Secure World Foundation and the Mission of Canada to the European Union partnered to organize the 2011 Space Security Index Launch in Europe. The event was held November 3 in Brussels, Belgium, and was part of Secure World Foundation's Brussels Space Policy Round Table.

Last week's gathering convened leading authorities from Canada, the European Union, the European Space Agency, the Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Directorate of the European External Action Service, as well as the European Satellite Operators Association and the Societe europeenne des satellites (SES).

The open discussion took place at the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Brussels.

"Space security is not a topic often discussed in Brussels, thus it was very pertinent to launch the 2011 Space Security Index here," said Agnieszka Lukaszczyk, Secure World Foundation (SWF) European Program Manager, moderator of the round table dialogue, assisted by SWF's Natassa Antoniou.

"Europe needs to be involved in the outer space security discussion and this event facilitated exactly that need," Lukaszczyk. She added that SWF will continue to engage European actors in the space security debate among a host of relevant outer space topics.

Sustainability of outer space
Discussions at the space policy round table focused on significant global activities within outer space, with a particular emphasis on Europe, driven by a number of important occurrences in the space sector. The event centered on the issuing of the 2011 Space Security Index (SSI).

"The Space Security Index has steadily grown in sophistication, and has become a trusted source of information on the activities that may have an impact on the sustainability of outer space," said Cesar Jaramillo, Program Officer, Space Security and Nuclear Disarmament for Project Ploughshares, headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

Jaramillo said that the launching of the 2011 edition of the SSI in Brussels "is a testament to the active and relevant role that Europe is playing in current space security discussions."

Trends and developments
The SSI is an annual report on trends and developments related to security and outer space. The goal of the Index is to improve transparency with respect to space activities and provide a common, comprehensive knowledge base to support the development of national and international policies that contribute to space security.

Those trends and developments are assessed under three themes:

+ The condition of the operating environment

+ The type of actors in space and how space is used

+ The status of space-related technology as it pertains to protecting or interfering with space systems, or harming Earth from space

The Space Security Index is managed and published by Project Ploughshares with support and funding from Secure World Foundation, The Simons Foundation, the International Security Research and Outreach Program at Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, and the Erin J.C. Arsenault Trust at McGill University.

To download an executive summary of Space Security 2011 and/or the full report, go here.