The fourth AMOS Dialogue was held on September 17, 2015, as part of the 2015 AMOS Conference in Maui. Participants included governments, military, satellite operators, technical experts, and NGOs. The topic was space traffic management, and the discussions focused on addressing the gaps in the current operational capabilities and governance mechanisms to improve on-orbit safety and sustainability.
Main takeaways from the discussion include a strong focus on norms and the important role that they play in establishing a stable and predictable space environment. Also crucial is the amount of data available to all actors in space, since it is important to get a baseline level of information to all satellite operators. The emerging commercial presence is going to have to be a big part of the equation. The question of coordinating national regulations with international efforts was raised, as was the need to internationalize the conversation to include the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) at future Dialogues. Finally, it was agreed that there needed to be better engagement between the small satellite community and the SSA community to help correct what was perceived by many as a lack of communication and shared knowledge between the two groups.
Read the full report authored by the Secure World Foundation