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.”
Together with Mitsubishi Electric, the Japanese Space Agency JAXA has developed an Earth Observation Satellite, Daichi-2, which, according to the developers, will be able to detect objects of the size of 80 centimeters.
From 26 to 30 September 2022, a UN-SPIDER expert team visited the Philippines to support the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and other organizations in strengthening their work related to Disaster Risk Management and Emergency Response by effective use of space-based information. This Technical Advisory Mission (TAM) had been requested by the Philippines Space Agency (https://philsa.gov.ph/) in close collaboration with the members of the NDRRMC.
UNOOSA is organising a webinar series in context of the World Space Week 2022 (4-10 October).
On the webinar on the 5 October "Space Benefiting the Work of the United Nations", 10-11:30am, UN-SPIDER will join the webinar, giving a presentation and taking part in the panel discussion.
Find more information about the webinar series, and links to registration pages on the website of UNOOSA.
On 9 and 10 July 2015, UN-SPIDER carried out an institutional strengthening mission to El Salvador at the request of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The aims of the mission were:
To continue the provision of advisory support to El Salvador.
The provide information to government agencies regarding COPUOS, UNOOSA and UN-SPIDER as El Salvador will be joining COPUOS as a Member State.
To present a series of maps of the Vegetation Condition Index (VCI) that were elaborated by UN-SPIDER to contribute to monitor the effects of drought in the country, and to provide information on the UN-SPIDER Recommended Practice that can be used for this purpose.
The Expert Mission included several meetings with representatives of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Environment and Natural Resources, Public Works, Public Health, and Interior. The mission was used to discuss the recommendations proposed by UN-SPIDER during its TAM in 2014; including the establishment of a national geospatial information system and an inter-institutional team of professionals which would focus its efforts the generation of space-based information in disaster risk reduction and emergency response.
During the mission, the Directorate of Civil Protection (DPC) agreed that the Environmental Observatory of the Ministry of Environment and Human Resources (MARN) should be the Authorised User on behalf of El Salvador to the International Charter Space and Major Disasters and other emergency mechanisms established by the space community. In addition, there was an agreement to continue efforts to implement the technical, interinstitutional remote sensing team to contribute to efforts in disaster risk reduction, preparedness and emergency response. The Department of Civil Protection was going to assess whether this team should be coordinated by the Scientific and Technical Commission of Civil Protection. Finally, the Environmental Observatory agreed to review the maps presented by UN-SPIDER to assess their accuracy in presenting up-to-date and historical information on droughts in the country.
On 9 and 10 July 2015, UN-SPIDER conducted an Expert Mission to El Salvador under the coordination of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador as a follow-up to the Technical Advisory Mission (TAM) which was conducted in April 2014. The Expert Mission included several meetings with representatives of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Environment and Natural Resources, Public Works, Public Health, and Interior. The mission was used to discuss the recommendations proposed by UN-SPIDER during its TAM in 2014; including the establishment of a national geospatial information system and an inter-institutional team of professionals which would focus its efforts the generation of space-based information in disaster risk reduction and emergency response.
The mission was used by UN-SPIDER to present the recently developed Recommended Practice on droughts developed by the Iranian Space Agency in its role as a Regional Support Office and a series of maps elaborated by the UN-SPIDER Bonn Office regarding the Vegetation Condition Index as a way to contribute to drought early warning and drought management efforts in this country. Specific meetings were organised as part of this mission with the Directorate of Civil Protection, with the Environmental Observatory of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, and with UNDP and other UN agencies in El Salvador which are conducting efforts to support the government to cope with the recent droughts that are affecting this country.
The opportunity was used to discuss ongoing efforts carried out by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador related to the incorporation of El Salvador as a member of the Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) and to provide information on the activities conducted by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and its Space Applications Programme.
From 9 to 11 May, UN-SPIDER carried out an institutional strengthening mission to support the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) in its planning of the earthquake simulation to take place in June 2022. The simulation is being organized by NADMO with several government agencies and benefits from the support of the North Dakota National Guard of the United States. The simulation exercise will be based on a hypothethical earthquake that impacts the southern part of Ghana, triggering impacts in communities and several sectors of development. May government agencies will participate in the exercise.
UN-SPIDER proposed a simulated activation of the International Charter Space and Major Disasters to be included in this exercise to raise awareness regarding the provision of space-based information for disaster response efforts which is provided by this emergency mechanism free of charge to national disaster management agencies.
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National Disaster Management Organization of Ghana (NADMO)
The mission included meetings with the Director General of NADMO, with staff of NADMO, and the participation of UN-SPIDER in a meeting of government agencies under the Ministry of Interior, where the Director of NADMO provided information on the earthquake simulation exercise and on the contribution of UN-SPIDER to enhance the use of space technologies in NADMO.
UN-SPIDER used the opportunity to make staff from different government agencies and officers of the North Dakota National Guard aware the International Charter Space and Major Disasters as one of several mechanisms established by the Space community to support disaster response efforts worldwide. The International Charter provides space-based information to national disaster management agencies free of charge to contribute to disaster response efforts. Since 2019, NADMO has been an Authorised User of the International Charter. UN-SPIDER also used the opportunity to share lessons learned from the impacts of earthquakes in Haiti and in Indonesia, as well as on the lessons learned regarding simulations carried out in other countries.
The mission was also used to discuss the Flood GUIDE project, where NADMO is a partner representing Ghana; and to discuss potential future activities, including upcoming events in Bonn and in Africa.
