 commemorates the first human landing on the on 20 July 1969, and aims to raise awareness of the importance of sustainable lunar exploration.

supports the international community through the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) and the International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (ICG) to promote the safe and sustainable exploration of the Moon.

Stay tuned for more updates on the first ever UN Commercial Lunar Conference taking place later this year in Vienna!

18/07/2025

🌑 What time is it on the ? How do countries coordinate? It’s not just a philosophical question – it’s a real and pressing challenge for anyone intended to live up. As more nations and missions prepare to explore our nearest celestial neighbour, the plays a key role.

🌒 From peaks where the sun never sets, to time dilation induced by Einstein's theory of general relativity, lunar timekeeping is far from simple. This is one of the challenges Lunar Positioning, Navigation, and Timing ( ) seeks to solve, along with building infrastructure to support navigation and communication on the Moon.

🌓 In a recent United Nations News story, we explain why establishing a common lunar time zone is essential for safe and sustainable lunar activities and services. Read more: https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1164686

🌖 is at the forefront of international efforts to ensure that lunar exploration remains peaceful, coordinated and benefits all humankind. Through initiatives like the Action Team on Lunar Activities Consultation (ATLAC) and the ICG’s lunar PNT working group, we're helping shape tomorrow’s lunar governance frameworks.

🌕 As we mark International Moon Day this Sunday, 20 July, we reaffirm our commitment to international cooperation on the Moon.

Photo: The Moon's North Pole, NASA image release September 7, 2011. Image Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University

17/07/2025

🌌⚖️🇺🇳 The world’s largest Space Law Conference, “Operationalising Space Sustainability: Legal and Regulatory Approaches across the Lifecycle of Space Debris”, is scheduled for 19 and 20 November 2025 in Vienna.

🔑 Deadlines

1️⃣ Registration for funded participants (in-person attendance): Deadline is 6 p.m.,29 August 2025 (Vienna Time)

2️⃣ Registration for self-funded participants (in-person attendance): Deadline is 6 p.m., 30 September 2025 (Vienna Time)

3️⃣ Registration for online participants: Deadline is 6 p.m., 5 November 2025 (Vienna Time)

🔗 Register now and check out the agenda here: https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/spacelaw/2025-un-conference-on-space-law-and-policy.html)

16/07/2025

👨‍🚀🌌 Join the webinar organized by UNOOSA's Team, in collaboration with the Cosmic Girls Foundation, to hear more about careers in space outside of the traditional engineering path.

Join us to hear from speakers from Kenya Space Agency and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development about their careers pathways in their respective fields: and !

📆 Date and time: 21 July 2025, 🕐14:00-15:00 CET/CEST
📍Location: Online
🔗The link to register: https://forms.office.com/e/N89y5Lw6YD

♀️ 1️⃣ Learn more about gender representation in the space sector in our Landmark Study on Gender Equality in the Space Sector: https://lnkd.in/dKK4PJQT

♀️ 2️⃣ Read our actionable measures to foster a more inclusive space sector in our Gender Mainstreaming Toolkit: https://lnkd.in/dm4FAdM3

15/07/2025

🛰️💻🌍 Today is ! We’re celebrating the power of digital learning by sharing UNOOSA’s free e-learning tools to empower the next generation of space leaders. Whether you’re a student, educator, or policymaker, reinforce your space skills and earn a certificate from the comfort of your phone or laptop.

👇 Whatever your background, we have you covered:

1️⃣ Law

📚 eLearning Courses: https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/spacelaw/capacitybuilding/advisory-services/elearning.html

🗃 ASTRO Database: https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/spacelaw/capacitybuilding/advisory-services/astro.html

📖 Treaty Booklets:https://www.unoosa.org/res/oosadoc/data/documents/2017/stspace/stspace61rev_2_0_html/V1605998-ENGLISH.pdf

2️⃣ ♻️ Case studies and training: https://spacesustainability.unoosa.org/

🌌 Interactive LTS Guidelines course (26 short lessons in English, French, or Spanish): https://spacesustainability.unoosa.org/content/elearning_module

3️⃣

🪙 Three 45-minute modules: https://elearningunodc.org/enrol/index.php?id=696

4️⃣ , Action &

🌊 UN-SPIDER Knowledge Portal: https://www.un-spider.org/links-and-resources/online-learning-resources

💧 Space4Water Portal: https://www.space4water.org/

14/07/2025

🌍✨ Four nations. Four CubeSats. One shared goal: harnessing the benefits of space for all, particularly developing countries. and Exolaunch
are proud to announce the winners of their EXOpod opportunity, after a very competitive first edition featuring 17 proposals submitted by institutions from 15 countries. The following institutions will be launching their satellites to orbit:

🇧🇴 Universidad Católica Boliviana San Pablo , Bolivia will build their country’s first nanosatellite, Waskiri-Sat, which will use and multispectral imaging to collect space based data, in collaboration with 九州工業大学 Kyushu Institute of Technology.

🇬🇹 Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Guatemala will develop QUETZAL-2, the country's second-ever satellite, to test cutting edge cloud detection tech and safe deorbiting systems

🇯🇴 Al Hussein Technical University جامعة الحسين التقنية, Jordan will design a CubeSat to track endangered wildlife in remote areas

🇳🇵 Antarikchya Pratisthan Nepal, Nepal will launch Slippers2Sat-2, a disaster observation and management satellite monitoring floods and predicting earthquakes while training students from marginalised communities

Each team will receive a fully funded launch through Exolaunch’s EXOpod Nova system, as part of our Access to Space for All initiative. Thanks to this partnership, UNOOSA and Exolaunch are turning projects into high impact solutions that kickstart entire space ecosystems in developing countries. Such CubeSats are hands-on learning experiences that build national capacity, foster innovation, enhance global cooperation, and inspire the next generation .

1️⃣ Read more about the winners here: https://unis.unvienna.org/unis/pressrels/2025/unisos606.html

2️⃣ Find out more about the ExoPOD initiative here: https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/access2space4all/EXOpod/exopod-index.html

3️⃣ Learn more about Access to Space for All here: https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/access2space4all/index.html

Check out our other social media platforms for videos of the other winners

09/07/2025

🤖 Artificial Intelligence doesn't just power chatbots and playlists, it saves lives from space. 🌍 is pleased to announce the release of a new publication: “Mapping Disaster Resilience: GeoAI Best Practices from the UN-SPIDER Network”, unveiled this week at the for Good Global Summit hosted by ITU in Geneva.

🛰️ This new compendium is the first global stocktake of how Geospatial AI (GeoAI) is being used across our UN-SPIDER Offices and 27 Regional Support Offices. The report highlights how satellite data, imagery, machine learning, and cloud-based tools improve , disaster risk reduction, and emergency response.

Based on structured contributions and peer-reviewed submissions, the report features operational GeoAI practices addressing a range of hazards—from 🌊 floods and 🔥wildfires to 🏜️ drought and 🌇 urban heat. These examples demonstrate significant improvements in processing speed, accuracy, and policy integration.

🔍 What’s inside:

✅ A GeoAI Partnership Portal for open models, cloud resources, and collaboration.

✅ A curated library of reference pipelines for key hazard types.

✅ Localisation and validation protocols to support context-appropriate implementation.

📖 Read the full report:https://www.un-spider.org/sites/default/files/GeoAI%20Compendium%20UN-SPIDER.pdf

🌐 Explore our Knowledge Platform and network here: https://www.un-spider.org/network/regional-support-offices

08/07/2025

On 30 June, the Directors of the UN-affiliated Regional Centres for Space Science and Technology Education gathered in Vienna to chart the next chapter in global capacity-building on space. Many thanks to 🇲🇦 Amas Emran, 🇨🇳 Wu Xiaojun, 🇳🇬 Festus Olatoyimbo, and 🇮🇳Raghavendra Pratap Singh for their participation.

📍🇺🇳 Hosted by , the meeting focused on upgrading curricula, strengthening operations, and launching new initiatives to keep the Centres ahead of the curve in a fast-moving space sector.

🔥 What’s new?

🔹 Updated curricula in Remote Sensing, GIS, and Satellite Telecommunications

🔹 A brand-new Executive Short Course on Space Project Management

🔹A proposal to strategically review the Centres' missions for greater impact and sustainability

🚀 In 2024 alone, the Centres trained over 140 graduates from 65+ countries and ran workshops on GNSS, climate change, air quality, and more. You could be next!

We’ll be posting an exclusive interview series with the heads of the Regional Centres of China, India, Morocco and Nigeria over the summer.

Stay tuned for announcements on the upcoming postgraduate study programmes.

👀 Learn more about our regional centres and how they can boost your space career here: https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/psa/regional-centres/index.html