This third Annual Report of the International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG), like the 2007 and 2008 editions, provides an overview of the ISECG activities over the past year, as well highlights the main exploration activities of participating agencies during the past twelve-months.
2009 marked another year of progress in which the ISECG fulfilled its mandate to provide a forum for space agencies to share their space exploration interests and plans with the view to working collectively towards the further development and implementation of the Global Exploration Strategy.
The ISECG Annual Report is intended to keep all exploration stakeholders better informed of the ISECG's work and progress in implementing the Global Exploration Strategy.
This document details the ISECG work objectives and defines an associated implementation plan as primarily address through the ISECG working groups. It was updated following the fourth meeting in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, on 2 – 3 December 2009. Specific deliverables to be produced for the 5th ISECG meeting scheduled for mid 2010 in the United States are identified.
The 2010 ISECG Workplan responds to 3 overarching strategic objectives:
An important element in the definition of Europe's long-term plan for space exploration is the development of an international strategic exploration framework. The Global Exploration Strategy, published in 2007, was developed by an international group made of representatives of 14 space agencies (NASA, CSIRO, KSA, CNSA, BNSC, ESA, ASI, CNES, CSA, JAXA, DLR, ROSCOSMOS, KARI, NSAU).
This document not only supports international space exploration, but it also proposes a vision of globally coordinated exploration which is focused on Earth-Moon-Mars space - places where humans will one day live and work.
The second Annual Report (2008) of the International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG) and its sub-working groups has been released. This document provides highlights of their activities during the past twelve-months including the progress of its Workplan, work ahead, the major space exploration accomplishments of its members including future opportunities, and progress in implementing the Themes described in The Global Exploration Strategy: The Framework for Coordination.
In The Global Exploration Strategy: The Framework For Cooperation, fourteen international space agencies expressed their common interest in "creating a common language of exploration" to "enhance mutual understanding among partners and to identify areas for potential cooperation." It was in this spirit that in July 2008 the members of the International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG) agreed to collectively explore ideas and plans for human exploration of the Moon. From the latter half of 2008 through early 2009 interested agencies participated in a series of Lunar Architecture Workshops to begin the process of discussing human exploration of the Moon in the international community.
The International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG) intends to issue a Report each year that will highlight its activities during the past twelve months, report on progress of its Workplan, and the work ahead. In addition, the ISECG Annual Report provides an opportunity for agencies to update the international community on their individual space exploration plans. The Annual Report is intended to keep all exploration stakeholders better informed of the ISECG's work and importantly to ensure that other exploration related coordination groups are fully informed. This first Annual Report of the ISECG provides, in addition to the highlights to be included in each Report, a synopsis of the background to the creation of the ISECG.
Following the publication of the Global Exploration Strategy, an International Space Coordination Group (ISECG) was established. The ISECG met for the first time in Berlin in November 2007. The overall scope of the long-term ISECG activities is defined in the Terms of Reference document.