The National Space Science Agency, represented by its Chief Legal, Sheikha Hessa Al Khalifa, participated in the training course organized by the International Astronautical Federation on space law and policy, which lasted for five days and facilitated the wide participation of representatives of space agencies and major companies operating in the space sector from different countries of the world.

Sheikha Hessa Al Khalifa said: “The training course was carefully organized by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) , and was intended for developing countries in the field of space and countries with a long history of spacefaring alike, in order to discuss and study key aspects of resource saving, establishment and operation of successful national space programs in countries that have recently joined the space sector by drawing on the experiences of countries with precedence in the field.

The programme of the session devoted part of its discussions to the review of the basic legislative and policy elements to be taken into account when establishing national or regional space programmes, two specialized sessions were held: a keynote session on space law and policy and a subsequent plenary session, led by the General Counsel of the International Astronautical Federation Mr. Sergio Marchisio, where the most important aspects were discussed by experts and professionals who joined from all over the world which enriched the discussion and allowed us to learn about the experiences of different countries.”

Sheikha Hessa Al Khalifa added: “One of the most prominent outputs of the training course was to emphasize the importance of having legislation and a space law for emerging countries to create an organized environment for the space sector that supports the creation of a private sector specialized in space and gives investors the confidence to start and expand their projects, and the importance of joining international treaties to create opportunities for international cooperation in the space sector, especially with regard to space missions and outer space exploration, was emphasized. It was agreed that legislation and policies should be continuously developed to keep pace with the steady progress in the space sector and its diverse technologies.”

It is worth mentioning that this course was attended by experts in the fields of space, law, politics, industry and technology from all over the world, and featured examples of best practices and success stories from several countries from Africa and Latin America.