In June 18-23, 2018 the international community gathered in Vienna for UNISPACE +50. UNISPACE +50 celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the first United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. It was an opportunity for the international community to consider the future course of global space cooperation for the benefit of humankind. The Institute of Aviation was represented at UNISPACE +50 by the director Paweł Stężycki and professor Piotr Wolański.
UNISPACE+50 gathered international community to consider the broad societal benefits of space as an area of innovation, inspiration, interconnectedness, integration and investment. The event brought together the international community to discuss how to enhance the use of space as a driver for sustainable development.
The event included a symposium, a special session of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) and a special exhibition, which was attended by nearly 40 international exhibitors.
The UNISPACE +50 Symposium was aimed for the wider space community to exchange views on the future of international space cooperation and the peaceful uses of outer space. This symposium featured exciting talks from a wide range of experts from around the world, who addressed the past, present and future role of space science and technology in fostering global development and cooperation. Over the two days participants heard a series of high-level panel discussions, including a panel with heads of space agencies from a wide range of United Nations member states.
The COPUOS special session on UNISPACE +50 was also an opportunity for UN member states and UN observers to reflect on the results of the three UNISPACE conferences and consider the future of international cooperation in the peaceful use of space, as well as the work of COPUOS and the UN Office for Space (UNOOSA). The voice in this session was taken by Professor Piotr Wolański, as the chairman of the Committee on Space Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the delegate of Poland.
Professor Piotr Wolański has been associated with the Institute of Aviation for years, where he and his team successfully implement the project of the Polish ILR-33 “Amber” rocket.
