The Portuguese, British and Norwegian space regulatory authorities met for the first time on 24 March 2023 to lay the foundations for cooperation between them, in order to promote best practice and exchange information on matters of common interest.
Among other issues, the discussion focused on the institutional and legal status, recent developments in existing and planned spaceports and licensing procedures. The case of the Virgin Orbit launch and the best practices identified from it were also discussed.
The meeting concluded with a visit to the facilities of a national space company in Lisbon.
This group of regulators, including Finland, hopes to maintain and deepen the contacts made so far, and to explore the possibility of future initiatives.
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Highlights of the meeting of space regulatory authorities
The day before, on 23 March, a workshop on the licensing of space activities https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=1740514was held, co-organised by ANACOM, as the Space Authority, and the Space Law Research Centre (SPARC) of Universidade NOVA de Lisboa.
Speakers at the workshop included members of the space authorities of the United Kingdom and Norway, as well as representatives of national bodies in the sector, including the Portuguese Space Agency, EMA Espaço (from the Azores) and the National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC), as well as representatives of national universities and companies in the space sector.
The objectives of this event were, inter alia, to discuss regulatory issues related to space activities, to promote the exchange of knowledge and/or best practice, in particular on the challenges facing regulators in the 21st century, and to discuss international cooperation in licensing and best practice for the sustainability of space activities.
In particular, the workshop sought to address challenges such as cooperation between regulators in licensing space activities, dealing with space congestion and space debris, and integrating best practice for the safety of space activities.
The positive aspects of the coordination promoted both nationally and between Portugal and the United Kingdom for the space launch of the Virgin Orbit, in January 2023, were identified, as well as the shortcomings that still need to be overcome.
The debate also focused on concrete ways to promote guidelines that can be taken into account by the market in order to ensure the safety and sustainability of space activities.
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Workshop of ANACOM-NOVA |
Workshop of ANACOM-NOVA - Opening session, Prof.ª Margarida Rego (Nova) and Eng. Augusto Fragoso (ANACOM). |
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Panel I - Space activities in the XXI century - what's next for regulators |
Panel II - International cooperation on licensing |
Panel III “Sustainable space activities - best practices”
