The 63rd Session of the Legal Subcommittee of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) has begun in Vienna. Vienna is home to the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), dedicated to promoting international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space. Over the two weeks of meetings, the focus is on the legal framework of the exploration and peaceful uses of outer space.

Italy participates with a delegation led by Ambassador Debora Lepre, Italy’s Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna. The delegation also includes experts from the Italian Space Agency.
As highlighted at the session’s opening by UNOOSA Director Aarti Holla Maini, the significant acceleration of outer space activities in recent years makes it necessary and urgent to strengthen their international governance. Among the topics on the agenda, particularly relevant and timely, is the definition of shared guidelines for exploiting space resources and exchanging information on space activities, especially in light of the significant spacefaring nations’ intentions to revitalize lunar and Martian exploration projects

Space resources are also the focus of an international conference featuring Sergio Marchisio from Sapienza University of Rome, one of the leading international experts in space law, as a panelist. In her plenary speech, Ambassador Lepre reiterated the need to promote efforts to ensure the long-term sustainability of outer space activities, as also highlighted in the recent G7 Ministerial Meeting on Industry, Technology, and Digital.

The Permanent Representative also highlighted Italy’s active role in supporting capacity-building activities in emerging countries in the space sector and its ongoing commitment to updating national legislation with measures that ensure control while promoting development and innovation in Italian space activities. (Source: ANSA)