In 2019, the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN COPUOS) adopted a set of 21 guidelines for the long-term sustainability of outer space activities, the so-called “LTS Guidelines.” This paper describes the content of the LTS Guidelines and presents some of the early guideline implementation efforts reported by States in COPUOS.
The paper then discusses the role of industry, civil society, and academia in the implementation of the guidelines and concludes with some observations on the next phase of the LTS discussions in UN COPUOS.
The primary focus of the Secure World Foundation is on space sustainability — the ability of all humanity to continue to use outer space for peaceful purposes and socioeconomic benefit over the long term.
Secure World Foundation and its partners worldwide are dedicated to the establishment of effective and efficient systems of governance for outer space and improving the safety of operations in Earth orbit. This effort includes developing tools of governance that lead to reducing the threat of orbital debris, promoting international civil space situational awareness to improve knowledge and transparency, and preventing the creation of additional debris through hostile acts.