UN Program on Space Application

The United Nations Program on Space Application supports international training, education, and research on space matters. Find the full program overview here: https://www.unoosa.org/pdf/publications/ST_SPACE_52_Rev1.pdf

The space age began on 4 October 1957 with the launch of the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1. Soon after that event, the Member States of the United Nations declared that space should be used exclusively for peaceful purposes to improve life on Earth and for the benefit of all countries, irrespective of their degree of economic or scien- tific development.

In the following decades, the applications of space activities expanded quickly and demonstrated their usefulness in making important contributions to social and economic development. The use of space science and technology could be of benefit in various areas, such as aviation, maritime and land transportation, urbanization, mapping and surveying, human health, disaster management, food security and sustain- able agriculture, environmental monitoring and natural resources management.

At the first United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE) held in 1968, Member States recommended the creation of a dedi- cated programme in the framework of the United Nations. In 1971, the United Nations Programme on Space Applications was established in what was then the United Nations Outer Space Division.

Following the second United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE 82) held in 1982, the mandate of the Programme was broad- ened and ultimately resulted in the establishment of five Regional Centres for Space Science and Technology Education, affiliated to the United Nations.

The third United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE III) held in 1999, aimed to further increase the benefits that could be derived from space technology and its applications. It led to the establishment of the United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER) and the International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (ICG), a forum of providers and user communities of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS).

Since its inception, the Programme has organized approximately 300 training courses, workshops, seminars and conferences and has provided funding support for more than 18,000 participants, mainly from developing countries. In addition to the support provided to the five Regional Centres for Space Science and Technology Education, the Programme also cooperates with academic institutions to offer long-term fellowship programmes.

More than 40 years after its establishment, the United Nations Programme on Space Applications, under the Office for Outer Space Affairs, continues to evolve by taking into account the latest developments in space science and technology to serve the capacity-building needs of countries to ensure that space-based solutions contribute to improving life on Earth and to promoting international cooperation.

Join the discussion on this program at the forum here: https://www.unoosa.org/pdf/publications/ST_SPACE_52_Rev1.pdf