On 26 August 2021, Mr. Suwijak Chandaphan, a lecturer of the School of Law delivered the Statement of Thailand on Agenda Item 5: “Ways and Means of Maintaining Outer Space for Peaceful Purposes” in the 64th Session of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN COPUOS) which was held in hybrid format from 25 August - 3 September 2021.
In the statement, Mr. Suwijak Chandaphan declared that Thailand focuses on addressing issues regarding the construction and operation of small satellite constellation systems in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) as it will affect the long-term sustainability of outer space activities in the future. Additionally, the existing outer space legal regimes governing space activities are not suited to this unprecedented commercial space activity. The statement also emphasised that international cooperation, especially the international legal regimes that regulate the proliferation of small satellite constellations, is a critical component of the long-term sustainability of outer space activities.
Assistant Professor Dr.Chukeat Noichim, Head of International Law, the School of Law who has been appointed to the Specialized Panel of Scientific and Technical Experts pursuant to the PCA Outer Space Rules (Optional Rules for Arbitration of Disputes Relating to Outer Space Activities) by the International Bureau of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) also participated in this session.
The Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) was set up by the General Assembly in 1959 to govern the exploration and use of space for the benefit of all humanity: for peace, security and development. The Committee was tasked with reviewing international cooperation in peaceful uses of outer space, studying space-related activities that could be undertaken by the United Nations, encouraging space research programmes, and studying legal problems arising from the exploration of outer space.
