Committee on Space Research

Committee on Space ResearchAbbreviation| COSPAR

|

Formation| October 3, 1958; 67 years ago (1958-10-03)
Type| INGO
Location|

* Paris, France

Region served

| Worldwide

Official language

| English, French

President

| Pascale Ehrenfreund

Executive Director

| Dr. Jean-Claude Worms

Parent organization

| International Council for Science
Website| COSPAR Official website

The Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) was established on October 3, 1958 by the International Council for Scientific Unions (ICSU) and its first chair was Hildegard Korf Kallmann-Bijl.[1] Among COSPAR's objectives are the promotion of scientific research in space on an international level, with emphasis on the free exchange of results, information, and opinions, and providing a forum, open to all scientists, for the discussion of problems that may affect space research. These objectives are achieved through the organization of symposia, publication, and other means. COSPAR has created a number of research programmes on different topics, a few in cooperation with other scientific Unions. The long-term project COSPAR international reference atmosphere started in 1960; since then it has produced several editions of the high-atmosphere code CIRA. The code "IRI" of the URSI-COSPAR working group on the International Reference Ionosphere was first edited in 1978 and is updated annually.

## Contents

* 1 General Assembly
* 2 Scientific Structure
* 2.1 Scientific Commissions
* 2.2 Panels
* 3 Planetary Protection Policy
* 4 Member countries
* 5 See also
* 6 References
* 7 External links

## General Assembly

From 1958 to 1979, the COSPAR called for the General Assembly (also called the Scientific Assembly) annually. Starting in 1980, the General Assembly is held every two years. These are conferences currently gathering around 3,000 participating space researchers from all over the world, such as Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States. The assemblies are listed in the table below; as of two previous leap years, two General Assemblies were cancelled.[2] The 41st General Assembly in Istanbul was cancelled due to the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt,[3][4] while the 43rd General Assembly in Sydney was also cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5]

General
Assembly  | Year  | Place  | Country

|
|
|

58th | 2050 | TBD
57th | 2048
56th | 2046
55th | 2044
54th | 2042
53rd | 2040
52nd | 2038
51st | 2036
50th | 2034
49th | 2032
48th | 2030
47th | 2028 | Dubai |  United Arab Emirates
46th | 2026 | Florence |  Italy
45th  | 2024  | Busan  |  South Korea
44th  | 2022  | Athens |  Greece
43rd  | 2020  | Sydney (cancelled)  |  Australia
42nd | 2018 | Pasadena |  United States
41st | 2016 | Istanbul (cancelled) |  Turkey
40th | 2014 | Moscow |  Russia
39th | 2012 | Mysore |  India
38th | 2010 | Bremen |  Germany
37th | 2008 | Montreal |  Canada
36th | 2006 | Beijing |  China
35th | 2004 | Paris |  France
34th | 2002 | Houston |  United States
33rd | 2000 | Warsaw |  Poland
32nd | 1998 | Nagoya |  Japan
31st | 1996 | Birmingham |  United Kingdom
30th | 1994 | Hamburg |  Germany
29th | 1992 | Washington, D.C. |  United States
28th | 1990 | The Hague |  Netherlands
27th | 1988 | Espoo |  Finland
26th | 1986 | Toulouse |  France
25th | 1984 | Graz |  Austria
24th | 1982 | Ottawa |  Canada
23rd | 1980 | Budapest |  Hungary
22nd | 1979 | Bangalore |  India
21st | 1978 | Innsbruck |  Austria
20th | 1977 | Tel Aviv |  Israel
19th | 1976 | Philadelphia |  United States
18th | 1975 | Varna |  Bulgaria
17th | 1974 | São Paulo |  Brazil
16th | 1973 | Konstanz |  Germany
15th | 1972 | Madrid |  Spain
14th | 1971 | Seattle |  United States
13th | 1970 | Leningrad |  Soviet Union
12th | 1969 | Prague |  Czechoslovakia
11th | 1968 | Tokyo |  Japan
10th | 1967 | London |  United Kingdom
9th | 1966 | Vienna |  Austria
8th | 1965 | Mar del Plata |  Argentina
7th | 1964 | Florence |  Italy
6th | 1963 | Warsaw |  Poland
5th | 1962 | Washington, D.C. |  United States
4th | 1961 | Florence |  Italy
3rd | 1960 | Nice |  France
2nd | 1959 | The Hague |  Netherlands
1st | 1958 | London |  United Kingdom

## Scientific Structure

### Scientific Commissions

Scientific Commission A
Space Studies of the Earth's Surface, Meteorology and Climate

* Task Group on GEO
* Subcommission A1 on Atmosphere, Meteorology and Climate
* Subcommission A2 on Ocean Dynamics, Productivity and the Cryosphere
* Subcommission A3 on Land Processes and Morphology

Scientific Commission B
Space Studies of the Earth-Moon System, Planets, and Small Bodies of the Solar System

* Sub-Commission B1 on Small Bodies
* Sub-Commission B2 on International Coordination of Space Techniques for Geodesy (a joint Sub-Commission with IUGG/IAG Commission I on Reference Frames)
* Sub-Commission B3 on The Moon
* Sub-Commission B4 on Terrestrial Planets
* Sub-Commission B5 on Outer Planets and Satellites
* Sub-Commission B6/E4 on Exoplanets Detection, Characterization and Modelling

Scientific Commission C
Space Studies of the Upper Atmospheres of the Earth and Planets Including Reference Atmospheres

* Sub-Commission C1 on The Earth's Upper Atmosphere and Ionosphere
* Sub-Commission C2 on The Earth's Middle Atmosphere and Lower Ionosphere
* Sub-Commission C3 on Planetary Atmospheres and Aeronomy
* Task Group on Reference Atmospheres of Planets and Satellites (RAPS)
* URSI/COSPAR Task Group on the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI)
* COSPAR/URSI Task Group on Reference Atmospheres, including ISO WG4 (CIRA)
* Sub-Commission C5/D4 on Theory and Observations of Active Experiments

Scientific Commission D
Space Plasmas in the Solar System, Including Planetary Magnetospheres

* Sub-Commission D1 on The Heliosphere
* Sub-Commission D2/E3 on The Transition from the Sun to the Heliosphere
* Sub-Commission D3 on Magnetospheres
* Sub-Commission C5/D4 on Theory and Observations of Active Experiments

Scientific Commission E
Research in Astrophysics from Space

* Sub-Commission E1 on Galactic and Extragalactic Astrophysics
* Sub-Commission E2 on The Sun as a Star
* Sub-Commission D2/E3 on The Transition from the Sun to the Heliosphere
* Sub-Commission B6/E4 on Exoplanets Detection, Characterization and Modelling

Scientific Commission F
Life Sciences as Related to Space

* Sub-Commission F1 on Gravitational and Space Biology
* Sub-Commission F2 on Radiation Environment, Biology and Health
* Sub-Commission F3 on Astrobiology
* Sub-Commission F4 on Natural and Artificial Ecosystems
* Sub-Commission F5 on Gravitational Physiology in Space

Scientific Commission G
Materials Sciences in Space

Scientific Commission H
Fundamental Physics in Space

### Panels

* Technical Panel on Satellite Dynamics (PSD)
* Panel on Technical Problems Related to Scientific Ballooning (PSB)
* Panel on Potentially Environmentally Detrimental Activities in Space (PEDAS)
* Panel on Radiation Belt Environment Modelling (PRBEM)
* Panel on Space Weather (PSW)
* Panel on Planetary Protection (PPP)
* Panel on Capacity Building (PCB)
* Panel on Capacity Building Fellowship Program and Alumni (PCB FP)
* Panel on Education (PE)
* Panel on Exploration (PEX)
* Panel on Interstellar Research (PIR)
* Task Group on Establishing an international Constellation of Small Satellites (TGCSS)
* Sub-Group on Radiation Belts (TGCSS-SGRB)
* Panel on Social Sciences and Humanities (PSSH)
* Panel on Innovative Solutions (PoIS)
* Task Group on Establishing an International Geospace Systems Program (TGIGSP)

## Planetary Protection Policy

Responding to concerns raised in the scientific community that spaceflight missions to the Moon and other celestial bodies might compromise their future scientific exploration, in 1958 the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) established an ad-hoc Committee on Contamination by Extraterrestrial Exploration (CETEX) to provide advice on these issues. A year later, the mandate was transferred to the newly founded Committee on Space Research (COSPAR), which as an interdisciplinary scientific committee of the ICSU (now the International Science Council - ISC) was considered to be the appropriate place to continue the work of CETEX. Since that time, COSPAR has provided an international forum to discuss such matters under the terms “planetary quarantine” and later “planetary protection”, and has formulated a COSPAR planetary protection policy with associated implementation requirements as an international standard to protect against interplanetary biological and organic contamination, and after 1967 as a guide to compliance with Article IX of the United Nations Outer Space Treaty in that area ([6]).

The COSPAR Planetary Protection Policy, and its associated requirements, is not legally binding under international law, but it is an internationally agreed standard with implementation guidelines for compliance with Article IX of the Outer Space Treaty. States Parties to the Outer Space Treaty are responsible for national space activities under Article VI of this Treaty, including the activities of governmental and non-governmental entities. It is the State that ultimately will be held responsible for wrongful acts committed by its jurisdictional subjects.

Updating the COSPAR Planetary Protection Policy, either as a response to new discoveries or based on specific requests, is a process that involves appointed members of the COSPAR Panel on Planetary Protection who represent, on the one hand, their national or international authority responsible for compliance with the United Nations Outer Space Treaty of 1967, and, on the other hand, COSPAR Scientific Commissions B – Space Studies of the Earth-Moon System, Planets and Small Bodies of the Solar Systems, and F - Life Sciences as Related to Space. After reaching a consensus among the involved parties, the proposed recommendation for updating the Policy is formulated by the COSPAR Panel on Planetary Protection and submitted to the COSPAR Bureau for review and approval.

The new structure of the Panel and its work was described in recent publications (;[7][8]).

The recently updated COSPAR Policy on Planetary Protection was published in the August 2020 issue of COSPAR's journal Space Research Today. It contains some updates with respect to the previously approved version ([9]) based on recommendations formulated by the Panel and approved by the COSPAR Bureau.

## Member countries

As of today, the Committee on Space Research features more than 50 countries as its member countries:

* Algeria
* Argentina
* Armenia
* Australia
* Austria
* Belgium
* Brazil
* Bulgaria
* Canada
* Chile
* China
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Egypt
* Finland
* France
* Germany
* Greece
* Hungary
* India
* Indonesia
* Iran
* Iraq
* Israel
* Italy
* Japan
* Kazakhstan
* South Korea
* Template:MLY
* Mexico
* Morocco
* Netherlands
* Nigeria
* Norway
* Pakistan
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Russia
* Saudi Arabia
* Singapore
* Slovakia
* South Africa
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Taiwan
* Thailand
* Turkey
* Ukraine
* United Arab Emirates
* United Kingdom
* United States

## See also

* Space research
* Planetary protection, for other bodies and Earth
* International Planetary Data Alliance
* List of government space agencies

## References

1. ↑ "Scientists of World Set Up Space Group", by Walter Sullivan, The New York Times, October 4, 1958, p. 1
2. ↑ "COSPAR Scientific Assemblies". http://cosparhq.cnes.fr/events/scientific-assemblies.
3. ↑ "COSPAR 2016". http://cospar2016.tubitak.gov.tr/en/.
4. ↑ Foust, Jeff (2016-07-18). "COSPAR cancels space science conference after Turkish coup attempt" (in en-US). SpaceNews. https://spacenews.com/cospar-cancels-space-science-conference-after-turkish-coup-attempt/.
5. ↑ Federation, International Astronautical. "IAF : COSPAR Scientific Assembly 2021" (in en). https://www.iafastro.org/events/iaf-affiliated-events/cospar-symposium/cospar-symposium-2021.html.
6. ↑ UNOOSA 2017, Report of the Committee on the Peaceful Use of Outer Space, 60th Session, A/72/20, United Nations, New York
7. ↑ Coustenis, A., Kminek, G., Hedman, N., 2019a. The challenge of planetary protection. ROOM Journal, June 2019, pages 44-48.
8. ↑ Coustenis, A., Kminek, G., Hedman, N., Ammanito, E., Deshevaya, E., Doran, P.T., Grasset, O., Green, J., Hayes, A., Lei, L., Nakamura, A., Prieto-Ballesteros, O., Raulin, F., Rettberg, P., Sreekumar, P., Tsuneta, S., Viso, M., Zaitsev, M., Zorzano-Mier, M.-P., 2019b. The COSPAR Panel on Planetary Protection role, structure and activities. Space Res. Today, vol. 205, August 2019, pages 14-26, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.srt.2019.06.013.
9. ↑ Kminek, G., Conley, C., Hipkin, V., Yano, H., 2017. COSPAR’s Planetary Protection Policy. Space Res. Today, vol. 200, December 2017.

## External links

* v
* t
* e

Public-sector space agencies

Africa|

| Pan-African
and pan-Arab|

* RASCOM
* Arabsat

|

National|

* ASAL
* EgSA
* NARSS
* ESSTI
* GSSTC
* KSA
* NASRDA
* SANSA

Americas|

| North America|

* CSA
* NASA
* NESDIS
* OSC
* FAA/AST
* FCC
* USSF
* USSPACECOM
* NRO

|

Latin America
and the Caribbean|

* ALCE
* AEM
* CONAE
* ABE
* AEB
* DCTA
* INPE
* ITA
* CCE
* ABAE
* IVIC

Asia|

| Pan-Asian|

* APSCO

|

Central Asia|

* KazCosmos1
* Roscosmos1
* SRI
* VK
* TNSA1

East Asia|

* CNSA
* SASTIND
* CASC
* CALT
* CAST
* CCF
* CGWIC
* PLAASF
* CASIC
* JAXA
* ISAS
* JSS
* NICT
* NATA
* KASA
* KARI
* KASI
* SaTReC
* TASA

South Asia|

* SPARRSO
* ISRO2
* Antrix Corp
* DoS
* NRSC
* NSIL
* DSA
* SUPARCO

Southeast Asia|

* BRIN
* ORPA
* INASA
* MYSA
* PhilSA
* SSTL
* GISTDA
* VNSC

West Asia|

* ArmCosmos1
* MAKA1
* NSSA
* NEHSA
* ISA
* ISRC
* ISA
* NCSR
* SSA
* KACST-SRI
* SSA2
* GORS
* TUA
* TÜBİTAK UZAY
* UAESA (MBRSC)

Europe|

| Pan-European|

* CEN/CENELEC
* CEPT
* ETSI
* Eurocontrol
* ECAC
* ESA
* ECSS
* ESTEC
* EAC
* ESRIN
* ECSAT
* ESAC
* ESOC
* ESTRACK
* Guiana Space Centre
* EUMETSAT
* EUTELSAT IGO
* ESO

|

EU and EEA|

* DG DEFIS
* EUSPA
* EU SatCen
* EASA
* BEREC
* ALR2
* BELSPO
* BIRA-IASB
* SRTI2
* CSO2
* DTU Space
* ESO1
* CNES2
* AAE
* CdE
* DLR2
* HSA
* HSO2
* ASI
* LSA
* LSO1
* SRON
* NSO
* NOSA
* POLSA2
* CBK PAN
* UKE
* KRRiT
* ORO
* ULC
* PTSPACE
* ROSA2
* INTA
* AEC
* EAE
* AEE
* SNSA

Other|

* ArmCosmos1
* MAKA1
* BSA1
* KazCosmos1
* Roscosmos1
* SRI
* VVKO
* SSO
* TUA
* TÜBİTAK UZAY
* SSAU1
* UKSA2

Oceania|

* ASA
* CSIRO
* NZSA

World|

* CCSDS
* CEOS
* COSPAR
* IPDA
* Cospas-Sarsat
* GEO
* GSC
* IADC
* ICSMD
* IMSO
* ISECG
* ISS MCB
* ITSO
* Intersputnik
* ODCWG
* ITU-R
* UNCOPUOS
* UNOOSA
* UNOSAT

Former|

* BNSC
* KCST
* INCOSPAR
* LAPAN
* NAL
* NASDA
* SSP
* MOM
* Interkosmos

* See also: Timeline of first orbital launches by country
* 1 Preceded by the Soviet space program
* 2 Preceded by Interkosmos participation

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