On 7 November 2022 Zimbabwe and Uganda launched their first satellites. Zimbabwe’s ZimSat-1 and Uganda’s PearlAfricaSat-1 are part of the BIRDS-5 constellation, which is now on its way to the International Space Station (ISS). The satellites are scheduled to be released from the Japanese Kibo module on 21 November 2022.

World Tsunami Awareness Day

In 2015 the United Nations declared that each year 5 November would be observed as World Tsunami Awareness Day – a reminder that when a tsunami strikes, everyone must be ready to get to high ground.

Tsunamis can be deadly, but they needn’t be. Early warning and early action are effective tools to protect people, saving lives, and preventing the hazard from becoming a disaster. To be effective, tsunami early-warning systems must cover every at-risk person, they must be multi-hazard, and communities must be prepared so they can act quickly.

New WMO Guidelines on the Implementation of a Coastal Inundation Forecasting Early Warning System offer solid and practical advice for countries, donors and experts seeking to set up early warning systems against an increasing hazard.

World Space Forum 2022 - Sustainability in Space for Sustainability on Earth

Building on the success of the fora held from 2019 - 2021, UNOOSA, in cooperation with the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK) and the Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs (BMEIA) announces the fully virtual World Space Forum 2022 to take place 13 - 15 December 2022.

Today, 13 October, is the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction!

The United Nations General Assembly has designated 13 October as the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR) to promote a global culture of disaster risk reduction. The 2022 edition takes place during the Mid-term Review of the Sendai Framework, which will conclude at a High-level Meeting of the General Assembly in May 2023 with a political declaration.

On 24 November 2021, the American Space Agency NASA launched the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (Dart) into the path of asteroid Dimorphos, a small, harmless asteroid millions of miles from Earth. On 26 September 2022, the Dart spacecraft intentionally crashed into Dimorphos. It was planned that this would shift the orbit of the asteroid.

On Tuesday 11 October 2022, NASA announced first results of the test, presenting that the mission has been a success. According to statements by NASA, this has been the “first time ever, humanity has changed the orbit of a planetary body.”