The UK Space Agency, as the current Chair of the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC), is pleased to announce that the Australian Space Agency (ASA) and Agencia Espacial Española (AEE, Spanish Space Agency) have become Associate Members of the Committee.
The IADC, which is over 30 years old, is a group of 13 Member Space Agencies who perform coordinated research on space debris topics. The research performed by the Committee focuses on a range of topics from developing new approaches to shield spacecraft from natural and human-related debris impacts to forecasting the evolution of space debris environment. The output from this research has guided the development of the Committee’s most well-known product, the IADC Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines, which has informed the regulatory approach across the globe on how to mitigate the human impact on the space environment.
The ASA and AEE join the New Zealand Space Agency as Associate Members of the Committee. The establishment of the Associate Member status in 2024 was intended to encourage interaction with a broader range of Space Agencies, fostering collaboration and raising awareness of the Committee’s research activities and guidelines.
Andrew Ratcliffe, Chief Engineer at the UK Space Agency and the current Chair of the IADC said:
“It is an honour to be the current Chair of the IADC and welcome ASA and AEE as the newest Associate Members of the Committee. The growth of the Committee is testament to its importance in the international community, both in understanding the evolution of the space debris environment and developing approaches that can be adopted by operators and regulators to mitigate their impact. International collaboration and technically informed decision-making are critical to achieving a safe and sustainable space environment.”
Enrico Palermo, Head of the Australian Space Agency said:
“Space is critical to our way of life, so protecting the assets we rely on every day is a global challenge that requires a global effort. The Australian Space Agency is proud to join the IADC and work with our domestic sector to contribute research and debris mitigation strategies. This work upholds international norms that protect the orbital environment for future generations.”
Juan Carlos Cortes, Director of the Spanish Space Agency said:
"Joining the IADC is a relevant step that reflects Spain's firm commitment to the safety and sustainability and security of the space environment. We join this key forum with the will to contribute the experience and technological capacity of our industry and our scientists, who are already working on advanced solutions for the surveillance and active removal of space debris. We firmly believe that we must move towards a more technologically advanced and less vulnerable space, and therefore we will collaborate closely with our international partners to align efforts and jointly guarantee safe and lasting access to space for future generations."
The UK Space Agency’s leading role within the IADC and other international forums such as UNCOPUOS is part of a broader set of Space Sustainability and In-Orbit Servicing, Assembly & Manufacturing (ISAM) activities led by the Agency and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Space Directorate. This includes regulation and standards, research, space observation and monitoring capabilities, and technology development for Active Debris Removal (ADR) and ISAM purposes.
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