The space agencies of the International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG) have welcomed the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA), the Norwegian Space Agency (NOSA) and the Vietnamese National Space Center (VNSC) as the latest ISECG members. They have joined the Group in recent months. Already in the course of 2019, the Australian Space Agency (ASA), the Romanian Space Agency (ROSA) and the Swiss Space Office (SSO) have become members of ISECG. Today, the membership of ISECG comprises 22 participating organisations.
“We are pleased by the strong interest of space agencies in ISECG and we look forward to working with our new colleagues”, said Naoki Sato of JAXA, which currently chairs the ISECG. “The accession of several new organisations demonstrates the willingness of agencies to engage in focused international strategic exchange and coordination, and to build new strategic partnerships for advancing the implementation of the Global Exploration Strategy.”
The new members have shared some information about their expertise, goals and engagement in ISECG:
Australian Space Agency (ASA)
“With the formation of the Australian Space Agency in mid-2018 and the CSIRO as a founding member of ISECG, the joint partnership of these two Australian Government entities at ISECG represents a full and rich Australian presence in space exploration. Together the joint Australian Space Agency and CSIRO team provides ISECG an Australian perspective and enables the valuable work of ISCEG to help guide Australian creativity in space partnerships and contributions to the international stage. We welcome the opportunity to be jointly working as part of the exciting future of ISECG for the exploration of Lunar, Mars and missions beyond.”
More information about ASA can be found at https://www.space.gov.au
Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA)
“Through the Luxembourg Space Agency, which leads the SpaceResources.lu initiative, Luxembourg is proud to be a new member of ISECG and to aid in advancing global coordination in space exploration. In the coming years, the exploration and utilisation of space resources is set to generate attractive opportunities. Luxembourg is committed to supporting and nurturing the growing commercial space industry and contributing to the peaceful exploration and sustainable utilisation of resources from celestial bodies, including the Moon or near-earth objects such as asteroids.”
More information about LSA can be found at https://space-agency.public.lu/en.html
Norwegian Space Agency (NOSA)
“Space activities have a large strategic value for Norway, with its vast ocean areas and as one of the world´s northernmost areas. Norwegians have always been pioneers when it comes to exploring the unknown, and have a long tradition for operating in harsh and remote environments. With increased international focus on space exploration come new challenges, leading to increased scientific and technological knowledge. The Norwegian Space Agency sees this as a great opportunity for innovation that could be useful both in space and on Earth, widening the scope for Norwegian activities. Joining the ISECG can open up new perspectives and opportunities to work strategically with international entities towards mutual goals for exploration.”
More information about NOSA can be found at https://www.romsenter.no/eng/
Romanian Space Agency (ROSA)
“The Romanian Space Agency (ROSA), born out the Romanian Commission for Space Activities (CRAS) established on 1968, operates since 1995 as a self-funded public institution under the coordination of the Ministry of Education and Research – National Authority for Scientific Research and Innovation. It also acts as the financing agency for the national research programmes on Space, Aeronautics and Security, is the chair of Inter-Agency working group for Security research, and national coordinator for SSA, GNSS and the CPA for Galileo PRS. ROSA is the coordinator of the space activities in Romania, the national representative in all international space organizations or the space sections of international bodies to which Romania is member state. Joining the ISECG will bring a new framework and new opportunities for cooperation and harmonization with large and small agencies worldwide.”
More information about ROSA can be found at http://www2.rosa.ro/index.php/en/
Swiss Space Office (SSO)
“The Swiss Space Office is an integral part of the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation SERI in the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research EAER. Its main responsibility is to prepare and implement the Swiss Space Policy, primarily through participation in the programmes of the European Space Agency, ESA. The main focus of Switzerland in Exploration is on science, the development of space technologies and on international collaboration. The development of space infrastructures and their utilisation to the benefit of society are a key element of the Swiss Space Policy. Space exploration continuously helps improve our understanding of our place in the universe. These endeavours simultaneously deliver tangible results in science and technology which are directly applicable on Earth.”
More information about the SSO can be found at https://www.sbfi.admin.ch/sbfi/en/home/research-and-innovation/space.html
Vietnamese National Space Center (VNSC)
“The Vietnam National Space Center (VNSC) was established in 2011 under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, and has the functions of research and development, technology applications, and development of high quality human resource in space science and technology. From the very beginning of its foundation, VNSC realized international cooperation as one of the most significant tasks of the Center therefore it has been joining and become an active member of International Astronautical Federation (IAF, 2012), Committee on Earth Observations, (CEO, 2013), Group on Earth Observations (GEO, 2014). ‘ISECG would be the first platform in space exploration that we have participated which gives us the opportunities to cooperate, partner and contribute to projects in order to serve the common peaceful purpose of ISECG. Being an official member of ISECG is very important for us in supporting higher authorities’ decision making of space policy in the future and we look forward to working with all of you’ shared by Dr. Pham Anh Tuan Director General of VNSC.”
More information about VNSC can be found at https://vnsc.org.vn/en/