BRIEFING TO COPUOS AND SIDE MEETING ON THE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 UNVIE VIENNA 000324 SENSITIVE SIPDIS GENEVA FOR CD DEL C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (GARBLED MSG) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: MCAP PREL PARM TSPA RS NASA CPUOS CDG SUBJECT: BRIEFING TO COPUOS AND SIDE MEETING ON THE SATELLITE COLLISION REF: A. STATE 58525 ¶B. MOSCOW 556 UNVIE VIEN 00000324 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. (SBU) On June 9, 2009, Brigadier General Susan Helms, Director of Plans and Policy, J-5, United States Strategic Command, briefed the 52nd Session of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) on the February 2009 collision of the Iridium 33 and Cosmos 2251 satellites. Prior to this briefing, the U.S. provided a preview of the presentation to the Russian delegation as well as to interested delegation members from NATO and select non-NATO countries. The U.S. also used the meeting with the Russian Federation as an opportunity to discuss bilateral cooperation between the U.S. and Russia on transparency and confidence building measures (TCBMs) for space activities. All three briefings were well received and the U.S. was complimented for its transparency in discussing the collision. -------------- Briefing to Russian Delegation on Satellite Collision and Discussion of Space TCBMS -------------- ¶2. (SBU) On Monday, June 8, 2009, Brigadier General Susan Helms, Director of Plans and Policy, J-5, United States Strategic Command, briefed the Russian COPUOS delegation on the February 2009 collision of the Iridium 33 and Cosmos 2251 satellites. The Russian attendees included Sergey Shestakov, Head of the Science and Technology Division, Department on New Challenges and Threats, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Anatoly Belinsky, Ministry of Defense; and Alexey Dronov, Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the International Organizations in Vienna. Following the U.S. briefing on the collision, the Russian delegation thanked the U.S. delegation for its willingness to meet and for their transparency in sharing the planned presentation for the COPUOS session. The Russians, key question was why and how the collision took place. The U.S. answered by saying that the collision took place because space is becoming increasingly crowded. General Helms stressed that the collision could have happened between any two nations and that our nations need to collaborate to ensure they do not happen in the future. She stated that the question should not be what any country did wrong, but rather how to bring together our resources to prevent a future collision from happening. Sergey Shestakov stated that the issues involved with the collision are clear, the problem will be how to organize our common goals and efforts together. He stated that the Conference on Disarmament is the correct venue to discuss military issues as well as other initiatives by the Russian Federation. Dronov added that in order to start thinking about collaboration we need to consider the legal aspects. ¶3. (SBU) After the dialogue on the collision, Ken Hodgkins, Director of OES/SAT, began a discussion on bilateral cooperation between the U.S. and Russia on space TCBMs. Hodgkins stated that we are currently seeking cooperation with Russia on military-to-military workplans; a joint resolution on TCBMs; the issues involved in the Russian March 2009 non-paper on the collision and TCBMs; and the work currently being done in COPUOS (such as the new agenda item on the long term sustainability of space activities). The U.S. indicated its desire to determine if U.S.-Russian workplans signed in 2006 and 2007 are still relevant and questioned what it will take to expand the workplans to a multilateral level. The U.S. pointed out that it provides a great deal of data to the international community, but it would like to consider what Russia may be able to provide to supplement this data. Lt Col Myland Pride, from the Joint Staff, explained the specifics of the 2006 and 2007 workplans (and later provided these documents to Dronov). Hodgkins added that there is a need to educate all nations on why better space surveillance would be advantageous. Shestakov agreed with U.S. suggestions on cooperation and stated that UNVIE VIEN 00000324 002.2 OF 003 there is a need for bilateral consultations between the U.S. and Russia. He added that we should continue this dialogue with a specialized expert meeting on the topic and potentially form a working group. He was pleased that the discussion began in Vienna and felt this meeting was a &very constructive8 beginning. Later that week, the U.S. handed over to Shestakov a list of questions for consideration by the Russian Federation (found in REF A) in response to the Russian March 5, 2009, non-paper (REF B). -------------- Briefing to Allies on Satellite Collision -------------- ¶4. (SBU) On Tuesday, June 9, 2009, the General Helms briefed approximately 25 delegates from at least 16 NATO and select non-NATO countries on the satellite collision. Attendees represented Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. The presentation was well received and various delegates stated that it was beneficial in raising awareness of the issue. The attendees appeared engaged during the presentation and asked thoughtful questions. ¶5. (U) The following questions were asked: -Can we reduce the amount of space debris currently in space? -Is it possible to determine whose debris is whose following a collision? -Is it possible to design satellites so that they dissolve after life? -Is it standard practice to put satellites in graveyard orbits? -What is the critical part of tracking satellites to prevent collisions? -Was there exchange of information with Russia following the collision? -To what extent is monitoring by various countries up to date and is there is a mechanism for collaboration on such monitoring? -Is it possible to identify whose debris is whose following a collision? -Can we calculate the lifetime of the debris created by this collision? -In the case of a predicted collision, are there rules on which satellite should maneuver if both satellites are maneuverable? ¶6. (SBU) The U.S. delegation thoroughly answered each question, stressing the need for increased international cooperation, and the delegates seemed satisfied with the responses. Of particular note was the discussion on the &chain of custody8 of debris following a collision. The U.S. explained that each piece of debris created that is large enough to track will have its own orbital signature traceable back to the parent object. The U.S. added that although the assignment of liability for debris-caused damage to satellites will become an increasingly complex issue, it is important to focus on managing the problem of collisions, rather than the legal question of who owns each of the pieces. During the question and answer period, the delegate from the Czech Republic noted that the fact that the U.S. voluntarily provided the briefing showed transparency that has not been demonstrated by other spacefaring nations. -------------- Briefing to COPUOS on the Satellite Collision -------------- ¶7. (U) On Tuesday, June 9, 2009, General Helms, briefed the 52nd Session of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) on the collision of the Iridium 33 and Cosmos 2251 satellites. Upon completion, General Helms received a genuinely warm response. In addition, Ciro Arevalo, the current Chairman of COPUOS, complimented her presentation, UNVIE VIEN 00000324 003.3 OF 003 and praised the U.S. for its transparency in bringing this issue forward. Following her briefing, Nicholas Johnson, NASA,s Chief Scientist for Orbital Debris at Johnson Spaceflight Center, gave a presentation on the space debris created of the satellite collision, which was also well received. ¶8. (U) During the question and answer session, a delegate from Brazil brought up a U.S. Congressional hearing where commercial and industry representatives stated that data distribution is not complete. In response, General Helms discussed the importance of international collaboration to share data and the need for an integrated approach. A Greek delegate complemented the U.S. for giving the presentation, and that, as an astronaut, General Helms was the perfect person to share this presentation. He stated his opinion that nation-states should not have authority in space based on domestic law, but rather all space rules and laws should fall under international regimes. The Indian delegate asked whether the full database of all 19,000 objects was made available by the United States. General Helms discussed space-track.org and stated that information on the 19,000 space objects could be found there. The Venezuelan delegate said that the satellite collision sheds light on the need for the legal subcommittee to take up the issue of creating binding space debris mitigation guidelines. Chairman Arevalo noted that the current space debris mitigation guidelines were adopted as a result of years of arduous work. A Chinese delegate stated that China has no intent to weaponize space and would like to prevent an arms race in space. PYATT