Magazine_SRT_221

MESSAGE from the COSPAR President

Pascale Ehrenfreund

Our 45th Scientific Assembly in Busan, attended by over 3,000 participants, was a great success, thanks to our dedicated hosts and the vibrant COSPAR community. Building on this momentum, we are committed to organizing a forward-looking COSPAR 2026, in a context where more countries develop their space activities, also leading to more recent applications to become COSPAR Members.

Today’s space ecosystem is a complex, interconnected network of scientific, technological, industrial, economic, and governmental elements. Within this framework, COSPAR plays an essential role and needs to collaborate effectively with other space stakeholders to establish mechanisms that incorporate the latest scientific discoveries and research advancements into space policies and regulations. By fostering collaboration between industry and scientific organizations, in particular through our Committee on Industry Relations, we strengthen this ecosystem, pooling resources, expertise, and innovation to accelerate technological progress and space exploration.

"COSPAR plays an essential role and needs to collaborate effectively with other space stakeholders"

Scientific research in space is reaching new heights, with missions like the James Webb Space Telescope providing unprecedented insights into the universe and rovers such as Perseverance exploring Mars for ancient signs of life, just to name a few. These endeavors underscore the importance of advancing scientific knowledge and preparing for ambitious international cooperative space projects. However, the rapid increase in space activities has also raised sustainability concerns, particularly regarding space debris and cis-lunar exploration. With over 10,000 satellites now orbiting Earth and more than 150 cis-lunar missions in the planning until 2033, international and national bodies are working diligently to establish guidelines and policies to mitigate orbital debris and safeguard celestial environments.

International science organizations like COSPAR play a crucial role in shaping this evolving space sector and supporting sustainable space activities. We are keen to increase our interactions with these organizations, as members or partners in joint projects. This is for instance the case with the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO), with which we will sign a cooperation Memorandum of Understanding in the coming month.

During the Scientific Assembly in Busan, COSPAR introduced its new community-driven Space Weather Roadmap and the recently updated Planetary Protection Policy. COSPAR continues to promote global collaboration by uniting researchers, agencies, and countries to address scientific challenges that are too complex or costly for any single nation.

As the space sector continues its rapid expansion, COSPAR’s role in coordinating international efforts, guiding policy development, and advancing scientific excellence will only become more vital. Looking ahead, COSPAR is preparing for the 6th COSPAR Symposium in Nicosia, Cyprus, scheduled from November 3-7, 2025, under the theme: “Space Exploration 2025: A Symposium on Humanity's Challenges

"The rapid increase in space activities has also raised sustainability concerns"

and Celestial Solutions.” Planning for the 46th Our next Scientific Assembly, COSPAR 2026, is also well underway, and we trust that the COSPAR community, its Scientific Commissions, Panels and Task Groups, will craft a program that reinforces our role in this dynamic space sector.

A heartfelt thank you to the COSPAR community— your dedication and collaboration continue to drive our success and inspire our mission in advancing space research. Together, we are shaping the space ecosystem.

"Organizations like COSPAR play a crucial role in shaping this evolving space sector and supporting sustainable space activities" Season’s greetings, Pascale Ehrenfreund

COSPAR President

MESSAGE from the General Editor

Richard Harrison

In many ways, the issues of Space Research Today that follow a COSPAR Scientific Assembly provide a clear celebration of the depth and diversity, and scientific quality, of each Assembly through the eyes of those that organised each session as they submit their reports for us all to read. Thus, in this issue we present the first set of the reports from COSPAR 2024, held in Busan, South Korea, for your information and enjoyment.

We find that issues of SRT often tend to develop a theme as articles and reports are collated. In this case, the Assembly reports themselves are, in effect, a theme, but this issue, by chance, has a focus on planetary and solar system bodies with items on, for example, the passage of Apophis past the Earth in 2029, the launches of the NASA Clipper mission to Europa and ESA's Hera mission to the asteroid Didymos, the Japanese SLIM lunar lander mission, the Earth-Moon passage of the JUICE spacecraft on its way to the Jovian system, an image taken by the NASA Perseverance rover as it looks back into the Jezero crater from which it had just climbed, and a further report on activities of the Planetary Protection Panel. Of course, there is much more, from a wide range of topical areas and activities.

As always, if you feel we should include particular reports, releases or topics, do either contact the editorial team, or write an article for submission to SRT . I have to finish by noting the two In Memoriam articles on Ed Stone, truly one of the giants of our discipline and an enthusiastic supporter of COSPAR over the decades. It is a sad loss, but we should celebrate his many achievements.

COSPAR COMMUNITY

In this section we include profiles of COSPAR personalities, principally officers, and other articles relevant to persons active in COSPAR’s affairs.

Krzysztof Sośnica - Vice-Chair of COSPAR’s Panel on Satellite Dynamics (PSD)

Krzysztof Sośnica obtained his PhD degree in physics at the Astronomical Institute of the University of Bern (Switzerland), based on a thesis "Determination of Precise Satellite Orbits and Geodetic parameters using Satellite Laser Ranging". He obtained his habilitation in the field of technical sciences in the discipline of geodesy and cartography, and the title of Professor of Natural and Exact Sciences in 2020. Since September 2020, he has been a professor and Head of the Geodesy Department at the Institute of Geodesy and Geoinformatics. His research focuses on the development of satellite observation techniques, in particular Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), such as GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou, QZSS, as well as the integration of Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) and GNSS observations, deriving global geodetic parameters, Earth rotation parameters, time-variable gravity field, and the realization of geodetic reference frames.

Krzysztof Sośnica is a member of the European Space Agency (ESA) GNSS Scientific Advisory Board (GSAC), the Governing Board member of the

Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS), the Governing Board member of the International Laser Ranging Service (ILRS), and a fellow member of the International Association of Geodesy (IAG). He is the chair of the IAG Sub-commission 1.1. “Coordination of Space Techniques”.

He was a PI in scientific projects funded by ESA related to the use of the Galileo system to verify the effects resulting from Einstein's theory of relativity ("General Relativistic Effects in the Orbits of Galileo Satellites"), and projects of the Polish National Science Centre concerning the determination of global geodetic parameters using satellite observations ("EAGLE - Earth Gravity Field Evolution" - 2022, "Multi-GNSS precise point positioning based on stochastic clock modelling" - 2022, "Integrated terrestrial reference systems based on SLR observations to geodetic, LEO, and GNSS satellites", "Innovative methods of tropospheric delay modelling in satellite laser ranging to artificial Earth satellites" - 2015, "Determining global geodetic parameters using the Galileo satellite system" - 2018). He also leads the development of the Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS-PL) in Poland as part of the European Plate Observing System (EPOSPL/EPOS-PL+). He has been involved in projects funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, H2020, and ERC. He designed for ESA a

satellite navigation system for future manned and autonomous missions to the Moon, in the frame of the project "Fundamental techniques, models and algorithms for a Lunar Radio Navigation system (ATLAS)".

Krzysztof Sośnica is the author of more than 85 peer-reviewed scientific articles published in journals such as Journal of Geodesy, GPS Solutions, Advances in Space Research, Journal of Geophysical Research, Geophysical Research Letters, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, and Acta Astronautica. He supervised five successful doctoral theses, about 30 Master’s theses, and currently supervises five PhD candidates. He has served as a reviewer in doctoral proceedings in Poland, Germany, Switzerland, and Finland.

He has received numerous awards from national

and international institutions, including the START scholarship from the Foundation for Polish Science as one of the three best young scientists in Poland in 2016. He was also awarded a ministerial scholarship for outstanding young scientists in 2015 and an award from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education in 2023. He received the Scientific Award of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Division IV - Technical Sciences (2020), the Science Award of the President of Wrocław (2018), and the Professor Baran Award from the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn (2020). In 2015, the International Association of Geodesy awarded Krzysztof Sośnica for the best article published by a young author in the Journal of Geodesy. He also received the European Geosciences Union’s Outstanding Young Scientist Award in 2015 for his substantial contribution to the development of global geodesy.

Alexandra Veledina - Chair, COSPAR Sub-Commission

E1: Galactic and Extragalactic Astrophysics

Alexandra Veledina obtained her PhD degree in astronomy from the University of Oulu, Finland, in 2014. She was awarded Väisälä Prize for an outstanding astronomy PhD thesis in Finland over 2014-2015. After the PhD, she moved to Nordita Fellowship position in Stockholm, Sweden, and after that shifted to a Nordic Assistant Professor position in a joint appointment between Nordita and the University of Turku, Finland. During the same period, Alexandra worked as an Academy of Finland Postdoctoral Researcher before joining the staff of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Turku in 2022 and becoming an Academy of Finland Fellow in 2023. She has served as a Corresponding Fellow at Nordita since 2022 and the Chair of the Astronomy and Space Physics Division of the Finnish Physical Society in 2019-2024.

Alexandra's interests concern processes in the vicinity of compact objects, she mostly worked with accreting black holes. Her expertise includes fields of radiative processes, timing analysis and multiwavelength (optical and X-ray) polarimetry. She is a member of several international collaborations, including the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) and Son of X-Shooter (SOXS). Throughout her career, Alexandra has developed tools that helped understanding the observed signatures of strong gravity. She has promoted methods that can link the results of modern numerical simulations with the new data provided by the space observatories.

In Memoriam

Edward C. Stone (1936 -2024)

A Space Scientist of Extraordinary Accomplishments and Leadership

On 9 June 2024, Edward C. Stone died, and the international space science community lost an extraordinary scientist and leader.

The scientific exploration of space began in the United States in 1958, with the establishment of NASA, which, as part of its mission to lead the nation into space, funded universities to establish research groups and educate a new generation of space scientists. Ed Stone was part of that new generation, in the early 1960s, pursuing his doctoral degree at the University of Chicago. It was an exciting time. The exploration of the planets had begun in 1962, with Mariner 2 to Venus, the first successful planetary mission, which also confirmed the prediction of Gene Parker, also of the University of Chicago, that the solar atmosphere expands supersonically, forming the heliosphere. In 1964, Ed Stone received his PhD and went to Caltech, which manages JPL, the NASA center responsible for planetary exploration. Ed Stone started his career at Caltech as a postdoctoral fellow; in 1967 he was appointed to the faculty, rising through the professorial ranks to become the David Morrisroe Professor of Physics, and throughout, being an integral part of the mission of JPL.

Ed Stone is best known for his leadership as Project Scientist of the Voyager missions, a

position he undertook in 1972 and held until his retirement in 2022. He was the public image of Voyager ensuring that each planetary encounter was an engaging public event, with discoveries being released in real time. Following the last planetary encounter, Voyager 2 at Uranus, the Voyagers embarked on a mission to the outer heliosphere, first to find the termination shock of the solar wind, where the supersonic flow of the solar wind becomes subsonic and begins to interact with the Local Interstellar Medium (LISM). Voyager 1 , on a trajectory towards northern heliographic latitudes, crossed at 94 AU in 2004. Voyager 2 heading towards southern heliographic latitudes, crossed at 82 AU in 2007. Both spacecraft

He was the public image of Voyager

Ed Stone, former director of JPL and project scientist for the Voyager mission (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

were then in the heliosheath, the region between the termination shock and heliopause, which separates heliosheath from the LISM. In 2013, the Voyager PIs declared that the heliopause is at 121.6 AU.

I witnessed and respected greatly Ed Stone’s approach to the interpretation of the Voyager data in the heliosheath. New ideas were welcome, so long as they could be tested against observations. That is the correct partnership between theory and observation. His talent for what is the proper scientific method should be a model for all of us and for all generations of scientists. Voyager 1 continues to make discoveries. At ~155 AU from the Sun, Voyager 1 encountered an unexpected region with enhanced magnetic fields and a dramatic change in the properties of the turbulence. Ed Stone retired from Voyager in 2022. Those of us continuing to seek the proper interpretation of these new Voyager 1 observations will greatly miss Ed Stone’s leadership.

Ed Stone was either Principal Investigator (PI) or Science Instrument Lead on nine space missions, and co-investigator on another five. His research group at Caltech made significant observations of energetic ions from the Sun and galactic cosmic rays from the galaxy. Most notably, Ed Stone was the PI on NASA’s Advanced Composition Explorer mission, which continues to make the principal observations of the solar wind and energetic particles at Earth, serving as a baseline for deep space missions.

with the launches of Mars Pathfinder , the first Mars rover, and the NASA-ESA Cassini/Huygens , the first Saturn orbiter. It was also a challenging time; with new budgetary restrictions, missions had to be redesigned and new approaches to planetary missions considered. From the late 1980s through the 1990s, Ed Stone served as Vice Chair and Chair of the Board of the organization that was responsible for building and operating the Keck observatory on Mauna Kea, and more recently he was the founding Director of the Thirty-Meter Telescope International Observatory, a position that required diplomatic skills in seeking to overcome resistance to construction of a thirty-meter telescope on Mauna Kea.

Most notably, Ed Stone was the PI on NASA’s Advanced Composition Explorer mission

One of the most remarkable aspects of Ed Stone was his ability to do many different tasks simultaneously. He moved seamlessly between challenging administrative responsibilities and the pursuit of his science. From 1991-2001, Ed Stone served as Director of JPL. It was a productive time

Ed Stone, as with most leading US space scientists, viewed space as a pursuit in which all nations with the capability to do so, should be able to participate. As you would expect, he was active in COSPAR and served as Vice-President from 2002 to 2010, during the Presidency of Roger Bonnet. He served as US National Representative to COSPAR from 2002-2010, on the Nominating Committee from 2010 to 2014, and over the years he gave many presentations at COSPAR Assemblies. Ed Stone was also very active in the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA). He was elected to the Board of Trustees of the IAA in 1989, serving five consecutive terms. In 2001 he became Vice President of the IAA, and from 20032009, he was President of the IAA. There were many advances in the IAA under Ed Stone’s leadership: increases in the production of studies and standalone conferences held over the world up to 25 times per year, Summits of Heads of Space Agencies, and more. (See Ed Stone, President of the International Academy of Astronautics by Jean-Michael Contant, which follows).

Ed Stone has received many awards honoring his achievements and leadership, among the most significant, in 1991 the US National Medal of Science, the nation’s highest award, from President George H. W. Bush; in 2003 the Theodore von Karman Award of the IAA; in 2019 the Shaw Prize in Astronomy, with an award of $1.2 million for his leadership in the Voyager Project.

He was the founding Director of the Thirty-Meter Telescope International Observatory

The original generation of space scientists who were educated when the scientific exploration of space began are now reaching the conclusions of their lives. Ed Stone and others of his generation are leaving a legacy of accomplishments and leadership and have vastly expanded our knowledge of our solar system and the universe beyond. They turned the promise that the scientific exploration of space held in the early 1960s into reality.

[by Len A. Fisk, Thomas M. Donahue Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Space Science, University of Michigan, President of COSPAR 2014-2022]

Ed Stone, President of the International Academy of Astronautics

Academician Ed Stone was elected as a corresponding member of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) in1982 and elected again a full member in 1985. He became a Trustee, Member of the Board of the IAA in 1989 when he was Vice-President for Astronomical Facilities at Caltech University. After he became Vice President and Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, he was easily reelected a member of the Board of Trustees, Basic Sciences, five consecutive times totaling 12 years in this position. In 2001 he became IAA vice-President of the Academy, Scientific Programs, succeeding Gerhard Haerendel (Germany). In this position he implemented the reorganization of the scientific activity of the Academy with commissions and boosted the production of cosmic studies, amounting today to 85 studies published.

In 2003 Ed Stone was elected President of the International Academy of Astronautics, succeeding

Michael I. Yarymovych. He invited four vicePresidents to co-lead the Academy: K. Kasturirangan (India), H. Matsuo (Japan), Yuri Koptev (Russia) and Hubert Curien (France). I remember making long phone calls to convince him to accept the role of President and was impressed by his visionary expertise. Several subjects such as the Voyager flights were highlights of many Academy Days, attracting an audience extending well beyond Academicians. It’s incredible to realize that forty years after their launches, Voyager 1 and 2 , nearly 20 billion km from Earth, are still communicating today.

Ed Stone was the President of the Academy until 2009. He was a key figure in the preparation of the Summits of heads of space agencies held in 2010 and 2014, attended by 35 heads of space agencies. He developed the stand-alone conferences held over the world, up to 25 per year, in addition to the International Astronautical Congress where IAA

contributed one third of the scientific symposia. He also reorganized our journal Acta Astronautica with a strong team of co-editors, which today ranks second out of 89 journals and is a leading space journal. The impact factor of Acta Astronautica for 2022 was 3.10 and there are 1,693 citations for one of the best articles. The number of downloads of Acta Astronautica more than tripled from 2010 to 2022, with 1.5 million downloads. All this is the result of Ed Stone’s efforts, working with a discreet and elegant approach. I enjoyed visiting Ed and his wife Alice at their home and traveling with them to many places over the five continents.

In 2003 Edward C. Stone was pleased to receive the premier and most prestigious award, the Theodore von Karman Award of the International Academy of Astronautics and the citation was as follows:

“In recognition of his invaluable and historical contribution to the exploration of the Solar System in and out of the Ecliptic plane and for his leading role in international cooperation. As the leader of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, he has also assisted in a remarkable spirit of generosity in the use of the Deep Space Network for all deep space missions from non-US agencies for the benefit of science and discovery. He remains one of the key figures in the exploration of space”.

In addition, with his technical and scientific background, Ed Stone was a fantastic President who pushed the organization to the highest level while continuing scientific activity in so many other scientific areas or organizations. We will all remember and miss him.

[by Jean-Michel Contant, Secretary General, IAA]

IAA Past Presidents: George E. Mueller, Michael Yarymovych, Ed Stone and Madhavan Nair during the 2014 Summit of Heads of Space Agencies in Washington DC, USA (Image credit: IAA)

COSPAR BUSINESS

45th COSPAR Scientific Assembly

(COSPAR 2024), Busan, South Korea,

13-21 July 2024

COSPAR 2024 was held in Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (BEXCO), Busan, South Korea from 13 to 21 July 2024.

The International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) Day was on 13 July, with lectures by renowned scientists in the fields of space science including astronomy, Earth science, heliophysics and planetary science. COSPAR attendees—and holidaymakers on the city’s main beach, Haeyundae—were treated to an air show by the Black Eagles Aerobatic Team. The Opening and Awards Ceremony took place on 15 July and was followed by the Roundtable of Space Agency Leaders and the Opening Reception--COSPAR was able to gather space leaders from the new Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA), China National Space Administration (CNSA), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), NASA, the Italian space agency (ASI), the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the UAE. Full details about the COSPAR and joint awards that were presented are on page 16.

Other highlights included topical lunches and several industry-led panels, three public lectures, the presentation of the new Community-driven Space Weather Roadmap and the updated Planetary Protection Policy. All seven of the Interdisciplinary Lectures were well attended, with a minimum of 400 attendees.

In all, COSPAR 2024 comprised a total of 614 quarter days, offering 2,475 oral presentations and 280 poster sessions.

The exhibition area was full and had no difficulty attracting the interest of participants with its record 43 exhibitors and industry sponsors. A total of 61 organizations, including international scientific unions and committees, intergovernmental entities, national space agencies, and private companies, sponsored many of the scientific events or the Assembly scientific program in its entirety. COSPAR gratefully acknowledges the sponsorship of these organizations and in particular the financial support provided by many of them as reported to the secretariat and indicated below. Financial support was used, in accordance with the wishes expressed by sponsors, to help ensure the participation in the Assembly of scientists who otherwise would not have been able to attend, the majority of whom were young or from developing countries. For this Scientific Assembly, COSPAR was able to support a total of 140 early career researchers and researchers from developing countries. In short, the 45th COSPAR Scientific Assembly exceeded expectations, attracting 3,070 registrations, including 400 Early Career researchers and 500 students, and a high quality of presentations. COSPAR conveys heartfelt thanks to the local organising team headed by James (Jong Uk) Park and to the Program Committee headed by Dong-Hun Lee.

Financial support and sponsorship of the scientific program

Anchor Sponsor:

- Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. (KAI)

Diamond Sponsor:

- Boryung

Platinum Sponsors:

- SwRI

- DALO

- Satrec Initiative

- Invest Gyeongnam

- Airbus

- Quantum Aero

Gold Sponsors:

- Contec

- ibs Planetary Atmospheres Group

- Asian Office of Aerospace R&D

- Space iiTech

- iSpace

- Thales Alenia Space

- Unmanned Exploration Laboratory

- HANCOM In Space

Supporter 1:

- Korean Astronomical Society

- Kyunghee University

Supporter 2:

- SELAB

- Space, Science and Technology

- Daejeon Metropolitan City

- Korea Testing Laboratory

- Daejeon Technopark

- Radar and Space Co. Ltd.

- Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory

- Gyeongsang National University

Tailor-made Sponsors:

- Lockheed Martin

- JPL

- Nara Space

- ORB

Official Brewery:

- The Satellite Brewing Company

Details of Sponsorship of the scientific programme can be found here .

COSPAR Interdisciplinary Lectures

• Climate Change – On the Brink of Disaster and the Brink of Salvation Andrew Dessler, Texas Center for Climate Studies, Texas A&M University, College Station, USA

• Unlocking the Secrets of Space Biology: From the Twin Study to Groundbreaking Open Science Discoveries

Sylvain Costes, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA

• Introduction of the new Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA)

John Lee, Deputy Administrator of Mission Directorate, KASA

• The Importance of Space Research in UN COPUOS Activities and COSPAR's Contribution to It

Driss El Hadani, United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, Vienna, Austria

• Our Sparkling Star: The Sun’s Magnetic Field, Activity and Variability

Sami Solanki, Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, Göttingen, Germany

•The Physics of Neutron Stars

Cole Miller, Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland at College Park, USA

• Solar-planetary Environment and its Habitability: Insights from Atmospheric Escape Studies

Kanako Seki, Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Japan

Roundtable of Space Agency Leaders

Topics:

• Overview of space agency research programs;

• Addressing climate change through space contributions;

• Updates on recent and anticipated planetary and astronomy space missions;

• Opportunities and challenges of emerging private space actors;

• Sustainable use and regulation of outer space and environmental stewardship;

• Role of small satellites in space research, and support to COSPAR’s constellation projects.

Participants:

• Pascale Ehrenfreund, COSPAR President, Moderator

• Youngbin Yoon, Administrator, Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA)

• Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of Education and Chairperson UAE Space Agency

• Anil Bhardwaj, Director, Physical Research Laboratory (PRL)

• Li Guoping, Chief Engineer, China National Space Administration (CNSA)

• Hitoshi Kuninaka, Director General, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

• Pam Melroy, Deputy Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

• Raffaele Mugnuolo, Science Directorate, Agenzia Spatiale Italiana (ASI)

Public Lectures

“Bringing Mars Sample Back to Earth” by Meenakshi Wadhwa (Arizona State University, USA), and “Encounters with Modern Physics” by Samuel C.C. Ting (MIT and Nobel Laureate in Physics, USA), followed by a “Talk Concert on the Moon” from Orbit and Chae Kyung Kim.

Reports on Space Activities

COSPAR encourages its members to exchange information on space research activities carried out within their countries. One way of doing this is by producing reports summarizing space science activities. The following new reports had been indicated to the Secretariat at the time this article was drafted and are available to read directly on the COSPAR website at this page:

• China

• Czech Republic

• France

• India

• Italy

• Japan

• Slovak Republic

• Switzerland

• Ukraine

Slideshow Souvenir of COSPAR 2024

In July 2024, Busan, South Korea, hosted the COSPAR Scientific Assembly, bringing together researchers, scientists, and space exploration enthusiasts from around the globe. This landmark event facilitated the exchange of knowledge on technological advancements and discoveries in the field of space science. Through our souvenir slideshow, you can relive the highlights of the Assembly, where innovation and international collaboration came together in a spirit of sharing and inspiration.

COSPAR and Joint Awards

COSPAR is happy to announce the winners of its 2024 Awards, presented during the 45th COSPAR Scientific Assembly in Busan, South Korea. COSPAR bestows a number of medals and awards each year, some jointly with other institutions or space agencies. Scientists who have made an outstanding contribution to space research and who are working in any of the fields covered by COSPAR are eligible. The coveted COSPAR Awards are aimed at encouraging space science and exploration research and are an important step to achieve international cooperation in the field. This year’s nominees have come from a wide range of backgrounds and after careful consideration by the Awards Committee, Bureau, and partner organizations the following selection has been made. A complete list of citations can be found in the press release here Recipients for honours awarded at previous COSPAR Assemblies can be found on the COSPAR website here

Through an agreement with the International Astronomical Union (IAU), recipients of COSPAR awards are honoured by the attribution of minor planets designated by the IAU Working Group on Small Bodies Nomenclature. The Outstanding Paper Awards for Young Scientists were published in the July issue of Space Research Today , No.220.

Rosine Lallement, COSPAR Space Science Award

Kanako Seki, COSPAR William Nordberg Medal

Gerhard Kminek, COSPAR Distinguished Service Medal

Matt Griffin, COSPAR William Nordberg Medal

Prahlad Chandra Agrawal, COSPAR Massey Award

Dieter Bilitza, COSPAR International Cooperation Medal

Anil Bhardwaj, Joint COSPAR and Indian Space Research Organization Vikram Sarabhai Medal

Daniel Baker, Joint COSPAR and Chinese Academy of Sciences Jeoujang Jaw Award

Reports on the Scientific Sessions in Busan

Here we publish the first series of reports from the Scientific Assembly. The remaining reports will be published in later issues of SRT . The reports are in a free format and vary considerably in style, but clearly indicate the wealth of scientific research and the enthusiastic contributions to the Assembly. Whilst retaining the general approach of the individual report authors, the Editor has made minor changes to some of the reports to retain some formatting standards and uniformity. The Editor asks the authors for forgiveness if any errors have crept in.

General Editor

A0.2 Land-Ocean-Atmosphere Interactions

MSO/DO: Severine Fournier (NASA Jet Propulsion Lab-JPL / Caltech, USA), Jérôme Benveniste (ESA, Italy)

The scientific session A0.2 entitled Land-Ocean-Atmosphere Interactions was part of the COSPAR Scientific Assembly for the third time in 2024, in Busan, Korea. There were 13 oral presentations, including one invited presentation and three posters. The event was divided into 4 quarter day sub-sessions.

This session focused on the Earth system as a whole and how different components (land, ocean, atmosphere) are interacting with each other. It welcomed interdisciplinary studies that help improve our understanding of the linkages between the atmosphere, ocean, and/or land based on satellite observations in conjunction with models and/or in situ data. The objectives are to foster interdisciplinary collaborations, to connect diverse communities and to advocate for the need to sustain and enhance remote sensing capabilities to observe the integrated Earth system, as well as eventually stress on the gaps in observing systems.

The first sub-session focused on atmosphere processes and air-sea interactions. The first oral presentation from Hordyniec et al. focused on defining planetary boundary layers in atmospheric rivers using models and satellite and airborne measurements (especially GNSS radio occultation observations).P eediyekkal et al. talked about the roles of convection and advection in the maintenance of the Asian summer monsoon, which are important for the transport of ozone, carbon dioxide and water vapour. Then Gille et al. presented an invited talk about the proposed NASA/CNES ODYSEA doppler scatterometer satellite mission that will measure winds and surface currents simultaneously, necessary observations to compute air-sea exchanges.

The second sub-session focused on ocean processes and altimetry. Vieira et al. gave a presentation on the long-term trend in the wet path delay computed from radiometers onboard the Jason altimetry series (based on water vapor concentration in the atmosphere). This trend is due to global warming, that has an impact on the capacity of the atmosphere to hold water vapour.

Cardoso et al. gave a presentation on the dynamics of the northeast tropical Atlantic Ocean, a region influenced by upwellings but less energetic than the western Atlantic Ocean, in relation to climate indices, such as the North Atlantic Oscillation and Tropical Northern Atlantic indices. Finally, Han et al. talked about the seasonal differences of sea level in the Yellow Sea and Japan Sea and their forcing mechanisms. This sub-session included a time-slot to present a summary of the posters.

The third sub-session focused on coastal and inland altimetry. Almeida et al. presented the ESA project Earth Observation Advanced science Tools for Sea level Extreme Events (EOatSEE) that focuses on several extreme sea level use cases across the globe and identifies the drivers, predictability, the response and vulnerabilities. Simons et al. gave a presentation on relative sea level changes near Phuket, Thailand using altimetry, GNSS, and tide gauges and showed the significant increase in relative sea level since the 2004 earthquake event. Niemnil et al. then presented a similar analysis in Bangkok, Thailand and showed that due to large subsidence, relative sea level is rising dangerously in this area. Finally, Benveniste et al. presented a satellite mission concept for altimetry based on a constellation of small satellites, called SMASH. These satellites would allow us to measure lakes and river levels at sufficient temporal and spatial resolution to improve flood forecasting, especially the temporal resolution (daily to sub-daily), which is today not covered by existing satellite altimetry missions.

The fourth and final sub-session focused on land processes and land-atmosphere interactions. Buddola et al. looked at the relationship between precipitation, temperature, and vegetation with atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Yusoff et al. gave a presentation the potential precursors of seismic activities in Vanuatu and Turkey. Finally, Na et al. talked about the Chandler wobble (reference pole motion at the Earth surface) and its potential forcing mechanisms that are not yet well understood.

During the discussion time set aside during the event, it was mentioned that the scientific community needs to get organized on what the future satellite missions should focus on and what their design could look like as the next decadal survey is coming up in 2027. The status of two missions was brought up. First, the proposed gravity mission MAGIC (Mass-change And Geosciences International Constellation) was brought to the attention of the attendees as its proposing team from NASA and ESA is requesting support from the scientific community. Second, the Indo-French joint satellite mission Megha-Tropiques that monitored the water cycle and energy exchanges in the tropics came to an end in April 2022 after 10 years and 5 months, and the community was encouraged to make use of its historical data, which are publicly available. There are on-going discussions for a potential follow-up mission. The future of this session with regard to the next COSPAR Scientific Assembly was also brought up. The community raised the importance of this session as a focus on the boundaries of the Earth System stressing that it is essential to better understand the Earth system as a whole and how it is changing and how it is expected to change in the future.

B0.3 Technology for Planetary Exploration

MSO/DO: Andrea Longobardo (INAF - IAPS Rome, Italy), Heather Smith (KIPR/ NASA Ames Research Center-ARC, USA)

This session was organized at the COSPAR Scientific Assembly for the first time. It took place on 19 July 2024 in four quarter day sessions. In addition to the MSO and DO, the Scientific Organizing Committee included Morgan Cable (NASA JPL), Manuel Grande (Aberystwyth University), Brian Glass (NASA Ames Research Center), Ernesto Palomba (INAF-IAPS), Dave Murrow (Lockheed Martin), Caroline Freissinet (LATMOS-IPSL), Hector-Andreas Stavrakakis (National Technical University of Athens), Fabrizio Dirri (INAF), Maria Genzer (FMI). Some 26 contributes were presented, 23 as oral presentations (two of which were withdrawn) and three presented as posters.

The first quarter day session (chaired by Jens Biele, DLR, Germany) was devoted to general technological applications in planetary science. The first presentation by Majd Mayyasi (Boston University, NASA) was a solicited one and concerned the NASA Planetary Science technology development plan by the PESTO (Planetary Exploration Science Technology Office) Office. Other presentations were focused on ISRU (In Situ Resource Utilisation), AI (Artificial Intelligence), solar reflectors and deployable membrane-based optics.

The second quarter day session (chaired by Heather Smith, NASA, USA) was devoted to applications on the Moon (commercial exploration, solar sails, environment simulation facilities) and on Venus (longduration landers).

The third quarter day session (chaired by Onur Celik, University of Glasgow, UK) was also focused on lunar applications, with topics in this case including drilling, in situ resource utilization, and dust characterization, simulants and properties.

In the fourth and last quarter day session (chaired by John Leckey, NASA Langley, USA) technological applications on asteroids/small bodies (smallsats, attitude control), outer solar system (microsatellites) and in deep space (conversion surfaces, radioisotope generators, small satellites) were presented.

Poster session topics were planetary surface simulators, decoding for deep space, technology for data utilization and management.

Note from the Editor: As well as textual reports and occasional photos of scientific sessions, this year we also received a comic strip version from a Korean undergraduate, Gyudong Lee, majoring in astronomy and space science who is also a science cartoonist. The following sessions are directly cited in the comic:

B5.1-0013-24, Juno Microwave Radiometer Observations into the Subsurface of the Ice Shells of Io, Europa and Ganymede;

B5.3-0005-24, A search for water vapour plumes on Europa using SUBARU/IRCS

Additionally, these are referenced, but not directly cited:

B5.3-0001-24, Antartica as a reservoir of planetary analogue environments

B5.3-0003-24, Frozen Frontiers: TRIPLE's AstroBioLab and the Quest for Extraterrestrial Life

B5.3-0007-24, The Habitability of Hydrocarbon Words: Titan and Beyond

B5.3-0011-24, Europa’s Seafloor is Likely Mechanically Strong and Geologically Inert

B6.1-0010-24, The Hycean Paradigm in the Search for Life

B6.1-0011-24, The Galactic Habitable Zone: What Gaia has taught us

F3.2-0011-24, Behavior of Organic Molecules in Aqueous Solution Exposed to Gamma Radiation: A Numerical Modeling Perspective

Gyudong says “COSPAR 2024 this summer was truly fantastic. Meeting researchers from around the world and learning about their achievements was incredibly valuable. It rekindled my passion for astronomy and allowed me to infuse even higher-quality content into this comic. I’m also very grateful for the opportunity to have my work featured in your journal.”

B1.1 Small Body Science in a New Generation of Surveys, Observatories, Sample Returns, and Planetary Defense

MSO/DO: Stefanie Milam (NASA GSFC, USA), Ernesto Palomba (INAF - IAPS Rome, Italy)

The B1.1 session “Small Body Science in a New Generation of Surveys, Observatories, Sample Returns, and Planetary Defense”, held over three days, provided a comprehensive overview of the latest advancements in small body science. With a total of 54 accepted talks, including 13 invited presentations, and eight accepted posters, the session attracted a substantial audience of over 60 participants.

The scientific program encompassed a broad range of topics, from surveys and space missions to planetary defense and the study of various small body populations, such as meteors, asteroids, comets, and transNeptunian objects. Particular emphasis was given to planetary defense, with dedicated sessions on characterization, future projects. A special focus was given to space missions, both in preparation and operative, with particular attention to the Hera, DART, Osiris Rex and the Hayabusa 2 missions.

Whilst Stefanie Milan (NASA GSFC, USA) served as the Main Scientific Organizer, and Ernesto Palomba (IAPS-INAF, Italy) acted as Deputy Organizer, the Scientific Organizing Committee included distinguished experts in the field: Paul Abell (NASA/JSC, USA), Dennis Bodewits (Auburn University, USA), Sabina Raducan (University of Bern, Switzerland), and Tomoki Nakamura (Tohoku University, Japan).

The session fostered a vibrant exchange of ideas and knowledge among scientists from Asia, Europa and America working on diverse aspects of small body research. The outcomes of this conference are expected to significantly contribute to the ongoing exploration and understanding of these fascinating celestial objects.

B5.2 Gas Giants and Icy Giants with their Systems

MSO/DO: Anezina Solomonidou (Hellenic Space Center, Greece), Conor Nixon (NASA GSFC, USA)

The session “Gas Giants and Icy Giants with their Systems” took place on 14 July 2024, focusing on the latest research and mission concepts related to the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn, as well as the icy giants Uranus and Neptune. Chaired by Anezina Solomonidou and Conor Nixon, the session presented a range of studies addressing the interiors, atmospheres, and magnetic fields of these massive planets and their implications for understanding planetary systems.

The session provided a comprehensive overview of the latest research and discoveries related to the interiors, atmospheres, and magnetic fields of these fascinating planets. The studies presented not only advanced our understanding of the complex processes governing these distant worlds but also underscored the need for continued exploration and sophisticated modeling to unlock their many mysteries.

The session started with a solicited presentation by Jonathan Lunine: Limits on the Rock Mass Fraction Inside Uranus Using 40Ar Measurements. Jonathan Lunine, Francis Nimmo, Lars Stixrude, and Kevin Zahnle presented research focusing on determining the rock mass fraction within Uranus. By analyzing measurements of primordial argon (40Ar), the team highlighted the importance of this noble gas as a tracer for understanding the planet’s formation and evolution. The study suggests that primordial argon, which is expected to be trapped within the rock, can provide constraints on the internal composition and the distribution of rock and ice in Uranus. This work is significant as it offers insights into the differentiation processes and the primordial conditions of Uranus, advancing our understanding of ice giant formation in the solar system.

The next presentation was made by Vanesa Ramírez: Probing the Inner Depths: A Study of the Interior Complexity of the “Ice” Giants Uranus and Neptune. Vanesa Ramírez, Yamila Miguel, and Saburo Howard explored the complex interiors of Uranus and Neptune. Their study utilized data from recent observations and advanced modeling techniques to probe the deep internal structures of these ice giants. The research indicated significant differences in the internal composition and thermal states of Uranus and Neptune, with implications for their magnetic fields, atmospheric dynamics, and overall evolution. The findings underscore the necessity of further exploration and improved models to fully comprehend the intricate nature of these distant planets.

The second part of our session started with the presentation by Stanislav Barabash on: Particle Environment Package (PEP) for the JUICE Mission: Current Status. Stanislav Barabash and his team provided an update on the Particle Environment Package (PEP) for the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission. The PEP is designed to study the plasma environment around Jupiter and its moons, particularly focusing on Ganymede, Europa, and Callisto. The presentation covered the current status of the instrument development, its expected scientific objectives, and the potential discoveries it aims to achieve. This mission is crucial forunderstanding the interactions between Jupiter’s magnetosphere and its moons, which can reveal much about their potential habitability and geophysical processes.

The following presentation was made by Eli Galanti on: What Determines the Strength and Extent of the Equatorial Zonal Flows on Jupiter and Saturn? Eli Galanti, Keren Duer, and Yohai Kaspi delved into the dynamics of equatorial zonal flows on Jupiter and Saturn. Their research focused on the mechanisms that drive and sustain these powerful atmospheric jets. Using data from the Juno and Cassini missions, combined with theoretical models, they identified key factors such as deep atmospheric convection, magnetic field interactions, and internal heat distribution that influence the strength and extent of these zonal flows. Understanding these processes is vital for interpreting the atmospheric behavior and evolution of gas giants.

The B5.2 session concluded with a presentation by Shenghan Ma on: Zonal Winds of Jupiter Based on Cassini VIMS Observations. Shenghan Ma and Yuming Wang presented their analysis of Jupiter’s zonal winds using data from the Cassini Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS). Their study provided detailed observations of the wind patterns and their variability over time. The results highlighted the intricate interplay between atmospheric dynamics and underlying processes such as thermal gradients and cloud formations. These insights are crucial for modeling Jupiter’s atmosphere and predicting its future behaviour.

B5.3 Ocean Worlds: Past, Present, and Future

MSO/DO: Morgan Cable (JPL-Caltech, USA), Anezina Solomonidou (Hellenic Space Center, Greece)

The session “Ocean Worlds: Past, Present, and Future”, held on 14 July 2024, covered a variety of research focused on exploring and understanding the ocean worlds within our solar system. Chaired by Anezina Solomonidou and Conor Nixon, the session included several presentations addressing different aspects of these intriguing celestial bodies, from analogue studies on Earth to proposals for future mission concepts.

The session provided a comprehensive overview of current research and future mission proposals aimed at exploring ocean world plumes, surfaces and interiors. The scientific community’s efforts to understand these environments highlight the potential for discovering extraterrestrial life and enhancing our knowledge of planetary processes. The insights gained from these studies will be instrumental in shaping future exploratory missions and habitability and astrobiological research.

1. Antarctica as a Reservoir of Planetary Analogue Environments (Pacelli, Claudia)

Claudia Pacelli discussed the significance of Antarctic environments as analogues for planetary bodies with subsurface oceans. The extreme conditions of Antarctica provide valuable insights into microbial life that could exist on moons like Europa and Enceladus. The research emphasizes the role of extremophiles in understanding potential life forms in similar environments beyond Earth, offering a terrestrial benchmark for extraterrestrial life detection.

2. Frozen Frontiers: TRIPLE’s AstroBioLab and the Quest for Extraterrestrial Life (Tepecik, Atakan; Digel, Ilya)

This presentation highlighted the TRIPLE AstroBioLab project, which aims to develop technologies and methodologies for detecting signs of life on icy moons. The AstroBioLab will simulate extraterrestrial conditions to test life-detection instruments. The focus on in-situ experiments underlines the importance of robust, adaptable life-detection systems for future space missions targeting icy bodies like Europa and Enceladus.

3. CALICO - A Mission Proposal to Explore Ceres In Situ (Schroeder, Stefan et al.)

The CALICO team presented a mission proposal for an in-situ exploration of Ceres. The mission aims to analyze the dwarf planet’s surface and subsurface composition, focusing on its potential for past or present habitability. Ceres, with its briny reservoirs, presents an exciting target for understanding water-ice dynamics and astrobiological potential, offering clues about the distribution of water in the early solar system.

4. A Search for Water Vapour Plumes on Europa Using SUBARU/IRCS (Kimura, Jun et al.)

This study utilized the SUBARU/IRCS telescope to search for water vapour plumes on Europa. Detecting such plumes is crucial for understanding the moon’s subsurface ocean and its potential habitability. The search for active plumes can provide direct evidence of subsurface water activity, which is essential for future missions aiming to explore Europa’s ocean.

5. Predicting the Habitability of Icy Moons with Geochemical Models of Water- Meteorite Interactions (Park, Nuri; Shock, Everett)

Nuri Park and Everett Shock presented geochemical models predicting the habitability of icy moons based on water-meteorite interactions. These models help assess the potential for life- supporting environments within these moons. The modelling efforts contribute to our understanding of the chemical processes that could create habitable niches in the icy moons’ subsurface oceans.

6. The Habitability of Hydrocarbon Worlds: Titan and Beyond (Lopes, Rosaly et al.)

This presentation explored the habitability of hydrocarbon-rich environments, with a focus on Titan. The team discussed the unique geomorphology and chemistry of Titan’s surface, the potential exchanges between the atmosphere, the surface, and the interior as well as its lakes and seas and their implications for life. Titan’s methane and ethane lakes provide a novel environment for astrobiology, challenging our understanding of life’s potential adaptability to non-water solvents.

7. The Structure and Evolution of Titan’s Daytime Planetary Boundary Layer (Rafkin, Scot et al.)

Scot Rafkin and colleagues investigated Titan’s planetary boundary layer, which affects atmospheric dynamics and surface-atmosphere interactions. Understanding these layers is key to interpreting meteorological and climatological data from Titan. The study enhances our knowledge of Titan’s atmospheric processes, critical for future missions that will explore its surface and atmosphere.

8. From Voyager and Galileo to Juice: Potential Cryovolcanic Regions on Ganymede (Solomonidou, Anezina et al.)

This research reviewed past and current missions’ data to identify potential cryovolcanic regions on Ganymede with a focus on the paterae features. Cryovolcanism could play a role in transporting subsurface materials to the surface, offering insights into Ganymede’s internal ocean. Identifying cryovolcanic activity is pivotal for understanding the exchange processes between Ganymede’s surface and subsurface ocean, which has implications for its habitability.

9. Europa’s Seafloor is Likely Mechanically Strong and Geologically Inert (Byrne, Paul et al.)

The study presented by Paul Byrne and his team suggested that Europa’s seafloor is likely mechanically robust and geologically inactive. This has implications for the moon’s potential to support life, as geological activity can influence the availability of nutrients. The findings propose that Europa’s seafloor conditions might limit its habitability, focusing future research on the moon’s icy shell and subsurface ocean.

C2.1 Gravity Waves and Turbulence in the Middle Atmosphere and Lower Ionosphere

MSO/DO: Robin Wing (Leibniz- Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Germany), Boris Strelnikov (Leibniz-Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP), Germany)

We had a very successful session focusing on middle atmospheric gravity waves and turbulence, and heard exciting results from five invited speakers, 11 oral presentations, and three poster presentations. Topics were wide-ranging, and new work involving theoretical modelling as well as observational studies were presented. Selected topics included: comparisons of gravity wave representation in models, estimates of gravity wave momentum flux using satellite observations, 3D representation of gravity waves, investigations of higher-order gravity waves, wave-induced instabilities, lidar observations of gravity waves and their spectra, 3D observations of gravity waves a new climatology of turbulence measurements with sounding rockets, high latitude Travelling Ionospheric Disturbance (TID), small scale gravity waves in Antarctica, the role of Mesosphere Inversion Layers (MILs), the interaction of gravity waves and planetary waves, effects of Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW), and studies involving ERA5 at low latitudes.

The session was well attended and sparked several instances of lively discussion which extended into coffee breaks. We aim to continue this productive session at the next COSPAR Scientific Assembly in 2026.

C4.2 Development of First Principles and Empirical Models

Related to the COSPAR International Reference Atmosphere

MSO/DO: Sean Bruinsma (CNES, France), Marcin Pilinski (LASP / University of Colorado, USA)

This session was about recent advances in thermosphere and Whole Atmosphere Models, model assessment, neutral density derivation and the related topic of modeling aerodynamic drag. It was organized in two quarter day morning sessions on 17 July 2024. Ten presentations, of which four were invited, were given; the 11th presentation, unfortunately by the DO, was withdrawn well before the meeting.

Updated standards of the lower atmosphere were presented. Results of simulations with the WACCM-X (Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model) on the effect of SSW (Sudden Stratospheric Warming) on thermospheric density in the 100-200 km altitude region and their impact on reentry estimations revealed a very small effect. Very interesting results on drag coefficient modeling, taking into account surface roughness in order to reconcile results obtained with DRIA (Diffuse Reflection with Incomplete Accommodation) and CLL (Cercignanio-Lampis-Lord) models, were presented by Anton Sabin-Viorel of TU Delft. A thorough analysis on issues when inferring densities from GRACE and GRACE-FO accelerometers was presented, and differences between datasets were discussed. Based on not-ingested density data, it was shown that DTM2020 (Drag Temperature Model) requires an update and that issues remain with the solar drivers –substantial differences over the last few years between F10.7, F30 and S10 were revealed.

NASA/CCMC (Community Coordinated Modeling Center) presented then the status of their thermosphere

model assessment application on CAMEL (Comprehensive Assessment of Models and Events Library tool), which in the near future will aid users in selecting the most fitting model for their use.

The first of the four invited talks by Piyush Mehta described his project, in which state-of-the-art machine learning (ML) algorithms for developing probabilistic modeling and forecasting capabilities will be used to overcome limitations of physics-based models. The second invited talk by Nick Pedatella presented the huge impact on satellite drag due to thermosphere cooling as the result of increased CO2 until the end of the century. Using the most probable IPCC CO2 scenarios in WACCM-X, thermospheric density will decrease by tens of percent by the end of the century, and consequently natural decay of objects will increase considerably. Adam Kubaryk presented WAM-IPE (Whole Atmosphere Model – Ionosphere Plasmaphere), which has been running operationally for some years now at NOAA/SWPC (Space Weather Prediction Center), and the current R2O-O2R (research to operations) activities. Tom Berger in the fourth invited talk presented a project supported by NSF and NASA, in which WAM-IPE will be improved by means of coupling with the University of Michigan’s SWMF (Space Weather Modeling Framework) Geospace model, as well as data assimilation.

D2.2_E3.2 Heliospheric Variability, its Solar Sources and Impacts on Solar System Objects

MSO/DO: Mateja Dumbovic (University of Zagreb, Croatia), Miho Janvier (Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale, France)

This four half-day session was devoted to heliospheric variability driven by different sources at the Sun, such as the continuous outflow of the solar wind and heliospheric magnetic field, intermittent events such as switchbacks, but also more notably by SIRs/CIRs (Stream Interaction Regions/Corotating Interaction Regions), CMEs (Coronal Mass Ejections) and their associated shocks, as well as SEPs (Solar Energetic Particles). The session had contributions covering every step in the Sun-to-planet chain-of-events analysis, from the initiation at the Sun, through the dynamics and evolution in the heliosphere to planetary impacts and beyond, with contributions related to solar-stellar connection.

The first block was devoted to initiation and early signatures of solar eruptive phenomena with invited talks by Xin Cheng on what drives CME eruption and by Julie Vievering on real-time solar flare predictions using early flare signatures. The next two time blocks covered CMEs, shocks and SEPs, with two invited talks by Emma Davies on interplanetary CMEs and Nariaki Nitta on SEPs. The next two time blocks were devoted to the HMF (Heliospheric Magnetic Field) and solar wind, both from observational and modelling sides, and hosted two invited talks by Christina Kay on analytical modelling of high speed streams and by Stephan Heinemann on the open flux problem. The next two blocks were devoted to space weather at planets and exoplanets with talks by Yuming Wang and Christina Lee about the space weather at Mars from the perspective of Mars missions Tianwen and Maven, respectively, as well as a talk by Jacobo Varela Rodriguez about space weather at exoplanets.

Finally the last time block was devoted to space climate and solar-stellar connection with the last-but-notleast invited speaker Jeremy Drake talking about how connected the solar-stellar connection really is.

The main and deputy scientific organisers of the session were Mateja Dumbovic and Miho Janvier, respectively. The scientific organising committee consisted of J. Zhang, E. Palmerio, J. Guo, E. Kilpua, C. Scolini, S. Dasso, S. Patsourakos, N. Dresing, P. Hess, K. Herbst, R. Pinto, S. Hofmeister, and S. Musset. The session hosted in total 27 talks, 11 of which were invited and ran from Wednesday afternoon until Friday afternoon.

D3.4 Particle Transport Acceleration and Loss in the Earth and Planetary Magnetospheres

MSO/DO: Kyung-Chan Kim (Chungbuk National University, S. Korea), Maria Usanova (University of Colorado, USA)

This session featured 23 oral presentations and six posters.

Two studies focused on Jupiter’s magnetosphere. Wen Li discussed the comparative magnetospheric processes, specifically the impact of whistler-mode waves on energetic electron dynamics in both Earth’s and Jupiter’s magnetospheres. Georgia Moutsiana presented an investigation of ion flux response to magnetic dipolarization events in the Jovian magnetotail using Juno/JEDI data.

Most presentations were related to the Earth’s magnetosphere, covering observations, modeling, and theory. Yuri Shprits delivered an invited talk on acceleration to ultra-relativistic energies using the VERB-3D code coupled with a data-assimilative plasmasphere code, VERB-CS. Danny Summers compared observed radiation belt killer electron energy spectra with theoretical predictions. Christos Katsavrias addressed the impact of radial diffusion on radiation belt electrons.

Aleksandr Rubtsov reported on the spatial distribution and polarization of ULF waves, as well as geomagnetic conditions favourable for their generation in the Earth’s magnetosphere. Konstantin Kabin highlighted the accuracy of the guiding centre ExB drift in crossed non-uniform magnetic and electric fields. Bernhard Haas focused on the effect of coupling data-assimilative plasmasphere simulations with ring current and radiation belt models.

Weichao Tu emphasized the importance of revamping the precipitation model of energetic electrons based on realistic response functions of POES/MEPED (NOAA’s Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellite/Medium Energy Proton and Electron Detector) detectors. Alexandra Ivanova examined the mechanisms defining the intensity, dynamics, and spectral features of energetic electron precipitation from the outer radiation belt to the atmosphere during geomagnetic disturbances. Vladimir Kalegaev discussed the acceleration and loss of energetic electrons in the Earth’s outer radiation belt during prolonged auroral activity. Leonid Olifer addressed intense energetic electron precipitation caused by the self-limiting of space radiation.

Lunjin Chen reported on electron microbursts induced by chorus waves. Katja Stoll spoke about electron scattering by electrostatic electron cyclotron harmonic waves during geomagnetic storms. Murong Qin surveyed energetic electron precipitation at low Earth orbit observed by ELFIN.

Zhi Gu Li focused on resolving energetic electron precipitation due to persistent EMIC (ElectroMagnetic Ion Cyclotron) waves using POES/MetOp satellite data.

Maria Usanova presented a survey of EMIC wave occurrence and its dependence on geomagnetic conditions, based on seven years of Van Allen Probes observations. Xingzhi Lyu reviewed modeling EMIC wave scattering effects on the dropouts of energetic electrons and protons through RAM-SCB simulations. Xiao-Jia Zhang examined energetic electron precipitation during substorm injections. Jaeyoung Kwak introduced a study of EMIC wave development from creation to extinction through multi-observation using the Arase satellite and ground-based magnetometers. Sandeep Kumar surveyed pressure distribution in the inner magnetosphere during CIR (Corotating Interaction Region) and CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) -driven storms observed by the Arase satellite. Su-Ping Duan reported observations of oxygen ions in the dusk lowlatitude boundary layer during the storm’s main phase. Kenya Terasawa highlighted the development of an ion energy-mass spectrum analyzer for observing suprathermal ions originating from the ionosphere using computer simulation.

D3.5 Role of Mesoscale Coupling as the Driver of System Level Storm and Substorm Dynamics in Geospace

MSO/DO: Elena Grigorenko (IKI, RAS, Russia), Matina Gkioulidou (JHU APL, USA)

The onset and dynamics of substorms and storms encompass various plasma processes, evolving at different spatial and temporal scales, and in different magnetospheric regions including energy conversion and transport in the magnetotail plasma sheet and its boundary layer, as well as the processes in the inner magnetosphere. The coupling of these processes is still unclear. During recent decades, the multipoint spacecraft observations in the magnetotail and in the inner magnetosphere along with the data from ground-based facilities (such as magnetometers, auroral all-sky imagers, radar, etc.) have generated a unique opportunity for coordinated studies of substorm- and storm-related processes at different scales. In combination with advanced modelling and theoretical studies, these observations have improved our understanding of these highly coupled systems and begun to provide a system-wide perspective. However, many fundamental problems are still unresolved. In the D3.5 scientific session, the contributions on recent advances in the studies of substorm- and storm-related phenomena were presented. The session took place on 19 July 2024 and attracted a number of participants who were engaged in lively discussions during three quarter-day session periods. Of 17 presentations submitted, 13 were scheduled as oral presentations including eight invited talks (one of them was withdrawn) and four were presented as posters. The contributions reported new results on the magnetotail dynamics, reconnection, auroral dynamics and magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling during geomagnetically active periods.

The first group of talks (the first quarter-day session) was devoted to substorm dynamics and associated phenomena. This topic included three invited talks given by D. Sibeck (NASA GSFC, USA), R. Elhawary (University of Bergen, Norway), Rajkumar Hajra (University of Science and Technology of China). In these talks the authors discussed the steady and unsteady processes that lead to and follow substorm onset, the substorm influence on the dayside ionospheric currents and the origin and properties of super-substorms.

The second quarter-day session included the contributions devoted to magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling during geomagnetically active periods. Specifically, I. Mann (University of Alberta, Canada) discussed a magnetosphere-ionosphere Alfven wave exchange model for substorm onset. This new model incorporates the effects of field line stretching, changes to Alfvén wave propagation and reflection in the magnetosphereionosphere system, and a destruction of the pre-existing dynamical equilibrium, as its core tenets. The details of this new paradigm were presented and its predictions in comparison to the observational sequence of events in the late growth phase of substorms were examined. Robyn Milan presented a new NASA Small Explorer mission – CINEMA (Cross-scale INvestigation of Earth’s Magnetotail and Aurora), the goal of which is to understand the role of plasma sheet structure and evolution in Earth’s multiscale magnetospheric convection cycle. CINEMA consists of nine satellites in low-Earth polar orbits carrying an on-board imager, particle sensors, and magnetometers. Due to their quick traverse the low-altitude footprint of the magnetotail the CINEMA satellites will capture its evolution at different scales and obtain information about the structure of the magnetotail remotely through its imprint on particle pitch-angle distributions, providing an unprecedented view of particle isotropy boundaries. The other talks discussed the measurements required to shed a light on the role of mesoscale structures in the global development of the geomagnetic storm and multiscale magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling in the sub-auroral region.

The third quarter session was devoted to problems of energy conversion and transport in the magnetotail, and their impact on substorms. This topic included two invited talks given by A. Artemyev (University of California Los Angeles, USA) and A. Divin (University of St. Petersburg, Russia). A. Artemyev reviewed the current understanding of the thin current sheet formation emphasizing a role of electron anisotropy and ion agyrotropy. Special attention was given to details of the current sheet thinning at different radial distances using plasma sheet energetic (>50 keV) electrons that reach from the equator to low altitudes and are measured by Electron Losses and Fields Investigation (ELFIN) CubeSats. The talk of A. Divin was devoted to the physics of the Electron Diffusion Region (EDR) of magnetic reconnection. Specifically, he discussed the contribution of electron inertia to the non-ideal processes in EDR and stressed the importance of the bulk flow inertia at the flanks of the diffusion region. These effects were investigated by using 2.5D Particle-inCell (PIC) simulations of magnetic reconnection with different plasma beta. The presented results showed that for low beta background the electron inertial effects make a major contribution to the outer EDR outof-plane force balance. The other contributions were devoted to the plasma low-frequency waves and characteristics of the plasma sheet observed during substorms and pseudo breakups.

In the poster session these topics were discussed further. Some poster presentations were devoted to the instabilities arising in the magnetotail during active periods and their influence on plasma distributions and wave activity in the plasma sheet, e.g. ballooning interchange instability and current layer instabilities. The others focused on the Arase observations of plasma and field characteristics in the source region of substorm’s onset and discussed the modifications of Geospace/Geoelectric model for effective short-term forecasts of geomagnetic activity.

The session was chaired by E. Grigorenko, M. Gkioulidou and A. Divin. The MSO thanks the Deputy Organizer Matina Gkioulidou, all presenters, chairpersons and all those who participated in this scientific event and made it vivid and successful.

E1.1 Origin of Cosmic Rays

MSO/DO: Eun-suk Seo (University of Maryland, USA), Igor Moskalenko (Stanford University, USA)

The E1.1 session showcased recent spectacular discoveries in multi-messenger astrophysics and new measurements of the Cosmic Ray (CR) elemental spectra and isotopic composition, direct measurements of gamma-ray and neutrino emissions from cosmic accelerators and interstellar space, as well as new findings on CRs at very high and ultra-high energies. The event spanned over 18 quarter-day sessions from 14 to 21 July and featured about 100 presentations on all subjects related to the “Origin” of cosmic messengers, including experimental data and theoretical interpretations. Future instrumentation covering all energies of CRs, as well as gamma-ray and neutrino telescopes, was also well-represented.

Exciting new and preliminary results were reported by teams operating by CR detectors in space, on spacecraft such as Voyager 1, PAMELA, AMS-02, CALET, DAMPE, and ISS-CREAM, as well as balloonborne experiments like AESOP-Lite and Super-TIGER. Ground-based instruments, including LHAASO, GRAPES-3, Tibet AS/gamma, and KASKADE-Grande, and ground ultra-high-energy CR arrays like Auger, Telescope Array, and TALE, and space-borne detector Mini-EUSO also reported exciting results. Additionally, the Cherenkov gamma-ray telescope collaborations MAGIC, VERITAS, H.E.S.S., LHAASO, HAWC, ALPACA, and observations of the diffuse emission from a balloon flight of the COSI instrument reported significant results. Lastly, the IceCube and IceTop teams also presented important findings.

Future instrumentation was represented by CR experiments, HELIX, GAPS, GRAMS, TIGERISS, NUSES, HERD, HERO, POEMMA, JEM-EUSO, Moonray, Cherenkov telescope array (CTA), and neutrino detectors, GRAND and PUEO.

The event also included an invited talk on the heliospheric propagation of CRs, specifically discussing the latest version of the HELMOD model. There were also presentations on theoretical interpretations and predictions related to the origin of antimatter in CRs, dark matter signatures, effects associated with CR transport, and CR interactions with molecular clouds. Several presentations focused on the origin of PeV CRs, cosmic Pevatrons, and gamma-ray emission in the PeV energy range. This event was well attended.

E1.5 Illuminating Gravitational Waves and their Environments

MSO/DO: Eleonora Troja (University of Rome, Italy), Myungshin Im (Seoul National University, S. Korea)

This session brought together leading scientists, early-career researchers, and distinguished scholars in the field of astrophysics and gravitational wave astronomy. Held over three days, the event focused on multimessenger studies of compact binary mergers and their use as probes of dense matter, nuclear astrophysics, and cosmology. The event provided a platform for sharing cutting-edge research, discussing theoretical frameworks, and exploring future directions in this rapidly evolving field.

The session was well attended on each day. The audience actively engaged with the speakers, asking numerous questions that led to dynamic discussions and a deeper exploration of the topics. Overall, the event succeeded in connecting scientists from different communities, stimulating an interdisciplinary discussion on the main objectives and current challenges of the field.

The session began with a series of presentations on the advancements in gravitational wave detectors such as LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA. Detailed case studies of recent detections were presented, offering insights into the mass, spin, and other properties of black holes and neutron stars. Researchers discussed improvements in sensitivity, noise reduction techniques, and the expansion of detection frequency ranges. New methodologies for data analysis were highlighted, including machine learning techniques.

The second portion of the session delved into the environments in which gravitational wave sources reside. It opened with a tribute to Chris Belczynski, highlighting the most significant contributions of our late colleague’s work, from stellar population models to the rates and characteristics of compact binary mergers. Observational techniques to study the host galaxies of gravitational wave sources were reviewed, emphasizing the need for high-resolution imaging and spectroscopy. Notable events, such as GRB210704A and GW230509, were then discussed by the contributed presentations.

The third portion focused on the neutron star equation of state (EoS), which describes how matter behaves at the extreme densities found in neutron stars. New insights from recent gravitational wave detections, such as the tidal deformability of neutron stars during mergers, were reviewed. Speakers presented multiple avenues to constrain the EoS, such as X-ray plateaus, precursors, and late-time radio flares, and discussed how combining electromagnetic data with gravitational wave signals would boost our understanding of the internal composition and structure of neutron stars.

The role of electromagnetic observations in complementing gravitational wave detections was a major focus. The event included an in-depth session on kilonovae, the optical and infrared counterparts to neutron star mergers, which provide critical information about the synthesis of heavy elements. M.Tanaka delivered a superb presentation explaining the role of different elements in influencing the light curves and spectra

of these transient events. Observations of kilonovae following gravitational wave events and gammaray bursts were then discussed, including the cases of GRB211211A and GRB230307A. Cosmological implications of gamma-ray bursts and gravitational wave observations were explored, with discussions on how they can be used as standard sirens to measure cosmic distances and improve our understanding of the universe’s large-scale structure.

The closing elements of the session focused on the future of multi-messenger astronomy, presenting several upcoming projects like HiZ Gundam, QUVIK, HERMES, and the 7D telescope, along with their expected contributions to the field. Synergy between ground-based and space-based observatories was considered crucial for achieving comprehensive and rapid follow-up observations. Emphasis was placed on the importance of international collaborations.

In addition to the MSO and DO, the Scientific Organizing Committee included Stéphane Basa (Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille, France), Chryssa Kouveliotou (George Washington University, USA), Hyung Mok Lee (Seoul National University, S. Korea), Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz (University of California Santa Cruz, USA), Takanori Sakamoto (Aoyama Gakuin University, Japan), Hendrik van Eerten (University of Bath, UK), Linqing Wen (University of Western Australia, Australia).

Solicited talk about gravitational wave observations by Chunglee Kim (Ewha Woman’s University, S. Korea)

E1.9 Spectral/Timing Properties of AGN: Theory and Observations

MSO/DO: Iossif Papadakis (University of Crete, Greece), Gulab Dewangan (IUCAA, India)

The scientific session E1.9 on "Spectral and Timing Properties of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN): Theory and Observations" at the 45th COSPAR Assembly was successfully convened, with nearly full participation in all sessions. The event was notable for its integration of theorists and observers and its comprehensive review of recent advancements in the study of AGN central engines. The meeting included invited reviews and contributed presentations that covered the following major topics:

(i) High-resolution X-ray spectroscopy with Chandra, XMM-Newton, and the new XRISM mission.

(ii) Theoretical understanding of accretion disks and their observational confrontations.

(iii) The nature of the soft X-ray excess.

(iv) Properties and modelling of X-ray coronae.

(v) X-ray reflection modelling.

(vi) Accretion disk thermal reverberation mapping.

(vii) Regulation of matter around AGN.

(viii) X-ray polarisation observations with IXPE.

(ix) Properties of changing-look AGN and tidal disruption events.

(x) The presentations incited engaging discussions among the attendees.

The session on high-resolution spectroscopy highlighted substantial progress from the ROSAT/ASCA era to the current capabilities of XMM-Newton, Chandra, and XRISM. The contributions presented state-of-theart observations of fast winds and outflows from the innermost regions of accretion disks. The extraordinary spectral resolution achieved with XRISM has revealed a complex structure, including a forest of ultra-fast outflows, providing a more complete observational picture while posing new challenges for understanding these phenomena.

Talks on inner accretion flows emphasised observations challenging our current understanding of accretion disks and reviewed recent simulations. Discussions focused on the hot coronae in AGN, which are crucial to studying AGN central engines that still need to be better understood. Efforts to simulate the hot coronae and understand their spectral, timing, and polarisation properties were also featured.

The meeting reviewed the current status and new developments in the study of X-ray reflection and reverberation. An invited presentation on X-ray polarisation measurements of AGN, both radio-loud and radio-quiet, using IXPE, illustrated the potential of these new observations to advance our physical understanding of various AGN classes significantly.

The meeting also brought out recent observations of changing-look AGN (CLAGN), tidal disruption events (TDE), and quasi-periodic eruptions (QPE) which are posing new challenges to AGN physics. These topics were discussed in depth, highlighting new opportunities for significant advances based on new observational data.

In conclusion, the event fostered insightful exchanges and progress in understanding the spectral and timing properties of AGN, paving the way for future research breakthroughs.

E1.10 Extreme Accretion Events in Super-massive Black Holes

MSO/DO: Claudio Ricci (Universidad Diego Portales, Chile), Benny Trakhtenbrot (Tel Aviv University, Israel)

The "Extreme Accretion Events in Supermassive Black Holes" session at COSPAR 2024 focussed on the complex and extreme phenomena associated with accretion processes in supermassive black holes (SMBHs). This event addressed open questions and recent results of both transient and persistent accretion episodes, emphasizing their importance in understanding the broader astrophysical context, including galaxy evolution.

Theoretical Insights: Shane Davis initiated the discussion by exploring simulations of super-Eddington accretion and TDEs(Tidal Disruption Events), providing a foundation for understanding the mechanisms behind these extreme events. Zoltan Haimann provided an overview of the importance of Super Eddington accretion in the growth of the first black holes. This session laid the groundwork for subsequent discussions on how accretion rates can surpass the Eddington limit and the implications for SMBH growth and evolution.

Tidal Disruption Events (TDEs): Jane Lixin Dai provided a detailed examination of the accretion and emission processes during TDEs, where stars are disrupted by SMBHs. This was followed by Peter Kosec's and Thomas Wevers' presentations on detecting multi-phase outflows and delayed X-ray brightening in TDEs, respectively. These talks underscored the importance of multiwavelength observations in revealing the complex interactions between the disrupted material and the black hole's environment.

Super-Eddington Accretion: Chichuan Jin and colleagues discussed the observational aspects of superEddington accretion in AGNs, particularly in the local universe. Their presentations focused on how these high accretion rates influence the emission characteristics and variability of AGNs, offering new insights into the processes driving these extreme states and their role in the evolution of galaxies.

Extreme AGN Variability: The event concluded with sessions on extreme AGN variability, featuring presentations by Margherita Giustini and others on X-ray quasi-periodic eruptions and changing-look AGNs. These talks highlighted the dynamic nature of AGNs and the need for continued observation and modeling to fully understand the underlying mechanisms of these rapid changes.

Overall, the event brought together a diverse group of researchers and presented the latest developments in understanding extreme accretion events in SMBHs. The discussions not only advanced theoretical models but also emphasized the critical role of observations in unraveling the complexities of these extreme astrophysical phenomena. The event underscored the importance of these studies in the broader context of cosmic evolution and the growth of SMBHs.

E2.1 Energetics and Dynamics in the Quiet Solar Atmosphere and Beyond

MSO/DO: Zhenghua Huang (Shandong University, CAS, China:), Maria Madjarska-Theissen (Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Germany)

The focal point of this session was to review our past and new views on the processes that sustain the mass and energy transfer in the “quiet” solar atmosphere and into its extension: the solar wind. The event received 44 abstracts on both theoretical and observational subjects. It attracted more participants than expected, and the meeting room, with a capacity of about 100 persons, was entirely filled for most of the time. There were many lively discussions even after the recorded talks, which showed the level of involvement of all participants. The event was organized in nine quarter-day-sessions.

The first theme focused on advanced observations of the magnetic field of the Sun. Xudong Sun from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA, reported on high-resolution spectropolarimetry measurements of the solar photospheric magnetic field from the 4-meter Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) and their importance for solar physics research, including (1) quantifying the diagnostic capability of magnetoconvection with the DKIST/DL-NIRSP instrument; (2) developing a fast Stokes inversion model based on deep-learning techniques; and (3) improving the estimate of magnetic flux from solar polar region. The high-resolution measurements of the magnetic field by DKIST will undoubtedly improve our understanding of the very fine magnetic geometry of the Sun. Shuhong Yang from the National Astronomical Observatories, China, presented their recent analyses of the solar polar magnetic fields measured by Hinode/SOT from 2012 to 2021. His results clarify the magnetic polarity reversal process at different latitudes of the polar caps. Yajie Chen from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Germany, and his team reported on their investigation of solar coronal magnetic field measurements using spectral lines from Hinode/EIS. Dr. Chen’s studies shed light on the problem of coronal magnetic field measurements.

The second theme of the event focused on dynamic processes in the lower solar atmosphere and their connections to the solar corona. Jiajia Liu from the University of Science and Technology of China and his team summarized their recent advancements in the automated detection of solar atmospheric swirls, highlighting their role in exciting Alfvén pulses and channeling energy to the upper solar atmosphere and exploring the spatial and temporal relationship between swirls and photospheric magnetic concentrations. Their results suggest a potential link between global p-modes and the triggering of both photospheric and chromospheric swirls. Youqian Qi from Shandong University, China, reported their statistical results on the relationship between chromospheric jets and coronal activities, suggesting that chromospheric jets, transition region network jets, and ray-like features in the corona are coherent phenomena that serve as essential vehicles for the cycling of energy and mass in the solar atmosphere. Lei Ni from Yunnan Observatories, China, reported on her numerical studies of the heating effects of solar spicules in coronal hole regions. She found that magnetic field distortion drives spicules, and the top of spicules could be heated by MHD waves. Sanja Danilovic from Stockholm University, Sweden, gave an overview of recent MHD simulations on energetic and dynamic processes in the solar chromosphere and compared them with observations obtained by the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope and remote instrumentation on board Solar Orbiter.

The third theme of the event focused on dynamics in the solar transition region (TR) and its connection to coronal heating. Hui Tian from Peking University, China, provided a comprehensive summary of significant findings about the TR made through imaging and spectroscopic observations in the past 20 years. All those existing observations have revealed various types of TR dynamics, essential to understanding the mass and energy transport processes in both the quiet Sun and active regions. He pointed out that highresolution imaging and spectroscopic observations of the upper TR will establish the critical link between the lower atmosphere and the corona. A student from Shandong University, China, Shiyu Liang, reported the first systematic analyses of the physical properties of transition region loops, which showed a different scaling law than coronal loops. Paola Testa from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, USA, reviewed recent efforts to model observations of small heating events (e.g., with IRIS, SDO, Hinode) and discussed how they help us advance our understanding of the role of different physical processes in heating the solar corona. She also presented a newly discovered relation between coronal chemical fractionation, underlying transition region, and chromospheric properties.

The event's fourth theme focused on the solar corona's small-scale dynamics. Yuandeng Shen from Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, China, provided a comprehensive overview of the main observational characteristics of solar jets, coronal jets and their connection to the chromosphere, physical interpretations and models, and unsolved outstanding questions in future studies. Ayumi Asai from Kyoto University, Japan, summarized the thermodynamic properties of small-scale flares and associated mass ejections in the solar corona as revealed by high-spatial resolution observations. Zhenyong Hou from Peking University, China, and his team reported on an excellent observation of type II radio bursts driven by a blowout jet, suggesting that such an event can lead to coronal shocks. Yadan Duan from Peking University, China, and her team reported a case study on the complete buildup of a fan-spine topology and the subsequent jet production driven by flux emergence. Daniel Nóbrega-Siverio from Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias, Spain and

his team presented their studies on coronal bright points (CBPs) based on a novel 3D radiative MHD numerical model using the Bifrost code that explains the sustained CBP heating for several hours. Their results found that stochastic photospheric convective motions alone significantly stress the CBP magnetic field topology, leading to important Joule and viscous heating concentrated around the CBP’s inner spine at a few megameters above the solar surface. A student from Nanjing University, China, Zekun Lu and his team presented a self-consistent coronal heating model using MURaM simulations. They found that the continuous magnetic flux emergence in active regions keeps driving magnetic reconnection that releases energy impulsively and that heats and sustains a corona of ten million Kelvins above active regions.

The fifth theme of the event focused on energy transportation and dissipation in the solar corona. Eilif Sommer Øyre, our youngest invited speaker and a PhD from the University of Oslo, Norway, reported his numerical experiments of test particles embedded in realistic, reconnecting MHD environments, from which the dominating acceleration mechanisms could be identified. Mijie Shi from Shandong University, China, reported on the first 3D coronal loop model that heats the plasma against radiative cooling. He showed that subsequently-induced Kelvin–Helmholtz instability generates small-scale structures. Thus, wave energy is transferred to smaller scales where it is dissipated, overcoming internal energy losses caused by radiation. Edris Tajfirouzeh (for Richard Morton, who could not attend for personal reasons) from Northumbria University, UK, showed evidence that indicates turbulence could also be in action in the quiet Sun. A student from Shandong University, China, Hengyuan Wei, reported an interesting event showing concurrence of Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities and Kármán vortex streets in the corona, demonstrating that energy dissipations are more effective when more instabilities are occurring simultaneously.

The sixth theme of the event focused on the origin of solar wind. Marco Velli from the University of California, Los Angeles, USA, reviewed the origin and acceleration of different types of solar wind streams throughout the solar cycle and how the Parker Solar Probe has helped change and integrate our understanding of the solar wind origin, He also reported his team’s benchmarking study on the origin of the slow solar wind. Hui Fu from Shandong University, China, reported the proportions and properties of the near-earth solar wind originating from different types of source regions during solar cycles 23 and 24. Alexandros Koukras from Columbia University, USA, reported on his study on elemental abundances at coronal hole boundaries to investigate interchange reconnection and the solar wind. Jeongwoo Lee from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, USA, reported on his study on the connection between solar spicules and solar wind switchbacks.

The seventh theme of the event focused on the applications of artificial intelligence in solar physics. Dr. A. Sainz Dalda from Lockheed Martin Solar & Astrophysics Laboratory, USA, reviewed very entertainingly the efforts made using machine learning techniques in solar physics to gain knowledge about the quiet Sun. He presented some AI methods that can be applied to solar observations and numerical simulations.

The eighth theme of the event focused on stellar atmospheric heating and winds. Victor See from ESA reviewed the current state of knowledge of stellar wind observations and the constraints these observations provide on wind driving mechanisms. Shin Toriumi from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency reported on his study on the scaling laws for atmospheric heating of the Sun and the G-type dwarf stars, which are universal regardless of stellar age and activity levels.

The participants' discussions were lively and fruitful throughout the meeting during the oral and poster sessions. Thus, this event has been very successful and demonstrated that the solar physics community enjoys strong participation at COSPAR. We look forward to more meetings on solar physics subjects during the forthcoming COSPAR assemblies.

E2.4 Application of Machine Learning Techniques in Solar and Heliospheric Physics

MSO/DO: Iulia Chifu (Georg-August-University of Göttingen, Germany), Ricardo Gafeira (Inst. de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço, Portugal)

The 2024 COSPAR Scientific Assembly session entitled "Application of Machine Learning Techniques in Solar and Heliospheric Physics", aimed to provide an overview of the various applications of machine learning techniques in analyzing different layers and processes in the solar atmosphere and interplanetary space up to one astronomical unit (AU). The session received a total of 28 abstract submissions, leading to a total of 24 oral presentation proposals and two posters.

In recent years, machine learning (ML) techniques have been intensively used in different areas of solar and heliospheric physics, and currently, the research in this field is increasing at a remarkable speed. Neural networks (NN) have proved to be a powerful tool in many applications, for example, in data preprocessing, spectropolarimetric inversions, deconvolution, automatic segmentation of solar structures, prediction of eruptive phenomena as shown in Carlos Dias Basso’s talk and improving solar wind models using the approach presented by Filipa Barros.

At a photospheric level, ML has been extensively used to invert the magnetic field in the photosphere and chromosphere, automatically extracting sunspots, and improve the magnetic field.

The ML session started with a general overview of the artificial intelligence (AI) techniques for processing the solar and space mission data (R. Qahwaji) with applications on the identification of Martian Terrain from Perseverance Mars rover data, and prediction of variation in Martian atmosphere from EMM data. It further proceeded to insights into the applications of the ML from the photosphere to higher levels of the atmosphere and out into the interplanetary space. The details of how and what ML methods work was given by C.D. Basso with emphasis on pioneering applications to various problems in solar physics, and describing each methodology.

The inversions of the Stokes parameters to obtain the magnetic field at different layers of the atmosphere, mostly photosphere and chromosphere, is another direction where ML was intensively used. Many of the codes employed for inversions are optimised and improved based on the ML methods. We could see that during the series of talks given by Carlos Dias Basso, Ivan Milic, Alberto Sainz Dalda and Ruoyu Wang.

An efficient method designed to perform image deconvolution based on NN, was also introduced by Henrik Eklund. He employed an artificial deep neural network to learn and identify dynamic patterns of features in both the spatial and temporal domains, based on numerical simulations. Important applications can be the estimation and compensation for the degradation of the intensity contrast in the data and the determination of the extent to which small-scale dynamic events or features are properly resolved. One of the most popular topics is related to the prediction of solar structures and phenomena. In this category, we learned about how the synoptic magnetic field maps of the following solar cycle can be predicted with the help of the NN taking into account the information of the previous three solar cycles presented by Hyun-Jin Jeong and about new attempts in predicting the active region evolution based on convolutional long short-term memory network and Top-tier video models as described by Harim Lee. Identification of solar features, from small to large-scale, is of high interest too for solar physics, and the implementation of the ML methods can help us with this task. During the session, work was presented relating to the identification of solar filaments/prominences and active region features by Zhi Zheng, Qi Hao, as well as methods for the denoising and increasing resolution of the solar magnetograms by Fengping Dou, and applications for obtaining differential emission measure based on the pixel-to-pixel translation model by Eunsu Park.

The Space Weather community is extremely engaged in identifying methods of extracting meaningful information to be used to forecast flares and Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) based on ML techniques. Until now, there has been no significant breakthrough, but during this session, we could see promising ideas and results. Flare forecasting is an old story, and many groups have tried to crack this difficult problem. In her review talk, Sabrina Guastavino discussed the two main directions the space weather community engages in trying to forecast the events based on ML methods and their challenges. One direction is related to incorporating physics into the neural network (NN) methods, such as so-called physics-informed NN, and the other is training the network with a large amount of data from the past.

There were also two other presentations related to flare forecasting. One was presented by Kangwoo Yi, who presented a deep learning solar flare forecasting model based on a Convolutional Neural Network based on MDI/SOHO, HMI/SDO, and GOES data. They applied two deep reinforcement learning methods, Deep Q-Network (DQN) and Double DQN, showing the importance of the areas near the polarity inversion lines of active regions as a forecast proxy and that the deep reinforcement learning methods can be used to optimize model performance. Jaewon Lee also presented their approach to predicting solar flare intensity based on the extreme ultra-violet intensity data from AIA/SDO.

Concerning the propagation of CMEs, Dong Zhao addressed the prediction of CME arrival time. They propose an approach that extracts and fuses the features from both CME physical parameters and images. Their proposed model exploits and integrates physical parameters with image characteristics.

Jihyeon Son presented two deep-learning models to forecast solar wind velocity and one of the interplanetary magnetic field components (Bz) for a period of three days.

E2.5 Waves in the Solar Atmosphere, from the Photosphere to the Corona and Solar Wind

MSO/DO: Tom van Doorsselaere (KU Leuven, Belgium), Bo Li (Shandong University at Weihai, CAS, China)

This session was aimed at fostering idea exchanges on the roles that oscillatory processes play in the dynamics and thermodynamics of the solar atmosphere and solar wind. This gathering was organized with the help from Takaaki Yokoyama (Kyoto University, Japan), approving 33 submissions in total and eventually showcasing 31. Six quarter-day sessions were allocated, and 29 oral presentations were assigned accordingly. Each session kicked off with a 30-min solicited overview talk, thereby setting the scene for the 15-min contributed talks. Two submissions were presented during the poster-viewing session.

Two broad themes were addressed by this event, with theme one concerning the observational applications and implications of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves in the solar atmosphere. Three solicited talks were devoted to this theme, emphasizing the wave dynamics in the lower atmosphere (W Bate, UK) and in the corona (V. Pant, India; D. Lim, S. Korea). Modern instruments operated within, say, DKIST (Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope) or Solar Orbiter have enabled remarkable advances in understanding the interplay between waves/oscillations and the dynamic atmosphere, as evidenced by the likely identifications of subphotospheric wave sources (M. Rast, USA) and opacity fluctuations in He I 1083nm (T. Felipe, Spain). The linkage between p-modes and coronal Alfvenic waves (R. Morton, UK) or intermittent jets (B. Schmieder, France) has been better understood. The same can be said for MHD waves as the dynamic cause for a broad range of observed signatures (J. Kang, S. Korea; P. Kumar, US; V. Andretta, Italy; U. Baweja, India), or as the consequence of various activities in a broad range of dynamic atmospheric structures (H. Wei, China; H. Kuniyoshi, Japan; E. Petrova, Belgium; M. Luna, Spain). A considerable number of presentations were placed in the context of solar atmospheric seismology. Customary processes like resonant absorption and phase-mixing were theoretically revisited/generalized for more realistic equilibria (B. Li, China; S. Chen, China; W. Kim, UK; M. Guo, Belgium; D-J. Yu, S Korea). Seismological techniques were explored in such new contexts as propagating or reflected disturbances in coronal loops, be they intensity (V. Nakariakov, UK; T. Wang, US) or Doppler-shift variations (H. Tian, China). Likewise, new seismological ideas were proposed to diagnose the height of the transition region (S. Kang, S. Korea).

Another theme addressed wave processes outside customary scopes. Recent PSP (NASA Parker Solar Probe) observations of the nascent solar wind were of considerable interest, with two solicited talks highlighting the intimate connection between waves and turbulence (J. He, China; M. Shoda, Japan). Magnetic switchbacks, a celebrated PSP discovery, were better understood in terms of origins and dynamics (C. Shi, US) and were better connected with the lower layers of the Sun’s atmosphere (M. Velli, US). Wave processes were examined by going beyond MHD, highlighting the connection of ion acoustic waves to reactive instabilities (I. Cairns, Australia) and the importance of interplanetary magnetic field topology on the solar wind kinetics (R. Lin, Belgium). Remarkably, Alfven-wave-based scenarios were explored for heating the coronae of stars other than our Sun in the solicited talk by H. Washinoue (Japan), thereby paving the way for solar wave studies to be applied in the broad framework of solar-stellar connection.

To summarize, this COSPAR event reiterated the key role of wave processes for understanding/exploiting observed phenomena of vastly disparate spatio-temporal scales. As organizers, we thank all those who participated in this event and look forward to similar events in the coming COSPAR scientific assemblies.

E2.6 Developments and Applications of Solar Magnetic Field Modelling

MSO/DO: Xiaoshuai Zhu (NSSC, CAS, China), Jie Zhao (Purple Mountain Observatory, CAS, China)

The session entitled "Developments and applications of solar magnetic field modelling" was successfully organized within the framework of COSPAR 2024. The primary focus of this event was to explore the advancements in 3D magnetic field modeling techniques and their applications in understanding solar phenomena.

During the event, a total of 20 oral presentations and seven poster presentations were delivered, including eight solicited talks. The presentations covered various aspects related to the theme of the event, including the following key areas:

1. New Developments in Magnetic Field Extrapolation Techniques:

An ISSI/ISSI-BJ (International Space Science Centre, Bern and Beijing) team was convened for further development of magneto-hydrostatic (MHS) extrapolation. New results in applying MHS extrapolation to both test case and real data were reported. A novel approach of the nonlinear force-free field extrapolation by using a physics-informed neural operator was proposed.

2. MHD (magneto-hydrodynamic) and Radiative-MHD simulation for Solar Activity Study and Prediction: The theory and application of data-constrained MHD simulation and data-driven MHD simulation were reviewed, attention has been given to boundary conditions. Radiative data-driven simulation shows good agreement with observation in terms of eruption time and flare class.

A new method for the magnetic helicity calculation and new results of the magnetic/kinetic helicity in solar active regions were reported. The role of small-scale emerging flux, collisional shearing, and breakout null points in solar eruption were investigated. Physics-based prediction of solar storms utilizing the magnetic field models were discussed.

3. Global Magnetic Field Modeling:

A new MHD model predicting coronal structure for total solar eclipses and their results were reported. The magnetic connectivity of solar active regions during cycle 24 was discussed. A method to adjust source surface height of the PFSS (Potential Field Source Surface) model by using the MHD simulation was reported, which provided a better open flux agreement with the observations.

4. New Dataset for Magnetic Field Modeling:

By combining SO/PHI (Solar Orbiter PHI instrument) and Sun-Earth line observations, solar activities can be followed for much longer periods of time than from a single viewpoint, time resolution of synoptic maps for global modeling increased significantly, 180-degree ambiguity removed magnetograms were derived. The magnetogram from China’s first comprehensive solar dedicated satellite ASO-S/FMG (Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory) has been compared with HMI observations from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory and the SMAT observations from the Huairou Solar Observing Station.

The session contributed significantly to advancing our understanding of solar magnetic fields, and fostered collaboration. The discussions and presentations showcased the remarkable progress made in recent years and emphasized the importance of continued research in this area.

F2.4 Genetic Epigenetic and Metabolic Changes in Spaceflight and Simulated Spaceflight

MSO/DO: Yeqing Sun (Dalian Maritime University, CAS, China), Honglu Wu (NASA JSC, USA)

The session entitled "Genetic, Epigenetic, and Metabolic Changes in Spaceflight and Simulated Spaceflight Environments" (Session F2.4) took place on 19 July 2024. This session focused on investigating molecularlevel alterations in living organisms (including prokaryotes, eukaryotes, and nematodes) in response to spaceflight and simulated space environments using advanced technologies for large-scale measurement of mRNA, miRNA, methylation patterns, and protein expression. During the two half-day sessions, scientists from China, USA, Canada, Italy, Netherlands, and Korea delivered a total of 15 oral and two poster presentation covering four areas in four respective sub-sessions.

In the first sub-session entitled "Systems Biology of the Space Environment", four oral presentations were delivered by Drs. Honglu Wu (USA), Serena Pezzilli (Italy), Anurag Sakharkar (Canada), and Éva Paller (Netherlands).

Honglu Wu reported transcriptomics changes in peripheral mononuclear cells collected from 11 NASA International Space Station crew members. Analysis of the data suggested mitochondria dysfunction in the cells in space which was likely caused by calcium influx changes. The data also explained cell dysregulation and telomere lengthening that have been reported in astronauts by others. Serena Pezzili reported a study of four astronauts after spending 21 days in space. Omics analysis including mRNA, miRNA and lnRNA in PBMC (peripheral blood mononuclear cells), plasma, saliva, skin and hair roots were being investigated. The spaceflight results will be compared to divers in a similar confined environment. While the project is ongoing, the results of the project will be interesting. Anurag Sakharkar’s paper was on the analysis of the omics data in the NASA Gene Lab. The data was collected from fibroblasts, hair follicles, cardiomyocytes, and endothelial cells after flown in space for different durations. The results suggested common features which provided the therapeutic target to mitigate the spaceflight related health risks. As the final presenter of the sub-session, Éva Paller reported gene expression in the brain of mice that were flown on the ISS for 28-29 days, with a focus on the relationship between extracellular matrix (ECM), the flight duration and aging. The results of the study indicated that spaceflight induces ECM and adhesion changes similar to the aging process.

The second sub-session was "Molecular mechanisms underlying the biological effects of space environmental stresses". Four oral presentations were given by Drs. Lei Zhao (China), Ge Zhang (China), Shuqi Yuan (China) and Meng Zhang (China). These presentations focus on the effects of different spaceflight duration on animals and plants, particularly the knowledge gained through bioinformatics analysis of the omics data. Lei Zhao analyzed the gene expression profiles in C. Elegans using bioinformatics tools, and identified 15 marker genes for space radiation exposure. Ge Zhang investigated gene expression changes in C. Elegans in space, and identified genes involved in defense aging protein folding and other processes. By comparing the results with radiation exposure on the ground, she was able to separate the effects of microgravity vs. radiation. Shuqi Yuan exposed worms outside of the Chinese Space Station for 5.5 months, and discovered that different strains had a different survivability. All of the strains inhibited decreased reproductivity, however. Dr. Zhang flew plant seeds on satellites, and compared the effects of different orbits. He found that the genes were mostly activated in a mid to high altitude orbit, but inhibited in a low altitude orbit.

The third topic pertained to "Automated on-orbit analysis techniques and applications". Four speakers from Dalian Maritime University in China presented their respective papers. They were Drs. Qianqian Yang, Wei Wang, Wenbo Chang, Zhengyi Zhang. This sub-session focused on the development of technologies for maintaining and monitoring C. Elegans in space. Qianqian Yang reported a study in which C. Elegans were monitored in a microfluidic system. The experiment was conducted on the Chinese Shenzhou spacecraft for a period of one month, during which time, the life cycle, movement organ development and fluorescent signals were monitored. Wei Wang compared the wild type and a mutant strain of C. Elegans , daf-16, in space. Wenbo Chang reported a work in which the chip was updated. After the update, four different strains of C. Elegans can be controlled by a single chip which improved medium change and other functions. The last speaker, Zhengyi Zhang, used a microfluidic technology to successfully incorporated fluorescence tags in T lymphocytes.

By detecting γH2AX signals, her development provided a platform for future studies of cellular damage in space.

The final topic was "Mutagenesis in the space environment and its application". Drs. Honglu Wu (USA), Ning Gong (China) and Su-Geun (S. Korea) presented their research studies. This sub-session focused on the experimental models for space investigations. Honglu Wu presented a chimeric mouse model which contains a functional human liver. Exposure of the mice with humanized livers and mouse livers to radiation indicated different responses. Ning Gong flew seaweeds on the Chinese Space Station for the purpose of investigating the response of such an ancient organism to the space environment. Finally, Dr. Su-Geun investigated the effects of simulated microgravity and radiation in mHypoE-N38 cells with a focus on intracellular Ca2+ transport.

In addition to the oral presentations, there were also two poster presentations by Honglu Wu (USA) and Shuqi Yuan (China). Honglu Wu’s study investigated the role of PIEZO1, a mechano-sensing gene in T cell inactivation in space. In Shuqi Yuans’ project, she used Co60 and UVC to select those Caenorhabditis elegans that are suitable for spaceflight.

In summary, the papers presented in F2.4 reported mostly results obtained from spaceflight experiments with humans, rodents and C. Elegans that were conducted on the ISS or the Chinese Space Station. Some experiments were using plants flown on the new generation Chinese low orbit spacecraft. Together with the ground-based radiation studies or using simulated microgravity platform, these presentations revealed mechanisms underlying biological changes in the space environment. Two papers should be highlighted. The first was given by Dr. Wu who suggested the mechanisms underlying mitochondria dysfunction in space. The second was given by Dr. Sun’s team that developed a microfluidic system to monitor C. Elegans life cycle in space. The device has been flown on the Chinse Space Station and published in Lab on Chip Lab Chip, 2024, 24, 3388–3402. The F2.4 session was well attended with active discussions following each presentation. It should be mentioned that one third of the presenters were doctoral students, who are the future of COSPAR.

F5.2 Exploring the Space Exposome and Approaches for Assessing Spaceflight-Associated Human Health Risks

MSO/DO: Janice L. Huff (NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton VA, USA), Charles M. Werneth (NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton VA, USA), Evagelia C. Laiakis (Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA)

Scientific Event F5.2 Exploring the Space Exposome and Approaches for Assessing Spaceflight-Associated Human Health Risks held four quarter-day scientific sessions on 19 July 2024. This event covered innovative experimental and computational approaches for evaluating high priority multi-stressor spaceflight risks to

human health and performance. Topics included high-priority in-mission and late health risks, strategies to maximize use of ground and flight analogs to acquire data on the spaceflight hazards, the role of multi-omics in spaceflight risk monitoring and mitigation, assessing individual sensitivity and personalized medicine for individualized risk assessments and mitigation, computational strategies for quantifying combined risks, prevention and mitigation strategies, and biologically based risk models for spaceflight hazard assessment. The main scientific organizer for this sub-commission was Janice L. Huff from NASA Langley Research Center Hampton VA, USA and the deputy scientific organizers were Charles M. Werneth, also from NASA Langley Research Center Hampton VA, USA, and Evagelia C. Laiakis from Georgetown University in Washington DC, USA. Scientists from Belgium, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Russia, and the USA gave a total of 16 oral and four poster presentations.

The first quarter-day session focused on Space Radiation Risk Assessment and kicked-off with a presentation by Charles Werneth of NASA Langley entitled “The Multi-model Ensemble Risk Assessment (MERA) Project” (5.2-0001-24). Next were talks by Eunbee Park on “Space Radiation Exposure and Risk Mediated Clonal Hematopoiesis” (F5.2-0002-24), Markus Eidemüller on “Biologically-based mechanistic models of radiation-related disease” (F5.2- 0003- 24), and, finally, Sylvain Costes presented “Elucidating the Spectrum of Human Radiosensitivity: A Five-Year GWAS Analysis of Blood Cell Response to Simulated Space Radiation” (F5.2-0004-24).

The second quarter-day session on Microgravity and Spaceflight Health Risks had three presentations starting with Luca Di Fino with a talk entitled “New routes to advance knowledge in microgravity research: the ASI research portfolio for Ax-3” (F5.2-0005-24). Next was Dieter Blottner with a talk entitled “Spaceomics related to Neuromuscular Mission Health” (F5.2- 0006-24), which was followed by a presentation from Chizuru Tsuruoka entitled “Combined effects of radiation and simulated microgravity on intestinal tumorigenesis in ApcMin/+ mice” (F5.2-0008-24).

The third quarter-day session on Lunar Mission Risks and Health Monitoring started with an overview on “Lunar Dust Health Risks for Astronauts” (F5.2-0009-24) given by Silvana Miranda. Next, Kyunghwan Kim presented “The Smart Modular Habitation (SMH): Enabling Mobile Emergency Healthcare System on the Moon” (F5.2-0010-24), Michail Magkos presented “Continuous Participant Location and Heart Rate Variability – in Ground-based Analogue Missions” (F5.2-0011-24), followed by Bernard Foing who presented “Devising Methods for the Analogue Medical and Psychological Monitoring of Astronauts” (F5.2-0012-24). This session closed with a talk by Oliver Opatz entitled “Reinventing Space Health: The T- Mini System and Cybernetic Cycles for Enhanced Astronaut Wellbeing” (F5.2-0013-24).

The final quarter-day session focused on Psychological, Cognitive and Sensorimotor Effects. Maria Bekreneva gave two talks, “Ground-based Modeling as an Approach for Assessing and Developing a strategy to mitigate Spaceflight-Associated Human Sensorimotor Risks” (F5.2- 0015-24) and “Changes of support afferentation as a factor of brain structural changes in spaceflight and prospects for the development of countermeasures with support stimulation” (F5.2- 0017-24). Richard Britten gave a talk

entitled “Establishing the Impact of Sleep Disruptions on the Default Mode Network Suppression Under Cognitive Loading” (F5.2-0016-24) and the session closed with a presentation by Yoayuan Cui entitled “Cerebroprotective mechanism of simulated microgravity on ischemic stroke rats by proteomics approach” (F5.2- 0018-24).

F5.2 had four poster presentations: “NASA Open Science Data Repository for Space Biology Data Access” (F5.2-0019-24) presented by Ryan Scott; Architectural Properties’ Impact on Cognition – Ground Studies and Space Implementation” (F5.2-0020-24) by Michail Magkos; Detection of Butyrate Content in Feces Based on Microbial Sensors for Monitoring Intestinal Health Under Microgravity Environment” (5.2-002124) by Ruipeng Wu; and “The Space Medicine Educational Program in Japan” (F5.2-0022-24), presented by Masahiro Terada.

Overall F5.2 was highly successful with good attendance and discussion right to the end for the last day of Commission F sessions. The organizers would like to thank all the presenters and attendees for making the event a success.

PDCIR – Space 2050: Our Future Shaped by Today’s Space Technology Advances

Report by: Mary Snitch

The Committee on Industry Relations (CIR) established in 2021 as an imperative of the COSPAR Strategic Plan reports to and advises the President of COSPAR on how best to integrate the capabilities of industry into COSPAR’s activities and by doing so, to serve the interests of industry. The Members are drawn from COSPAR Industry Partners and Industry Supporters, other industries that are affiliated with COSPAR through the Associated Supporter Program, or upon recommendation of the Committee from industries that are considering a strategic engagement with COSPAR. The CIR was introduced to the COSPAR Assembly in Athens, Greece, in 2022.

In Busan, an exciting plenary discussion moderated by Lockheed Martin Space was represented by distinguished experts from the United Launch Alliance, Thales Alenia Space, and iSpace – all members of the COSPAR Committee on Industry Relations – and also the Jet Propulsion Laboratory/NASA. The Space 2050 initiative was conceived by LM (Lockheed Martin) Space in 2022, envisioning potential space capabilities and markets in 2050 and what technologies must be started now to realize the vision. Space 2050 is a Lockheed Martin initiative, but all are invited to collaborate and partner over the next 26 years. Topics addressed by panelists include:

•In-space Service Assembly and Manufacturing

•Leveraging resources on the Moon to reduce reliance on lifting material and resources from Earth

•Cislunar infrastructure

•providing energy to Earth from space (solar power beaming)

•How energy enables human presence on the Moon and Mars

•Sustainability associated with space exploration

•Large data centers on orbit and on the Moon

•the “Rocket Revolution” and payload mass

•use of commercial microprocessors in space and how it will revolutionize computing in space, enable the use of AI/ML, which will then enable autonomy, such as in rover operations with cooperative vehicles

•Data analysis, which combined with autonomy will lead to more rapid deep space exploration

•How autonomy and robotics will enable construction on the Moon

•Performing science on the Lunar surface, for example by building an astronomical telescope on the dark side of the Moon

•the “commercial ecosystem” on the Moon with several companies participating and contributing to space exploration

IR.1 – Engaging Global Space Industry Stakeholders

Senior leaders representing the Committee on Industry Relations (CIR) organized six sessions over two days at the Busan Scientific Assembly highlighting the unique role of the private sector to partner with global space agencies to tackle critical technical challenges and scientific opportunities in advancing space research. These session topics included:

• Achieving Escape Velocity from Red Tape: Space Law and Policy in the Final Frontier;

• Cosmic Clean-Up: Global Solutions for Orbital Debris;

• Implications of Launch Service Market Evolution for Future Science Missions;

• Apophis T-5 years: Ongoing plans, mission concepts under study and international cooperation;

• JWST: Science Highlights of the First Two Years;

• The Habitable Worlds Observatory: Science Driven Plans for Technology Development

Building on the significance of these broad-area discussions in Busan conducted by experts representing NASA, Space Telescope Institute, Secure World, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), US and international research universities and industry, the Busan panel organizers will soon begin to collaborate even further with Scientific Commissions (namely B and G) and Panels (PDEAS, PEX, PSW, PPP, and PoIS) to develop an agenda for Florence 2026, integrating space science and discovery with public private partnerships. For readers interested in learning more about the Committee on Industry Relations, contact Mary Snitch, Lockheed Martin mary.snitch@lmco.com

PE.1 Space Explorers in Schools - Empowering the Next Generation of Researchers

MSO/DOs: Rosa Doran (NUCLIO, Portugal), Haeim Jeong (KASI, S. Korea), Gustavo Rojas (NUCLIO, Portugal)

Inspiring and being inspired by educators is part of the mission and vision of the COSPAR Panel on Education. This year the stage for our 2024 adventure was South Korea, where educators and schools are a national top priority. The team was composed of Korean educators and a group of participants from Uganda, India, Pakistan and Iran, supported by the COSPAR grant for educators. The local organisers of COSPAR and Korea Astronomy and Space Science institute (KASI), together with NUCLIO’s team and other institutions that greatly enriched the event, provided a unique experience to the participants. Four intensive days of activities transformed a professional development opportunity into a life-changing experience, according to the teacher’s own words, during the farewell afternoon.

"Four intensive days of activities transformed a professional development opportunity into a life-changing experience"

These professional development opportunities for educators aim to introduce educators to digital tools that can support learning and the integration of research data as part of the student’s learning experience. They are also dedicated to discussions related to the importance of embracing inclusion and diversity in the classroom as a trigger for more engagement and empowerment of learners. The session also includes a series of practical activities shared by several research institutions. During these days, space missions are transcribed and transformed into interactive learning experiences in the hands of students.

The first day started with an invitation for educators to assume the role of astronomers living on another planet and observing the Earth. Diversity, inclusion and sustainability were the key topics discussed during this session, the importance of conveying to students the meaning of “being humans” and how our cultural and social differences can be a plus for our survival as a species. Themes related to innovation and inclusion while delivering the curriculum were discussed, and best practices and learned lessons were discussed. The day continued with a handson session where participants had the possibility of assembling a small telescope and discovering the key features of these instruments. This session was facilitated with the support of Dr. Hidehiko Agata from the National Astronomical Observatories of Japan (NAOJ).

"Space missions are transcribed and transformed into interactive learning experiences"

These are very user-friendly telescopes that can easily be assembled by students. They are very appropriate for beginners as part of their initiation to astronomical observations. The participants were very interested and excited by this experience.

The environment and camaraderie between the educators made it very easy to foster the creation of a new community of educators, dedicated to bringing space education to their students with a renewed interest and perspective. Dr. Moogega Stricker, from NASA dazzled everyone with her live experience as a scientist and an influencer as a science communicator.

The second day brought another incredible experience to the participants, with a visit to the Busan National Science Museum. A team of experts helped the teachers to assemble their own Cansat and deploy it with a parachute from the roof of one of the science centre buildings. The excitement of the teachers can’t be put in words. The images speak for themselves.

The visit ended with the creation of a very good memory with all the participants holding a banner of the COSPAR-KASI teacher training program. There might be many more such opportunities, but this one is already set in stone (or banners).

The day ended with a visit to a temple where participants had a taste of local cuisine and local culture.

The third day of the event was devoted to Lunar Science, the introduction of space exploration tools for science education and hands-on activities related to astrobiology. The Panel of Education professional development events are, by design, integrated into the COSPAR scientific assemblies. The objective is to provide educators with the opportunity to interact with the community of researchers, visit the exhibit and posters area and get an immersive experience in a space research environment.

Their view and understanding related to space research will be greatly enriched by this experience.

The last day was supported by the CESAR educational programme team from ESAC (Madrid) where ESA missions were presented to the participants and a sample of their activities was presented in a lively handson session.

The day ended with an evaluation of the session and a discussion about the future of education. The participants were invited to share some information about themselves in a form, including what they teach, things they appreciated and things they don’t like. The organisers created a short science fiction story, written with AI, where they were the main characters. It was called “The Cosmic Council of Educators”. Each of them was introduced at the beginning of the story and then the story unfolded. This triggered a lively discussion on the benefits and dangers of AI for the world and how it will transform education.

The COSPAR 2024 training session on space education received overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants, who appreciated the opportunity to learn and connect with a global community of educators. Many participants expressed gratitude for the knowledge shared during the course and the inclusive atmosphere fostered by the organizers. They felt inspired by the presentations and the dedication of the speakers, which motivated them to explore new approaches to teaching astronomy and space science.

The course boosted participants' confidence and motivation, equipping them to promote space education and sustainability in their schools and communities. Overall, the training was regarded as transformative, fostering innovation and a shared commitment to advancing science education worldwide.

This year, the mission is complete. Now the future unfolds … "The training was regarded as transformative, fostering innovation and a shared commitment to advancing science education worldwide"

PoIS - Panel on Innovative Solutions

Report by: Mary Snitch

The Panel on Innovative Solutions (PoIS) hosted talks from international speakers over three hours on 18 July. Topics included:

1) Using AI/ML for creating an accurate three-day forecast of the geomagnetic index by using features of the coronal magnetic field

2) A recommendation system for coronal mass ejection events

3) A solar imaging feature extraction method to enhance DL Space Weather models

4) Quantum computing tools for astrophysical data analysis, and an exploration of the current state-of-the-art

5) Ethical and assurance implications of quantum computing

6) Machine Learning-enabled biological research to support deep space missions

The mission of the PoIS is to connect state-of-the-art technology and the world’s brightest minds, with the hardest problems facing space researchers today. To that end, we had a particularly fruitful engagement with NASA ‘Open Science Data Repository’ and ‘AI for Life in Space’ team representatives on-site in Busan. NASA hosts a goldmine in data related to biology in space, that is objectively far too complex for human experts to, on a reasonable and useful time-scale, discover the wealth of interconnectivity and thereby create models with valuable predictive power. As we move closer to a time where we will see a permanent human presence in deep-space, we also move closer to the point in time at which we must understand long-term effects of the space environment on the human body and mind. PoIS is committed to working with NASA to connect those data to the passionate and innovative minds of the world.

PRBEM.1 Standards and Tools for Radiation Measurements and Supporting Data

MSO/DO: Paul O’Brien (The Aerospace Corporation, USA), Daniel Heynderickx (DH Consultancy, Belgium)

The PRBEM.1 session consisted of one half day with three regular presentations and two guided discussions.

The first presentation was by Leon Olifer regarding deconvolution of radiation data taken from a spinning spacecraft to obtain angular distributions. Leon reviewed the general concept and showed some example results from an implementation in Julia. The essential issue is that, especially in low Earth orbit, sharp gradients in the angular distribution can lead to misleading results if the entire observed count rate is attributed to particles entering along the sensor’s primary axis.

The second presentation was by Paul O’Brien reviewing the draft response function data format and the open-source response function library maintained by the Panel. The data format provides a data model or data dictionary to capture the parameters of a sensor response as a function of particle energy and incident angle. It supports externally-computed tabular responses as well as idealized responses for certain simple sensor geometries (e.g., two-element cylindrical telescope). The response function library, available now in Matlab and Python, exploits the data in the response files to compute the weight matrices that represent the sensor response as integrals of energy and angle. The library also provides routines for converting between sensor coordinates and pitch angle coordinates, as well as a bowtie analysis utility for estimating counts to flux conversion factors. The draft standard can be found at https://github.com/PRBEM/PRBEM.github. io/tree/main/documents and the response function library can be found at https://github.com/PRBEM/ IRBEM-extras.

The final regular presentation was by Antoine Brunet updating the current state of the open-source International Radiation Belt Environment Model (IRBEM) library (https://github.com/PRBEM/IRBEM) maintained by the Panel. The library provides a variety of functions, including coordinate transforms, magnetic field tracing and coordinate calculation, and several radiation belt models. The core library is written in python with wrappers in IDL, Matlab and Python. Recent development efforts have focused on modernizing the development hosting and pipeline, and improving packaging and documentation.

The first discussion topic was led by Tsutomu Nagatsuma regarding the need to update the Panel’s standard data analysis procedure (https://github.com/PRBEM/PRBEM.github.io/tree/main/documents) into a more flexible guideline that can be used by Global Space-based Inter-Calibration System (GSICS) which is a collaborative effort under the World Meteorological Organization’s Coordination Group for Meteorological Satellites. The current version of the data analysis standard provides, among other things, constraints for defining in situ conjunctions. These constraints are too rigid for much of the GSICS work, especially for geosynchronous vehicles that never come into conjunction. Another significant issue is that the standard identifies calibration “gold standard” measurements that are now very old, and it is not apparent how to relate current measurements back to those gold standards. The Panel discussed the need to revise the standard, making it a guideline rather than a standard, and including worked examples from the specific sensors GSICS is presently working on. The Panel will coordinate this work via email over the coming months following the Scientific Assembly.

The final discussion topic was updating the Panel’s flux file data standard (https://github.com/PRBEM/ PRBEM.github.io/tree/main/documents), which is widely used by scientific missions for providing metadata and variable names and file contents for radiation measurements. Since the standard was last updated, a number of missions have had to tailor the standard to meet their specific needs. It was discussed and agreed that the standard needs to be extended to incorporate common tailoring to avoid discrepancies as different missions make different tailoring choices. Also in that time, the SPASE metadata model has matured to the point that it would be desirable to be able to map from the PRBEM file format to the SPASE model. This work has already begun by the Panel over a series of emails and telecons prior to the Scientific Assembly.

The Panel agreed to take a two stage approach: first to update the data model in the existing standard to include the common tailorings, and then to update the metadata, in coordination with the SPASE team, to become SPASE compliant. The second task, updating the metadata, is expected to be facilitated by collaboration with metadata experts via joint session at the next Scientific Assembly with the proposed new Machine Learning and Data Science Panel.

The Panel found that using the extended discussion period to advance the maintenance and improvement of the Panel’s standards and tools was a very fruitful use of our Panel’s time at the Scientific Assembly.

PSB.1 Scientific Ballooning: Recent Developments in Technology and Instrumentation

MSO/DO: Hideyuki Fuke (ISAS/JAXA, Japan), Vincent Dubourg (CNES, France)

The following report covers the balloon panel PSB.1 “Scientific ballooning: recent developments in technology and instrumentation”. The session was chaired by Mr. Abrahamsson (SSC). A total of seven quarter days were devoted to this panel. Around 20 dedicated people participated in the PSB.1 presentation. They were mainly Japanese, Indian and Chinese, only a few Europeans (mainly Italians, French and Germans), one single American, as the NASA BPO people’s participation was canceled at the last minute. The low European participation is explained by the distance from Korea and maybe also by the competition from the ESAPAC symposium in Lucerne in May 2024 where the European community of balloon users participated in large numbers.

For PSB.1, the agenda was full, with 25 presentations scheduled, including a round table on the reuse of hydrogen. A total of withdrawals occurred at the last moment, notably those of NASA BPO and certain associated scientists (from XL-CALIBUR, SUNRISE, etc.), due to campaigns in progress (the transatlantic flight campaign in Kiruna, and a Japanese campaign at their national base in Taiki (Hokkaido).

CNES Transat 2024 aboard a ZPB flight from Esrange, Kiruma, Sweden.

The first half-day, Sunday 14 July (morning), was devoted to presentations of the results of the activities of each national agency since the 2022 COSPAR in Athens. We noted the current strong dynamism of the balloon activity throughout the world, and in Europe with CNES (STRATEOLE 2, Transat campaign, and SSC (Swedish Space Corporation) (numerous balloon flights from Esrange in recent years), but also in India, in Japan and in China.

The French national report was presented first. The recent successful campaigns of zero pressure balloons (ZPB), STRATO SCIENCE 2023 in Timmins (4 flights) and TRANSAT 2024 in Kiruna (3 flights), was described. A first Transatlantic flight, from Kiruna to Canada was performed by CNES in June 2024, with an 800,000 cubic metre ZPB, flying at 36-40 km in altitude, carrying a payload of 900 kg. The flight of 3 days and 17 hours was a success, as well as the recovery of all the hardware, in Baffin Island. Also the two STRATEOLE 2 first campaigns of long duration super pressure balloons were presented, that already yielded more than 12 scientific publications in the field of atmospheric physics, chemistry and meteorology of the stratosphere. Finally, the new development of a steerable long duration balloon, the BALMAN, was presented.

Then, SSC reported on Swedish balloon activity, showing the improvements and new investments at Esrange and the balloon campaigns carried out recently. There were BEXUS flights each year for ESA (Education), the EXOMARS decelerator drop tests, the CNES campaigns of 2021 (KLIMAT) and 2024 (Transat) and the US transatlantic flights campaigns of 2022 (2 flights) and 2024 (4 successful flights finally carried out after more than 3 months of campaign). This report was also an opportunity to show some very beautiful videos of balloon releases, produced by the SSC.

The representative of the China Academy of Science (CAS) showed many recent achievements in the field of ZPBs, of which they use up to 1 million cubic metre balloons, manufactured in the suburbs of Beijing, of super pressure balloons, but also tethered balloons.

The Indians at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) are active in scientific stratospheric balloons, and produce BSOs (open stratospheric balloon) of up to 740,000 cubic metres, which they inflate with hydrogen. They have just designed a heavy-duty BSO of 226,000 cubic metres, with a reinforcement cap, to carry a manned pressurized cabin of more than 2 tons, for the Halo Space company (Spain).

Tetsuya Yoshida presented the Japanese national report: ISAS-JAXA have a fairly significant balloon activity, they manufacture their ZPBs in Japan, and carry out their release campaigns from their Taïki site (Hokkaido) or from Alice Springs in Australia for astronomy missions and payloads that cannot be recovered at sea. Several scientific publications are expected following the recent flight campaigns. Also pressurized balloons are manufactured and tested in Japan (see Poster TWT-370 PSB.1-0027-24), with the objective of developing for astronomy, the equivalent of the American SPB, a pumpkin-type balloon of 300,000 cubic metres on the Japanese side, for 530,000 cubic metres in the USA. For the moment the Japanese are carrying out ground tests of models from 2000 to 6400 cubic metres, and developing the release method.

Finally, Mongolia has recently developed an activity of light balloons for science and education which they collect in the wide steppes, and they anticipate demands from international operators of stratospheric balloons to come to make flights in their country, which spans 2,300 km in length, with a population density of only 2 inhabitants per square km!

Among the notable presentations, we could mention the following:

1) The GUSTO Gondola Design and Flight Performance, by Steven Arnold (JHU/APL, USA): GUSTO, for Galactic/Extragalactic Ultra long duration balloon Spectroscopic-stratospheric Terahertz Observatory: The mission aims at studying the functioning of the Milky Way and of the Large Magellan Cloud in the far infrared. The 2,270 kg pod, pointed to an accuracy of better than 10 arcsec, broke the record for Antarctic flight duration under a ZPB, reaching 57 days and 7 hours in January-February 2024. All instruments on board performed well. Using the Starlink system allowed them to recover all telemetry at over 500 Mbits/s.

2) The free flight test of a Hayabusa-type sample return capsule (SRC) using a scientific balloon in JAXA’s Australian balloon campaign in 2023, by Ryosuke Ono: JAXA-ISAS JAXA was able to test its sample return capsule by dropping it from a ZPB released from Alice Springs during the 2023 campaign. The longest part was obtaining authorization to land the capsule on the Australian soil, and then to have the right wind conditions to carry out the release in the defined area.

3) BISOU: A future balloon to study CMB (Cosmic Microwave Background) spectral distortions, by Bruno Maffei, IAS-CNRS, France. Bruno Maffei presented the expected performances of the instrument, particularly in terms of cryogenics. This phase A project at CNES is a candidate for the Kiruna-Canada transatlantic flight.

4) The discussion on the reuse of hydrogen, moderated by Mattias Abrahamsson (SSC), in the absence of the leader of the Hydrogen working group, Sarah Roth from NASA BPO: The SSC has confirmed that Esrange would be ready to host a first demonstration of inflation a ZPB with hydrogen, knowing that a production plant will soon be installed in the region of Kiruna. The agreed procedures and rules will be developed and shared among all participants of the WG.

The JAXA, CNES and SSC participants were then unanimous in inviting the Indians from TIFR to this working group, knowing that they always and only use hydrogen for all their balloons. In particular, we asked TIFR to present their safety rules and procedures to us.

Conclusion:

This symposium was a good forum for exchanges between the international technical, education and scientific balloon communities, in particular to meet Indian, Japanese and Chinese players who are practically absent at the ESAPAC symposium, though they operate stratospheric balloons on a scale quite similar to the US and European actors.

We had the opportunity to meet one person of the COSPAR organization (COSPAR Executive Director, Jean-Claude Worms, France), who suggested that we publish an issue of Advances on Space Research dedicated to balloons on horizon 1 to 2 years.

The next COSPAR Scientific Assembly will take place from Augus 1 to 9 August 2026 in Florence, Italy. The MSO for the PSB.1 panel will be Vincent Dubourg (CNES), and the DO Paolo Marzoli (University of Rome La Sapienza).

PSD.1 Satellite Dynamics: New Developments and Challenges for Earth and Solar System Sciences

MSO/DO: Heike Peter (PosiTim UG (haftungsbeschraenkt), Germany), Francesco Topputo (Politecnico di Milano, Italy)

PSD.2 Precision Orbit and Attitude Determination of Small Satellites, CubeSats, and Constellation and their Scientific Applications

MSO/DO: Shin-Chan Han (University of Newcastle, Australia), Adrian Jäggi (Astronomical Institute, University of Bern, Switzerland)

The Panel on Satellite Dynamics (PSD) organized two sessions at COSPAR 2024. The first one PSD.1 was entitled “Satellite Dynamics: New Developments and Challenges for Earth and Solar System Sciences” and the second one PSD.2, “Precision orbit and attitude determination of small satellites, CubeSats, and constellation and their scientific applications”.

PSD.1 covered all topics related to the panel. The event had scheduled 25 oral presentations in five quarter day sessions and three poster presentations. Unfortunately, two contributions were withdrawn and one noshow occurred. Four oral presentations were solicited and each was given at the beginning of a quarter day session.

They are summarized here:

• Dach et al., IGS – 30 years in service for science and society: A very good summary of the history and great achievements of the International GNSS Service in the last 30 years

• Park S., Development of KPS and KASS: programs to provide PNT services in Korea: First-hand information about the status and development of KPS (Korean Positioning System) and KASS (Korean Augmentation Satellite System).

• Visser et al., MAGIC – Summary of Phase A science activities: Results and findings from simulations in Phase A science activities for the gravity field mission

• Campagnola S., Europa Clipper Mission Design: Insight into the complex work to design trajectories for the mission fulfilling all mission needs and goals

After the very impressive and very informative solicited presentations a broad spectrum of topics were discussed. A first focus was on the European Galileo satellite navigation system with the discussion of dynamic satellite models, the performance of the new Galileo High Accuracy Service (HAS) in Canada and activities for Fundamental Physics applications within the Galileo for Science Project in Italy. The impact of a new combined Earth Rotation Parameter product from BKG (Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie, Frankfurt, Germany) on GNSS satellite orbit modelling in general was also presented.

The approved future European GENESIS mission was the topic of two presentations. In preparation for the mission many simulation studies are being carried out to assess, among others, the expected GNSS tracking performance and to learn about the impact of erroneous input models on the results and finally the mission goals. The Terrestrial Reference Frame (TRF) is an important pillar for all applications of satellite dynamics and a presentation on the updates of the JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) realization of the TRF was given followed by an analysis of new methods for SLR (Satellite Laser Ranging) Normal Point Generation and their impact on the parameter estimation in the SLR processing.

New developments in Earth gravity field determination and the high-precision non-gravitational force modelling for it was discussed in two contributions. A status report on the activities and enhancements of the Copernicus Precise Orbit Determination (POD) Service responsible for the operational orbit determination of the Copernicus Sentinel satellites was given as well. Implications of physics-based force model performance in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) on the next-generation Space Traffic Management (STM) were discussed in view of the large growth of satellite deployments in LEO in the last and in particular in the upcoming years.

A detailed and sophisticated multiscale astro-dynamical analysis was presented for improved cislunar domain awareness. The progress, enhancements and success of the ERC-funded EXTREMA project, which enables self-driving interplanetary probes, was presented afterwards. Impressive and unexpected results of the Italian Spring Accelerometer on-board the Bepi-Colombo spacecraft during the Venus flyby were discussed as well.

MAQUIS – a concept for a Mars quantum gravity mission was presented with a discussion about what is to be learned from such a mission for other future gravity missions. A learning-based self-tuning fuzzy controller for fluid wheel satellite attitude control was explained followed by a novel approach for accurate passive magnetic stabilization in Cube-Sats.

As in previous assemblies the first PSD event was concluded by a poster introduction round giving the five poster presenters from PSD.1 and PSD.2 the opportunity to briefly explain the main messages of their posters.

The second PSD event “Precision orbit and attitude determination of small satellites, CubeSats, and constellation and their scientific applications” was scheduled for twelve oral and two poster presentations. One oral contribution was withdrawn. Two quarter days were filled with the presentations, which covered a broad spectrum of topics. It started with a presentation on POD results of selected satellites of the Spire constellation and their application for geodetic, geophysical and ionospheric studies. The orbit determination of China’s space station based on GPS and Beidou tracking data was presented. The complex shape and large dimension make this very challenging. GPS and Beidou-based POD was also the topic of the next presentation where POD of the inclined geosynchronous LT4A satellite has been presented. Similar to the GENESIS mission one has to deal with GNSS side-lobe observations for this satellite. Formation of a space-based GNSS network of geodetic satellite missions and the corresponding difficulties and obstacles were presented as well. Next a hardware simulation of GPS-based relative navigation for the VISION CubeSat mission was introduced and explained. The use of relative position vector measurements for the geolocation of formation flying spacecrafts was analyzed in the following contribution.

The second quarter day started with a presentation on the calibration of MEMS gyroscopes via a highprecision magnetometer, which has been applied based on telemetry during the SamSat-ION nanosatellite mission. The simulation of attitude pointing performance of CubeSats for optical communications was presented followed by a presentation about the Attitude Maneuvering Profile Software (AMPS). The software is a verified attitude and antenna tracking profile generator for LEO satellites. The CisLunar space was the topic of the next presentation with in-orbit target-based autonomy for enhanced control and stability of small satellite constellations. With a presentation on trajectory optimization of a dual-arm space manipulator the successful second PSD event was concluded.

TGII.1 Idea as a Transformative Global Issue: Advancing Positive Sustainable Change in Education and the Workforce Throughout the Scientific Community

MSO/DO: Mary Snitch (Lockheed Martin Space, USA)/Aura Roy (Lockheed Martin Space, USA), Jovonni Spinner (American Institute of Physics, USA)

The COSPAR IDEA Initiative was launched and first presented at the Scientific Assembly in Athens, Greece, in 2022. In only two years, COSPAR has become an impactful voice for IDEA, working together with the US National Academy of Engineering, the American Institute for Physics, the IAF, Space Faculty-Singapore and others to advance IDEA principles for all.

In this session, distinguished panelists from around the globe who champion IDEA principles shared perspectives on how opportunities are opened and organizations thrive through inclusiveness, equity, belonging and mentoring. The group also addresses how to assess, manage, mitigate and resolve organizational, reputational, and even economic risks where IDEA principles have not yet been cultivated. Distinguished expert panelists were represented by the Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI), American Institute for Physics (AIP), the US National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM), Space Faculty/Singapore. The lively discussion addressed topics including (1) the role of international cooperation in bridging the technological gap between countries and fostering a more inclusive global space economy, (2) how implementing IDEA principles opens a myriad of opportunities to participate in the growing space economy, (3) achievements of AIP’s TEAM-UP initiative opening doors for African Americans to pursue degrees in physics and astronomy and (4) risks to the organization, reputation and economic sustainability of not incorporating IDEA into the workforce.

A highlight of the TGII session was to announce that the Task Group has been approved for elevation to the Panel on IDEA (PIDEA), effective immediately. Many Task Group members will continue on with the PIDEA. We will begin work this Fall to collaborate with Commissions and Panels to develop an impactful, informative science agenda for Florence 2026, integrating guiding principles of IDEA with advancing scientific discovery. For interest or information on the new PIDEA, contact Mary Snitch mary.snitch@lmco.com.

The Role of Industry as Collaborative Partner with COSPAR 2021-2024 Progress Report

[ Nelson Pedreiro, Chair, Committee on Industry Relations (2022-26), VP and Chief Engineer, Lockheed Martin Space, USA]

As a centerpiece of the COSPAR Strategic Plan of 2019-23, then-President Len Fisk called for the creation of a Committee on Industry Relations (CIR) and in 2021 named Dr. Nelson Pedreiro, Vice President, Lockheed Martin Space, as the first Chair. In its 60-year history, COSPAR had not formally engaged with industry, and the CIR was recognized as a critically important strategic shift.

The objective of the CIR is to increase industry engagement with COSPAR to further and accelerate COSPAR’s mission of promoting space research. Aligned with this objective, the CIR promotes engagement of industry representatives with university, government and academic researchers in pursuit of common goals for advancing scientific research, building expertise in areas such as Earth remote sensing, space weather, planetary exploration, planetary protection, astrophysics, advanced spacecraft and instrument development, and the scientific exploration of the Moon.

The CIR became operational in 2021 embracing first the task of developing a strategic plan to increase COSPAR engagement with industry. The plan, comprising 22 specific recommendations, was reviewed and approved by the COSPAR Bureau, and the CIR proceeded to implement the strategic plan. From its start in 2021, CIR industry members grew from eight mostly US-based companies, to 18 companies representing Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Europe, Korea, and Japan. This time-span included the 2022 COSPAR Scientific Assembly in Athens, where the CIR was formally introduced by President Fisk to the broader COSPAR community in a Plenary session. President Fisk remarked “this Committee is carrying out the strategic objectives exactly as COSPAR envisioned”, which was justified by the number of CIRsponsored sessions in the Athens Assembly, and the increased number of CIR-sponsored activities in the 2024 Scientific Assembly in Busan.

Although there is much work to be done in implementing the strategic plan, significant progress has been made enhancing the relevance and voice of industry in support of COSPAR, which will last long into the future. Notable accomplishments realized in 2021-2024 include:

• Formulated strategic plan to promote industry engagement in COSPAR;

• Received Bureau approval and implemented all 1-2 year recommendations;

• Organized CIR-focused Panels, in the 2022 and 2024 Scientific Assemblies;

• CIR focus in Space Research Today, creation of Industry Corner in COSPAR website, updated COSPAR LinkedIn presence ; https://cosparhq.cnes.fr/scientific-structure/industry-corner/; and view CIR interview with Dr. Pedreiro - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2Rrkk3kSjo

• Named CIR Liaisons to Panels on Exploration, Potentially Environmentally Detrimental Activities in Space (PEDAS), Innovative Solutions, Social Sciences & Humanities, Space Weather, Planetary Protection; driving collaboration with science and industry;

• Collaborated with the Panel on Innovative Solutions, chaired by Dr. Eric Smith, Lockheed Martin, to organize sessions aligned with CIR;

• Collaborated with the Panel on IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility), Chaired by Mary Snitch, Lockheed Martin, to organize sessions highlighting the role of IDEA in science;

• CIR Members invited to engage on strategic mission opportunities, i.e. Apophis, Sustainable Lunar Exploration, etc;

• Collaborated with Scientific Commission G, organizing a special session on Microgravity in the 2024 Scientific Assembly in Busan;

The Busan Assembly this July marked two years for the CIR and we believe that industry Main Science Organizers (MSOs) and speakers contributed tremendous value to the agenda with topics including: Space Law and Policy in the Final Frontier; Global Solutions for Orbital Debris; Implications of Launch Service Market Evolution for Future Science Missions; Apophis T-5 years: Ongoing plans, James Webb Space Telescope (JWST): Science Highlights of the First Two Years; and Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO).

Building on the significance of these broad-area discussions in Busan conducted by experts representing NASA, Space Telescope Institute, Secure World, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), US and international research universities and industry, the CIR is positioned to collaborate even further with Scientific Commissions (namely B and G) and Panels (PDEAS, PEX, PSW, PPP, and PoIS, PIDEA) to develop an agenda for Florence 2026, integrating space science and discovery with public private partnerships. For interest in learning more about the Committee on Industry Relations, contact Mary Snitch, mary.snitch@lmco.com.

Planetary Protection On All Fronts!

The work of the COSPAR Panel on Planetary Protection (PPP) never stops, and this autumn has been especially busy.

Several members of the PPP attended the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) 2024 in Milan, Italy, and gave presentations. In particular, COSPAR’s Policy on Planetary Protection was featured there in three talks by the Chair of the Panel, Athena Coustenis, in Sessions A3.1, A1.6 and A5.3 where, among other topics, she exchanged with the audience on “Advancing the COSPAR Policy on planetary protection measures for a safe and sustainable exploration”.

Also at that meeting, during the International Astronautical Academy (IAA) Day on 13 October, Athena had a chance to speak on future large observatory concepts to characterise exoplanets. This meeting was followed by a glamorous awards ceremony and gala dinner where she met with Charles Bolden, Bill Nelson, Pamela Melroy and Julie Payette.

The course covered a wide range of topics on planetary protection

Planetary protection also means keeping abreast of, and training in, the latest data, techniques and practices. The 2024 ESA international planetary protection training course is a benchmark for such training, and was held at the Fraunhofer IPA in Stuttgart, Germany, on 21-24 October 2024. The host was the Department of Ultraclean Technology and Micromanufacturing at the Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation. The course covered a wide range of topics on planetary protection, including a training session in a cleanroom and bio lab. Trainers included experts from Fraunhofer IPA, ESA, NASA, JAXA, DLR, University of Graz, Airbus Defence and Space, Thales Alenia Space, and COSPAR.

A snapshot of lectures covered the basics of microbiology; space law, policy and governance of outer space activities; the COSPAR Policy on Planetary Protection and the Panel on Planetary Protection; the European Cooperation for Space Standardization (ECSS) standards for planetary protection; planetary protection requirements and implementation at ESA, NASA, JAXA; planetary protection approaches for Mars missions, including the Mars Organic Molecular Analyser and Earth Return Orbiter; Mars sample return and curation; Bioburden data analysis; Cleanroom and Laboratory techniques and practices with corresponding training sessions at the Fraunhofer IPA cleanroom and laboratory facilities.

The PP training course was organized by Silvio Sinibaldi, ESA Planetary Protection Officer, and member of the COSPAR PPP,

Some participants and lecturers in the training course

together with Udo Gommel, Guido Kreck and colleagues at Fraunhofer IPA. Link here

Other forums beckoned, and on 30 October, Athena Coustenis attended and presented the COSPAR Panel on Planetary Protection activities at the Science Mission Directorate three-day virtual workshop, “Science and Planetary Protection in Advance of Human Missions Seminar,” which took place from 30 October to 1 November and which included excellent talks of great relevance for future missions to Mars, both human and robotic. More information can be found at this link

These presentations and the numerous Sessions and Workshops that incorporate Planetary protection elements these past years are a testimony to the increased interest of the scientific community, the industrial sector and the general public for the principles COSPAR defends via its Panel on Planetary Protection for compliance with the Outer Space Treaty articles.

The COSPAR Panel on Planetary Protection regularly updates its webpage, here, and there is now a dedicated Facebook account here, please follow and share !

From left to right:

COSPAR General Counsel Niklas Hedman in the cleanroom; COSPAR PPP member Petra Rettberg examining lab results; COSPAR PPP Chair Athena Coustenis at the IAA Day in Milan

Every planetary protection officer’s nightmare

Task Group on IDEA Initiative Becomes Panel on IDEA (PIDEA)

[

Mary Snitch – Chair of PIDEA]

The COSPAR Strategic Action Plan 2019-2023 presented a call to action to define a roadmap to achieve Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) across the entire organization and its membership to enhance all work. A central part of the initiative was to establish a Task Group on IDEA (TGII) and to name a first-ever IDEA Coordination Officer (ICO), a Bureau position extended to and accepted by Mary Snitch for a term, 2022-2026. As a first step to implementation of the IDEA initiative, at the 2022 Scientific Assembly in Athens, Greece, a Workshop was held with distinguished experts to launch the dialogue on how COSPAR could impact the next scientific workforce through building a culture of IDEA.

The original purpose of IDEA to encompass a comprehensive and forward-looking definition of diversity to drive growth and impact for COSPAR constituents remains strong today and is gaining momentum. The aim to develop a stronger culture of diversity and inclusion extending to COSPAR Assemblies and Symposia, Scientific Commissions and Panels, and Awards, and COSPAR Governance is enthusiastically embraced. IDEA is attracting degreed scientists and general science enthusiasts from all economic sectors, to include diversity of gender, age, race, ethnicity and chosen academic fields. With IDEA principles being integrated into all aspects of COSPAR–events, governance, member recognition–the organization is being recognized as a global voice in welcoming the talent entering the field every year, where they will see themselves contributing to an environment that embraces those principles.

"The aim to develop a stronger culture of diversity and inclusion is enthusiastically embraced"

Since our first meeting of the TGII in 2022, much has been accomplished to advance the significant impact of IDEA:

• At the beginning of 2024, TGII included 34 Members representing 14 nations (from Asia to the Middle East to Europe and the US) and profiles ranging from university students to career professionals;

• Statement of Principles applied to governance, COSPAR events, honours and awards (link);

• Code of Conduct applied to all COSPAR engagement, internally and the global scientific arena (link);

• Affiliate engagements with IAU, IAF, AIP, NASEM, Space Faculty and others;

• Contribution to Capacity Building Workshops;

• Organized IDEA panel – Scientific Symposium, Singapore, 2023;

• Organized IDEA panel – Scientific Assembly, Busan 2024

• Collaborate with all Scientific Commissions and Panels to organize special sessions at future Assemblies and Symposia;

This summer in Busan the TGII was elevated to a Panel on IDEA (PIDEA). We will develop an ambitious agenda and action plan for the coming 2-4 years to expand IDEA and prepare for the 2026 Assembly in Florence and in Dubai in 2028.

For information on how you may participate in or join the PIDEA, please contact me as Panel Chair at mary.snitch@lmco.com , or Vice-Chair Luisella Giulicchi Luisella.giulicchi@esa.int

"We will develop an ambitious agenda and action plan for the coming 2-4 years"

KAI

Joins COSPAR as an Industrial Associated Supporter

In August, Korea Aerospace Industries, Ltd (KAI) became an Industrial Associated Supporter member of COSPAR. The entire COSPAR community extends a warm welcome.

Panel on Machine Learning and Data Science (PMLDS)

In July 2022, Yuri Shprits, Chair of Sub-Commission D3: Magnetospheres, made a proposal in Athens during the 44th COSPAR Scientific Assembly (COSPAR 2022), to establish a Panel on Machine Learning and Data Science (PMLDS). The proposal was discussed at the annual meeting in March 2024 and endorsed by Scientific Commission D, by Sub-commission D3 and by the Panel on Radiation Belt Environment Modelling (PRBEM) Business Meeting that took place on 19 July 2024 in Busan, South Korea. Yuri Shprits is also co-Chair of PRBEM.

The COSPAR Bureau has agreed to set up this new Panel on Machine Learning and Data Science. A joint session is already proposed for COSPAR 2026 in Florence, Italy, in coordination with the Panel on Innovative Solutions (PoIS)—PoIS deals with other subjects and takes different kinds of impetus and directions, e.g. innovation, AI, etc. It is hoped that the Panel’s activity should start in time for the Cyprus Symposium, 3-7 November 2025 and will be closely coordinated with PoIS.

Machine learning tools are effectively used for problems of regression and classification

The need for a new COSPAR Panel stems from the rapid growth of Machine learning (ML) and Data Sciences (DS) as fields of research. ML and DS have advanced various domains of industry, such as fraud detection, web search results, credit scoring, automation, email spam filtering, and, most recently, space research.

Machine learning tools are effectively used for problems of regression and classification including image analysis and development of empirical models as well as intelligent AI that helps understand the underlying processes. AI tools can help develop algorithms to analyze data, combine sparse data into global empirical models, help calibrate instruments, develop empirical versions of the numerically expensive models etc. for a number of COSPAR related fields such as Earth observations, analysis of data from lunar and planetary missions, space observations of the atmosphere, ionosphere, and magnetosphere, life sciences, material sciences, human health risk modelling and telemedicine, and help understand fundamental processes in space.

It is most important and timely to have a central focused panel

An increasing amount of data from multiple sensors requires the development of new methods and tools that can enable the storage, sharing, access, and searching of data. This panel’s events will address the growing number of advances in machine learning, giving a platform to present the latest techniques, tools and results emerging from this field. It will involve scientists and ML/DL experts from various COSPAR commissions and from panels. While discussions on AI are certainly taking place in all commissions of COSPAR, it is most important and timely to have a central focused panel, where the tools, methods, and approaches of AI and DS will be discussed and shared.

Erasmus+ Projects Well Underway

Part of the COSPAR Panel on Education’s new approach to its mission of developing “means and media to encourage and spread space-related education” involves COSPAR partnering in two Erasmus+ projects, launched in the autumn of 2023. One is Students As plaNetary Defenders (StAnD), coordinated by the Italian Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF), which aims to engage primary and secondary school students in the subject of asteroids, meteors, and planetary defence. The other, the EXpeditionary Program for Learning OppoRtunities in Analog Space Exploration or EXPLORE, led by the Austrian Space Forum (OeWF), invites students to engage in activities similar to analog missions simulating Moon or Mars environments.

One year on, both projects are now well underway. Here we give you a summary of what’s been happening.

The first Summer School for each project was held in Marathon, Greece, from 30 June to 5 July 2024. This was not just a week of professional development, but an opportunity for participating teachers from the countries involved to meet each other and get to grips with their project. For StAnD, the partner trainers introduced the project in full, presenting the toolkits to the teachers, from online resources to the custom-built meteor detection camera. Sessions were given on a variety of subjects, including minor bodies, space debris, impact craters, and measuring asteroids, with hands-on sessions involving Astrometrica, Stellarium, and even a meteorite hunt. This gave the participants plenty of material to begin working on scenarios for their own classes, and they each presented their own lesson plan on the last day.

The StAnD project now has participants in France, Germany, Greece, Italy and Portugal, and Multiplier Events, where the project is presented to teachers, parents and the general public, have been held in

each country. Participating schools are receiving the meteor camera kit and these should be operational by the end of the year. The partners are currently preparing micrometeorite kits for other participating schools to share. The first StAnD asteroid campaign, in collaboration with the International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC), ran from 25 October to 19 November 2024. We are happy to report that five schools from Portugal and two from schools in Italy took part, resulting in 8 preliminary asteroid discoveries.

The second campaign is running, at time of writing, and the remaining campaigns are scheduled for 23 January to 17 February 2025, 21 February to 19 March 2025, and 23 April to 19 May 2025.

The EXPLORE Summer School allowed participating teachers from Austria, Greece, and Portugal to meet each other, learn more about this project, and plan an analog mission to explore Mars. Virtual and online toolkits were presented and sessions covered subjects including all the requirements and procedures for an analog mission. Specific workshops focused on communication methods, for example, on planning a traverse (i.e. a scientific mission outside the habitat), and on donning and doffing the space suit, among others. By the end of the week, participants were able to begin planning a full-day mission. At the time of writing, the EXPLORE mission toolkits were being delivered to the schools involved in the project in all three countries, and work has started on the mission habitat in Portugal.

If you are interested in these projects, or know of teachers looking for innovative ways to inspire their students in STEM subjects, please sign up on the websites below or share the links:

StAnD: https://projectstand.eu

EXPLORE: https://explore-project.eu

The Summer School enabled teachers involved in the Erasmus+ EXPLORE and StAnD projects (see previous page) to meet and test some of the material and activities. In the sun!

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS

Apophis 2029: Seizing the Once-per-Millennium Knowledge Opportunity for Planetary Defence Science

[By Richard P. Binzel, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA]

Asteroid Apophis is coming, whether we are ready or not. Each passing day brings us closer to 13 April 2029, when the 340-meter asteroid Apophis will safely but narrowly miss Earth by only 31,000 km, a distance less than one-tenth that of the Moon. At closest approach, the Eiffel Tower-sized Apophis will be visible with the naked eye for two billion people as it passes overhead closer than geosynchronous satellites (Fig. 1). Two decades of orbital tracking, including high precision radar measurements completely rule out any possibility of Apophis colliding with Earth in 2029 and for centuries into the future [1]. The reality of Apophis safely passing by is sobering good news. Apophis is 7 times larger, and with a chondritic composition [2], 350 times more massive than estimates for the Tunguska 1908 impactor [3] and 5,000 times more massive than the 2013 Chelyabinsk air burst [4]. Instead of being a threat, Apophis is a space reality event serving as a wakeup call for asteroid awareness, and better yet, a prize opportunity for advancing our knowledge for planetary defence.

Apophis will be visible with the naked eye for two billion people as it passes overhead

Figure 1: Close encounter of the 340-meter asteroid (99942) Apophis on 13 April 2029, safely passing Earth at onetenth the lunar orbit distance (outer circle) and closer than geosynchronous satellites. Tidal stresses imparted by Earth on Apophis offer a measurable experiment to deduce the interior structural properties of a potentially hazardous; a natural experiment imparting external forces on an asteroid beyond the capability of any artificial means. (Image credit: P. Chodas, JPL)

Revealing the terra incognita interior structure of potentially hazardous asteroids is the prize within our reach, on offer by Apophis. Gaining knowledge of an asteroid’s structural integrity portends immeasurable value to all of humanity in the unlikely, but eventual in the long term, realization of a sizeable asteroid impact threat. Seizing this prized knowledge requires: i) deploying a panoply of space assets to characterize Apophis’ initial condition before its arrival; ii) monitoring Apophis throughout its close passage as Earth imparts its maximum tidal stresses throughout the interior of the asteroid [5]; and iii) tracking Apophis’ longer term shape and spin evolution post-encounter, which may be an ongoing re-equilibration process over many months or years [6]. The external forces being imposed by the Earth on Apophis greatly exceed what can be introduced by artificial means. Thus the Apophis 2029 encounter represents an otherwise unachievable natural experiment that nature is conducting “for free.” It is all right there in front us, available for humankind to reap the benefits. All we have to do is watch.

Figure 2: A two-century view (1900 to 2100) of known Earth-approaching asteroids within one-half the lunar distance. Apophis 2029 stands out as an extremely rare event over the current centuries; such a close approach for a sizeable asteroid is estimated to be a once-per-millennium occurrence. Object sizes are depicted according the scale bar (top left corner). Data are from https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/ ; low orbital certainty data are omitted. (Figure prepared by A. M. Earle and presented at the 2019 IAA Planetary Defense Conference [19]).

And what an extremely rare natural experiment the Apophis 2029 Earth encounter offers! A 0.1 lunar distance flyby of an asteroid as large as Apophis is estimated to occur only once-per-millennium, or less often [7] (Fig. 2). Nature has handed us a somewhat analogous opportunity once before, which the space science community seized with gusto: the 1994 Jupiter impact by Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 (SL9). The international space community jumped into immediate action as the comet discovery was made just sixteen months before Jupiter impact. Dedicating an entirety of Earth-based and space-based observing assets in measuring the SL9 collision outcomes proved transformative in advancing our knowledge of planetary impact physics [8]. Comet SL9 and Apophis are similarly rare experiments offered by nature, beckoning us to make the most of their scientific opportunity.

Planetary Defence = Applied Planetary Science

In the realm of planetary science, we are deeply interested to probe and discover the internal structure of solar system small bodies as being fundamental toward understanding the origin and evolution of these planetary building blocks. The same Earth-based and in situ exploration efforts funded by international space agencies toward achieving planetary science objectives simultaneously deliver practical knowledge necessary for planetary defence. In fact, physical parameters that one can define as essential for planetary defence (e.g. mass, composition, material strength, internal structure) are all derivable from the exploration tools and analysis methods of planetary science. Thus it can be directly derived in equation form: Planetary Defence = Applied Planetary Science. Earth-based and in situ investigations are the principal terms balancing this equation, where the imperative for in situ investigations is achieving measurement objectives complementing and extending what is obtainable from the ground. The longer lead times required for implementing in situ investigations bring this aspect to focus in the following discussion.

Examples abound of significant agency resources being dedicated for in situ missions to probe the interiors of planetary worlds. These include the Deep Impact mission penetration into Comet Tempel 1 [9] for small bodies and the InSight mission to probe the internal structure of Mars [10]. NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirect Test (DART) mission [11] represented the first spacecraft mission devoted to planetary defence objectives, whose outcomes await definitive post-impact reconnaissance by ESA’s Hera mission [12]

A commonality for all instrumental probes of planetary interiors is the need for activation: human-forced and agency funded impact activation in the case of the Deep Impact and DART missions and natural seismic activation in the case of InSight for Mars and Apollo seismometry for the Moon. The Apophis 2029 encounter with Earth provides the unprecedented opportunity to measure naturally induced seismic activity in the interior of a potentially hazardous asteroid. Extensive surveys measuring the surface properties of Earth approaching asteroids show significant evidence for physical changes occurring as a result of close Earth encounters at distances well beyond the classical Roche limit of 2-3 planetary radii [13]. While Apophis’ close approach distance is just beyond the Roche limit, at 5.9 Earth-radii, this is well within the range of encounter distances for which physical changes are inferred.

Under the direction of NASA, a Specific Action Team (SAT) was formed to evaluate and quantify, to the extent possible, the range of measurable physical outcomes on Apophis as a consequence of its Earth encounter [14]. Two certain effects are identified by the SAT: the orbit of Apophis will be modified in changing its semi-major axis from 1.1 AU to 1.3 AU, transitioning its orbit designation as an Aten asteroid to becoming an Apollo asteroid [1]. Also with certainty, Apophis’ spin state will change [15; 16]. The certainty that Apophis’ spin state will change motivates the detailed in situ study for possibly measurable real-time seismic vibrations and/or surface slope variations creating downslope movement of regolith over small scale or large scale regions of the asteroid. These possible effects could occur in the immediate moments during or after closest approach [5], or could evolve more slowly over the longer term (months or years) as the physical body of Apophis re-equilibrates to its new spin state [6]. Both the NASA SAT report and an Apophis 2029 White Paper [17] for the National Academy of Sciences Planetary Sciences Decadal Survey detail the range of predictions and related uncertainties for the occurrence and measurability of these physical effects. Given the potential outcomes and range of uncertainties, planetary science measurement investigations of the Apophis 2029 physical outcomes will be transformative in our knowledge of the structure of potentially hazardous asteroids, achievable through no other means. Null results below measurement detection thresholds would place boundary constraints as well, a fundamental tenet within the methods of science.

International Response to the Apophis 2029 Opportunity: Time and Cooperation are of the Essence

International recognition of the Apophis 2029 opportunity for planetary defence knowledge can trace its wave of support to the 2019 Planetary Defense Conference of the International Academy of Astronautics, which issued a specific conference conclusion and recommendation urging a vigorous Apophis planning effort. Follow-on advocacy, self-organized within the international planetary science community, includes a series of virtual workshops starting in 2020 with the countdown title: “Apophis T-9 Years: Knowledge Opportunity for the Science of Planetary Defense.” In the sequential years of holding these international workshops, interest has grown from ~100 participants to more than 250 participants representing 20 countries, most recently culminating with in-person attendance at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) for the “Apophis T-5 Years Workshop” in April 2024. Recognizing that time is of the essence, and the imperative for consensus, Apophis T-5 Workshop participants agreed to convey a direct consensus recommendation to the European Space Agency (ESA):

“Approve the implementation of Ramses-to-Apophis for achieving the maximum science and planetary defense knowledge from the Apophis 2029 encounter.”

In support of this recommendation, and as an outcome of additional studies, in July 2024 ESA announced approval to commence preparatory work for the Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (Ramses). This announcement was then followed by the signature of the industrial contract by ESA and the company OHB Italy at the International Astronautical Congress in Milano, Italy on 17 October 2024, to start the development of the spacecraft and ensure that it can be ready for launch in April 2028.

The formal decision whether to commit in full to the Ramses mission will be made at ESA’s Ministerial Council Meeting in November 2025. The world will be watching. ESA making a full commitment to Ramses will affirm to the world that planetary defence is a shared international responsibility. Ramses lays the cornerstone for Apophis in situ investigations by arriving at Apophis and performing a full characterization prior to Earth encounter, thereby setting the foundation for the post-encounter science by NASA’s later arriving OSIRIS-APEX mission. (OSIRIS-APEX is an approved extended operation of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission, which for reasons of thrust capacity and orbital mechanics, cannot reach Apophis until some months after Earth encounter.) Ramses and then OSIRIS-APEX at Apophis forms the perfect mirror image complement demonstrating planetary defence international cooperation. NASA’s DART mission arrived first at its target asteroid Dimorphos and performed its deflection test; ESA’s Hera mission subsequently arriving and performing the post-facto in situ investigation completes the planetary defence objectives. At Apophis, it will be ESA’s turn to lead with the initial characterization followed by NASA’s highly detailed follow-up investigation and long-term evaluation of the asteroid’s physical evolution.

Ramses lays the cornerstone for Apophis in situ investigations by arriving at Apophis and performing a full characterization prior to Earth encounter

Prominent international collaboration in planetary defence by ESA and NASA opens the door for additional partnerships from national space agencies, private space companies, independent research agencies, and universities. In fact, representatives from NASA, ESA, JAXA, ASI and KASA met during the COSPAR General Assembly 2024 to reinforce cooperation and coordination for future missions such as Apophis. Equally, these entities may choose to pursue independent investigations. With Apophis “coming to us” the opportunities abound for small sat and cube sat investigations being delivered into space just-in-time or ready and waiting in Earth’s vicinity. Such a flotilla would be like the paparazzi: Apophis would be the reality TV star whose arrival could be watched live around the world. Creative possibilities for new generations of space experiments appear endless with landers, seismometers, radar tomography, and other free flyers performing low cost experiments, all of them seizing on the rare opportunity. Launch service providers may realize prominent marketing opportunities in supporting Apophis investigations as the public becomes increasingly aware of Apophis’ arrival and heralds the benefits to humanity’s future space security being achieved through its comprehensive study. World-wide acclaim for the national and private resources being dedicated will amplify and validate the return on investment.

Apophis 2029 as a Challenge and Opportunity for Public Communication

Time is of the essence now, not only for implementing in situ investigations, but also for the international space community to begin publicly telling the Apophis story. What’s most immediately imperative is telling Apophis story now while time is on our side in getting the factual story out first. The imperative to be first in leading with the facts cannot be overstated as we must solidly establish the safe passage reality ahead of the inevitable fringe voices. The Apophis story lede is straightforward and true: “Apophis will safely pass the Earth. Apophis will safely pass the Earth. Apophis will safely pass the Earth.” Factual details of the long-term tracking history of Apophis, the precision of its current and future orbit determination, and the elimination of any calculable future impact threat are the essential story elements. Paragraph two of the Apophis story is the exploration and knowledge opportunity for securing our future space security through the responsive studies being carried out by the international space research community.

Apophis’ presence in the sky will be the first time in modern history that a potentially hazardous asteroid is knowingly visible to all of humanity’s unaided eye. Worldwide attention on Apophis and the space science community response are assured on 13 April 2029 as two billion people across western Europe and Africa will have a night-time sky opportunity to bear naked eye witness to Apophis’ presence and movement across the evening sky. (Closest approach occurs during daylight above the Atlantic Ocean.) Thus in the moment, Apophis will be a worldwide space experience simultaneously shared by an unparalleled number of people since the time of Apollo.

Recognizing the forthcoming worldwide attention, a United Nations proposal is pending for declaring 2029 as the International Year of Planetary Defense (IYPD) [18]. The proposal, being brought forward through the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), has as its goals the education of humankind on the issues related to close approaches of asteroids, their science value, their potential for future impacts, along with the challenges and potential accompanying their exploration and mitigation efforts. Lead entities and partners for the IYPD are envisioned to be the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR), the European Southern Observatory (ESO), among others.

Apophis is Coming: Ready or Not

In summary, it is vital that the international space research community recognize, embrace, and support the fortuitous knowledge opportunity nature is offering through the 2029 close approach by asteroid Apophis. While Apophis itself is not any foreseeable impact threat, it is a representative “poster child” for potentially hazardous asteroids that require knowledge and understanding to secure a long-term future for all of humankind. As such, the physical insights supporting planetary defence gained from vigorously investigating the Apophis 2029 encounter could be the most important applied science products ever delivered to humanity by the international community of space researchers.

Acknowledgments:

The author thanks the participants of the Apophis T-n Workshops for their ongoing contributions in determining the science potential of the Apophis 2029 opportunity. Logistical support for the Apophis Workshops has been provided by the Lunar and Planetary Institute and by ESA. Travel support for the Apophis Workshops has been made available through NASA Grant #80NSSC20K0713.

REFERENCES

[1] Farnocchia, D. et al. (2013) Icarus 224, 192. doi: 10.1016/j.icarus.2013.02.020

[2] Binzel, R. P. et al. (2009) Icarus 200, 480. doi: 10.1016/j.icarus.2008.11.028

[3] Robertson, D. K., Mathias, D. L. (2019) Icarus 327, 36. doi: 10.1016/j.icarus.2018.10.017

[4] Papova, O. P. (2013) Science 342, 1069. doi: 10.1126/science.1242642

[5] Kim, Y. et al. (2023) MNRAS 520, 3405. doi: 10.1093/mnras/stad351

[6] Ballouz, R. L. et al. (2024) Planetary Science Journal, in press. doi: 10.48550/arXiv.2406.04864

[7] Giorgini, J. D. et al. (2008) Icarus 193, 1 doi: 10.1016/j.icarus.2007.09.012

[8] Boslough, M. B. et al. (1994) Geophys. Res. Lett. 21, 1555. doi: 10.1029/94GL01582

[9] A'Hearn, M. F. et al. (2005) Science 310, 258 doi: 10.1126/science.1118923

[10] Garcia, R. F. et al. (2022) Nature Geoscience 15, 774 doi: 10.1038/s41561-022-01014-0

[11] Daly, R. T. et al. (2023) Nature 616, 443 doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-05810-5

[12] Michel, P. et al. (2022) Planetary Science Journal 3, 160 doi: 10.3847/PSJ/ac6f52

[13] Binzel, R. P. et al. (2010) Nature 463, 331 doi: 10.1038/nature08709

[14] Dotson, J. L. et al. (2022) https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/70238398

[15] Scheeres, D. J. et al. (2005) Icarus 178, 281 doi: 10.1016/j.icarus.2005.06.002

[16] Souchay, J. et al. (2018) Astron. Astrophys. 617, A74 doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/201832914

[17] Binzel, R. P. et al. (2021) Decadal Survey White Paper doi:10.3847/25c2cfeb.f87e0599

[18] Daou, D. and Koffler, R. (2022) 16th Europlanet Science Conference doi: 10.5194/epsc2022-91

[19] Binzel, R. P. (2019) Planetary Defense Conference abstract IAA-PDC- 19-03-01 https://iaaspace. org/wp-content/uploads/iaa/Scientific%20Activity/pdc2019program.pdf

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Richard P. Binzel is a Professor of Planetary Science, Joint Professor of Aerospace Engineering, and MacVicar Faculty Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Having published his first paper on asteroid physical studies in 1974, his asteroid research now spans six decades with a specialization in telescopic surveys revealing their compositional properties, orbital distributions, and relationships to meteorites. He is the creator of the Torino Scale as a tool for public communication to convey the potential hazard of newly discovered asteroids passing near the Earth. He has served as a NASA science team member for the New Horizons mission to Pluto and led the student instrument investigation aboard the OSIRIS-REx sample return mission. He is currently a science team member for NASA’s Lucy and Psyche missions and actively works as a principal science organizer for the international Apophis T-n workshops. He is a lead editor, co-editor, and General Editor for the foundational textbooks on asteroids and related planetary science fields published in the Space Science Series of the University of Arizona Press. He served two separate terms as Chair of the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society, is a fellow of the AAAS, AGU, and Meteoritical Society. He is a recipient of a National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator Award, the Harold C. Urey Prize, and received NASA’s Silver Achievement medal in 2017, the second highest honor the agency can bestow upon a civilian scientist. The asteroid (2873) Binzel was named in his honor by the International Astronomical Union.

COSPAR is particularly proud to have been the initiator of a historic gathering of representatives from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), European Space Agency (ESA), Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) and the newly created Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA) in Busan, South Korea, on 15 July 2024 to explore coordinating their planning and approach for missions to the asteroid (99942) Apophis. Read the press release .

(Image credit: L. Barry Hetherington)

Einstein Probe to Uncover Riches of the Dynamic X-ray Universe

[By Congying

Bao, Weimin Yuan, on behalf of the Einstein Probe team, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China]

The X-ray universe is a realm of high-energy events, where transients and variables unleash their extreme energies. The Einstein Probe (EP), a mission of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), is designed to explore these energetic phenomena, promising further profound discoveries.

EP is equipped with two state-of-the-art instruments for targeting high-energy cosmic events and tracking variable celestial objects. With a vast field-of-view of 3850 square degrees, the Wide-field X-ray Telescope (WXT) can monitor nearly the 1/10 whole sky in one shot. This, along with its 5 arcminutes spatial resolution, makes it exceptionally sensitive to faint and distant X-ray events. Its innovative lobster-eye optics provide a significant leap in sensitivity and reach over previous monitors. For a more intimate look at these cosmic events, EP also carries a conventional X-ray focusing telescope. With a larger effective area, the Followup X-ray Telescope (FXT) is ideal for detailed follow-up observations and precise localization of newly discovered transients.

Figure 1: Artist’s impression of Einstein Probe in space. (Credit: CAS/ESA.)

EP's primary science objectives are: (1) to discover and characterize cosmic X-ray transients, particularly faint, distant and rare X-ray transients, in large numbers; (2) to discover and characterize X-ray outbursts from otherwise normally dormant black holes; (3) to search for X-ray sources associated with gravitationalwave events and precisely locate them.

In-orbit testing period has already yielded promising preliminary scientific results

Following its successful launch on 9 January 2024, EP swiftly verified its operational readiness, showcasing efficient energy management and reliable control systems. In its commissioning phase, WXT and FXT completed meticulous calibrations, while the satellite proved its capacity for coordinated observations and swift, automated follow-ups. The in-orbit testing period has already yielded promising preliminary scientific results, paving the way for even more significant discoveries.

First Images

On 27 April 2024, EP unveiled its initial series of 11 in-orbit detection images, offering a look at the Milky Way's Center, the supermassive black hole in M87, the Omega Centauri cluster, and detailed observations of important supernova remnants like the Crab Nebula.

WXT captured an image of the Milky Way's core, as shown in Figure 2, after an approximately 40,000-second exposure. The image revealed numerous bright X-ray sources, appearing as distinctive cruciform patterns thanks to the WXT's Lobster-eye optics (in purple). The blue, cloud-like structures in the image are emissions from hot gases that pervade the central region of our Galaxy. Having the largest focusing panorama of its kind, the WXT covers nearly one-tenth of the sky.

Figure 2: The observation of WXT pointed to the center of the Milky Way Galaxy with exposure time of about 40 ksec. The X-ray sources are drawn with color purple, which is stacked with Digitized Sky Surveys image provided by European Southern Observatory (ESO). The squares outline the field of view of WXT, mosaicked by 12 modules composed of 4 CMOS sensors each (Credit: EPSC/NAOC/CAS) (DSS image credit: ESO.)

The Crab Nebula, a famous remnant from a supernova explosion that occurred in 1054, was welldocumented by astronomers during China's Song Dynasty. FXT has observed the pulsar located at the center of the Crab Nebula, as well as its surrounding pulsar wind nebula, using Partial-Window Mode (Window mode captures fast-changing celestial objects quickly due to its high frame rate). It captured detailed pulse profiles in Timing Mode (Timing Mode records light changes at microsecond or millisecond scales with high temporal resolution), which allowed for the precise determination of the pulsar's period and phase, as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3: (Right) FXT observed the pulsar located at the center of the Crab Nebula, as well as its surrounding wind nebula, using Partial-Window Mode. (Left) FXT captured detailed pulse profiles in Timing Mode, which allowed for the precise determination of the pulsar's period and phase. (Credit: EPSC/IHEP)

Detection of A Distant Gamma-Ray Burst Offers Early Universe Clues

In March 2024, EP-WXT detected a Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB), EP240315a, in the 0.5-4 keV energy band, during EP’s commission phase. This GRB, at a redshift of z = 4.859, exhibited a complex light curve in the soft X-ray band, in contrast to the commonly observed hard X-ray and Gamma-ray bands, offering new insights into GRB paradigm. The detection of EP240315a also demonstrates WXT's capability, with its panorama view and high sensitivity capturing the burst's early and late activities.

EP-FXT conducted follow-up observations from 42 hours to ten days post-burst, providing valuable data on the transient's evolution. The on-board processing unit of the EP satellite triggered a real-time alert to the EP science center within 10 seconds of detection.

EP240315a is now recognized as one of the most distant GRBs observed by a soft X-ray telescope

Collaborative observations with the Swift Burst Alert Telescope and Konus-Wind (through offline analysis), along with ground-based telescopes like the Beijing Faint Object Spectrograph and Camera (BFOSC) and the Alhambra Faint Object Spectrograph and Camera (ALFOSC), contributed to a multi-wavelength analysis of EP240315a.

EP240315a, detected at such a high redshift, is now recognized as one of the most distant GRBs observed by a soft X-ray telescope, marking a significant milestone in the study of high-redshift astrophysical events.

Figure 4: The Soft X-ray image of the EP240315a captured by one of the 48 WXT CMOS sensors on board the EP mission. The field of view of one CMOS is 9.3 × 9.3 square degrees. Two other bright X-ray sources are simultaneously detected. (Credit: EPSC/NAOC)

Looking Toward the Future

Currently, EP-WXT has detected over 7,000 known X-ray sources, approximately 500 stellar flares, and around 60 new transient sources. These newly identified transients encompass a variety of origin types, including Tidal Disruption Events (TDEs), gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), new magnetically variable stars, and new X-ray binary systems. Moreover, the much more sensitive EP-FXT, albeit with a much smaller FoV, has detected nearly 20000 X-ray sources, some of which were detected for the first time.

"EP has opened a new window into observing the dynamic X-ray universe, " said Dr. Weimin Yuan, PI of the EP mission. "EP's initial accomplishments have demonstrated EP’s ability to capture and study these fleeting cosmic events, which are crucial for understanding the physical laws in extreme conditions that govern the processes in these violent cosmic events and the formation of the first stars and galaxies."

Following its in-orbit validation on 22 July 2024, EP has officially entered its nominal science operations phase. EP is now set to unveil new insights into the dynamic X-ray universe.

REFERENCES

Yuan et al. 2022, Handbook of X-ray and Gamma-ray Astrophysics

Liu Y., et al. NA submitted, arXiv:2404.16425

EP-WXT has detected over 7,000 known X-ray sources, approximately 500 stellar flares, and around 60 new transient sources

The Einstein Probe (EP) is a pioneering mission dedicated to time-domain astronomy, specifically designed to monitor the sky in the soft X-ray band. The mission is spearheaded by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) with international collaboration from the European Space Agency (ESA), Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) in Germany, and the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES). EP is set to operate for a nominal three years, with a goal of extending to five years.

For more information, visit the EP Official Website https://ep.bao.ac.cn/ep/

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Ms Congying Bao serves as the coordinator for the Einstein Probe (EP) WXT instrument and the EP Science Center at the National Astronomical Observatories (NAOC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). She is also tasked with the administrative management of the EP Science Center Office and is responsible for public relations and outreach for the EP project.

Dr. Weimin Yuan, research scientist, is the lead of the High-energy Astrophysics Group at the National Astronomical Observatories (NAOC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). His research is concerned with X-ray and high-energy astrophysics, both observationally and experimentally. He received his PhD degree in physics from the Technical University of Munich/Max-Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, Germany. He led, as Principal Investigator, the proposal and scheme demonstration of the CAS’s soft X-ray all-sky monitor project from 2011 to 2015. Dr. Yuan has been the Principal Investigator of the CAS’s Einstein Probe (EP) mission since its proposal phase in 2013. He also serves as chair of the Science Management Committee of the international science team of EP.

NEWS IN BRIEF

AstroSat Exposes the Mystery of Vampire Star Rejuvenation

(from ISRO release, August 2024)

Astronomers at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics have long been chasing the formation path of vampire stars that are thought to rejuvenate their youth by sucking up material from their companion. They have now discovered a vampire star that bears the chemical imprint of recently sucked barium-rich material from its binary companion and unambiguously detected emission from the dead-remnant of its companion (Harshit Pal et al., 2024, Astrophysical Journal Letters 970, L39, doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ad6316). The key to this detection was data from the UltraViolet Imaging Telescope, on board AstroSat, India’s first dedicated space observatory. This finding is an important missing link in the rejuvenation of these stars.

Vampire stars, known to astronomers as blue straggler stars (BSS), are identified easily in star clusters. These stars defy simple models of stellar evolution and show many characteristics of younger stars. This anomalous youth is explained theoretically as due to rejuvenation by eating up material from a binary stellar companion. Star clusters are useful test-beds to test this theory as they host a large number of binary stars, some of which can lead to the formation of vampire stars. Once rejuvenated, these stars follow

a different path of evolution when compared to Sunlike single stars. So far, the detection of sucked-up material along with the sighting of their remnant binary companion was elusive.

Star clusters, being born from the same molecular cloud, can contain hundreds to thousands of stars with a wide range of masses but all contain very similar surface chemistry, making them ideal laboratories to understand how single and binary stars live and die. One such intriguing star cluster is M67, located in the constellation Cancer. Recently, a team of astronomers from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India made a ground-breaking discovery of a vampire star in M67, that sheds light on a complex rejuvenation process, known as mass-transfer in a binary system. The research paper, Harshit et al. (2024), provides rare insights into the binary star evolution process.

The scientists studied the surface composition of the vampire star in M67, called WOCS 9005, using spectroscopy, a technique where the light of the star is dispersed into its colours like the rainbow. The spectra of stars are bar codes that decipher

their surface/atmosphere chemistry. The team used the archival spectral data from the GALAH survey (GALactic Archeology using Hermes) that uses the Two-Degree Field fibre positioner with the HERMES spectrograph at the Anglo-Australian Telescope. “This star is expected to show chemistry very similar to our Sun, but we found that its atmosphere is rich in heavy elements such as barium, yttrium, and lanthanum”, said Harshit Pal, the lead author of the paper. Harshit Pal is a former BS-MS student of IISER Berhampur and he carried out this work as a part of his MS thesis project.

These heavy elements are rare and are found in a class of stars called ‘asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars’, where abundant neutrons for a slowly occurring neutron capture process (s-process) are available to produce these heavy elements from lighter ones. This process is responsible for creating approximately half the atomic nuclei heavier than Iron. However, these AGB stars shed their outer layers enriched with heavy elements into their surroundings before ending their lives as white dwarfs (WDs). However, these AGB stars are more massive and evolved than WOCS 9005, leading to a puzzle. "The presence of heavy elements in the spectrum pointed to a polluted atmosphere of the vampire star and the source of pollution being an external source. The external source is likely to be its binary companion, which must made the heavy elements when it passed through its AGB phase, and later became a white dwarf star", said Prof. Annapurni Subramaniam, co-author of the paper and IIA Director. “The blue straggler star that we see now must have eaten up most of this barium-rich material due to its gravitational pull, and is now presenting itself as a rejuvenated star”, she added. When the enhancement of barium (and other s-process elements) is detected in stars earlier than the AGB evolutionary phase, such as the main sequence (MS), subgiant (SG), or red giant branch (RGB), these stars are called barium stars. "The presence of significant barium in this

vampire star makes it the first barium blue straggler star discovered in the cluster M67'', said Dr. Bala Sudhakara Reddy, a co-author of the paper. The mass transfer from a companion AGB star has been extensively studied, though only a few chemically enriched post-mass transfer binaries have been identified in star clusters. Having established that the mass transfer took place, the team started their search for the unseen companion.

This vampire star was already known to have a very small unseen companion of half the mass of the Sun. White dwarf stars are hot and small and are bright in the ultraviolet, but very faint in the visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum. The team made use of the Ultra-Violet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) on board AstroSat, India's first multi-wavelength satellite launched in 2015, for their study. Using the UVIT on AstroSat, the scientists took images of the vampire star and estimated its UV brightness. As the vampire star has a temperature similar to the Sun, it is not expected to be bright in the UV. “Instead, we detected considerable UV brightness for this star, which on analysis proved that it indeed originated from its hot and small companion”, said Dr. Jadhav, who is a coauthor and a Humbolt fellow at University of Bonn, Germany. The scientists then theoretically calculated and validated that this is indeed the remnant of the star that produced heavy elements and that the two stars are close enough to transfer the matter from the donor star through the wind.

“This is for the first time the white dwarf remnant of the donor is sighted in the case of the polluted blue straggler star”, said Pal. This discovery experimentally confirms the theoretical prediction that vampire stars are formed by acquiring polluted matter through transfer from their companion, leaving behind a remnant white dwarf. The rarity of such chemically polluted systems is still a mystery and the team thinks that it may be due to the quick settling of the pollutants in the atmosphere of the vampire stars.

World's Fastest Optical Inter-satellite Communication at a Speed of 1.8 Gbps

(from JAXA release, October 2024)

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) successfully achieved optical inter-satellite communication at a speed of 1.8 Gbps between the Laser Utilizing Communication System (LUCAS) aboard the Optical Data Relay Satellite and the Advanced Land Observing Satellite-4 “DAICHI-4” (ALOS-4).

Since 4 July JAXA has been conducting the initial functional verification operations of DAICHI-4 to verify on-orbit operations of various onboard instruments. As part of this verification, a test to link DAICHI-4 to LUCAS began on 20 August. By establishing bidirectional acquisition and tracking between the optical inter-satellite communication instrument (Optical Leo Laser Communication Terminal; OLLCT) on board DAICHI-4 and LUCAS on board the Optical Data Relay Satellite, which are about 40,000 km apart, commanding was successfully transmitted to DAICHI-4, and telemetry was successfully retrieved from DAICHI-4. This confirmed that the data transmitted from DAICHI-4 reached LUCAS at the world's fastest communication speed of 1.8 Gbps (communication wavelength band of 1.5 μm).

▶ From left to right:

Laser-communication terminal aboard the Optical Data Relay Satellite. Laser-communication terminal aboard "DAICHI-4".

This is the world’s first successful optical inter-satellite communication between geostationary orbit and low Earth orbit at a communication speed of 1.8 Gbps in the 1.5 μm wavelength band. It is a speed 7.5 times faster than the 240 Mbps transmission rate of the preceding Data Relay Test Satellite KODAMA (DRTS). This wavelength band is a common wavelength used in terrestrial fibre optical communication networks and is expected to be used in space in the future due to its high performance.

With this success in communicating between the low orbit satellite and LUCAS, an increase in communication time to about 9 hours from the typical 1 hour per day for ordinary communications between low orbit satellites and ground stations can be realized, thanks to LUCAS relaying the geostationary orbit satellite.

This enables real-time transmission of data acquired in areas where Earth observation satellites in the low orbit cannot directly communicate with ground stations, via a geostationary orbit satellite to the ground. Similarly, during emergencies, commands can quickly be sent from the ground to satellites via LUCAS by relaying the geostationary satellite, and observation imagery can be acquired promptly.

JAXA will continue demonstrations to assess how differences in the distance between satellites and their positional relationship affect communication quality using LUCAS and DAICHI-4 with the aim of practical use.

Additionally, plans are in place to conduct demonstrations of transmitting observation data and experimental data from spacecraft orbiting at medium to low altitudes (200 - 1,000 km), such as Kibo and others in addition to DAICHI-4, by relaying via LUCAS to ground stations.

JAXA conveys a deep appreciation for the cooperation and support of everyone involved in this demonstration of the optical inter-satellite communication, including the government agencies, the prime contractor, NEC Corporation, and all the companies and organizations involved in the development, manufacture and operation of this system.

Conclusion of Lunar Activities of the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM)

(from JAXA release, August 2024)

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) concluded operations of the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) on the lunar surface at 22:40 (JST), on 23 August after being unable to establish communication with the spacecraft during the operational periods from May to July, following the last contact on 28 April 2024.

SLIM was launched onboard the H-IIA Launch Vehicle No.47 (H-IIA F47) on 7 September, 2023 from the Tanegashima Space Center and achieved Japan's first Moon soft landing on 20 January 2024. The landing precision was evaluated with a position error of approximately 10 meters from the target point, confirming the world's first successful pinpoint landing. In addition, the Multi-Band Camera (MBC) successfully performed spectral observations in 10 wavelength bands on 10 rocks, exceeding initial expectations. Further, despite not being part of the original mission plan, the spacecraft was confirmed to survive three lunar nights and remained operational, demonstrating results that surpassed initial goals.

A detailed summary of SLIM's achievements will be compiled and reported by JAXA separately in due course.

▶ Launch of the SLIM spacecraft (Image credit: JAXA)

Liftoff! NASA’s Europa Clipper Sails Toward Ocean Moon of Jupiter

(from NASA release, 14 October 2024)

NASA’s Europa Clipper has embarked on its long voyage to Jupiter, where it will investigate Europa, a moon with an enormous subsurface ocean that may have conditions to support life. The spacecraft launched at 12:06 p.m. EDT on 14 October aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The largest spacecraft NASA ever built for a mission headed to another planet, Europa Clipper also is the first NASA mission dedicated to studying an ocean world beyond Earth. The spacecraft will travel 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion km) on a trajectory that will leverage the power of gravity assists, first to Mars in four months and then back to Earth for another gravity assist flyby in 2026. After it begins orbiting Jupiter in April 2030, the spacecraft will fly past Europa 49 times.

“We could not be more excited for the incredible and unprecedented science NASA’s Europa Clipper mission will deliver in the generations to come,” said Nicky Fox, Associate Administrator, Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Everything in NASA science is interconnected, and Europa Clipper’s scientific discoveries will build upon the legacy that our other missions exploring Jupiter—

including Juno, Galileo, and Voyager— created in our search for habitable worlds beyond our home planet.”

The main goal of the mission is to determine whether Europa has conditions that could support life. Europa is about the size of our own Moon, but its interior is different. Information from NASA’s Galileo mission in the 1990s showed strong evidence that under Europa’s ice lies an enormous, salty ocean with more water than all of Earth’s oceans combined. Scientists also have found evidence that Europa may host organic compounds and energy sources under its surface.

If the mission determines Europa is habitable, it may mean there are more habitable worlds in our solar system and beyond than imagined.

In 2031, the spacecraft will begin conducting its science-dedicated flybys of Europa. Coming as close as 16 miles (25 km) to the surface, Europa Clipper is equipped with nine science instruments and a gravity experiment, including an ice-penetrating radar, cameras, and a thermal instrument to look for areas of warmer ice and any recent eruptions of water. As the most sophisticated suite of science instruments NASA has ever sent to Jupiter, they will work in concert to learn more about the moon’s icy shell, thin atmosphere, and deep interior.

To power those instruments in the faint sunlight that reaches Jupiter, Europa Clipper also carries the largest solar arrays NASA has ever used for an interplanetary mission. With arrays extended, the spacecraft spans 100 feet (30.5 m) from end to end. With propellant loaded, it weighs about 13,000 pounds (5,900 kg).

In all, more than 4,000 people have contributed to Europa Clipper mission since it was formally approved in 2015. See more information about Europa Clipper.

CLUSTER: Trailblazing Mission Ends

(from ESA release, September 2024)

The first satellite in ESA’s Cluster quartet safely came back down to Earth last night in a worldfirst ‘targeted reentry’, marking a brilliant end to this remarkable mission. The spacecraft, dubbed ‘Salsa’ (Cluster 2), reentered Earth’s atmosphere at 20:47 CEST on 8 September 2024 over the South Pacific Ocean. In this region, any risk of fragments reaching land are absolutely minimised.

During the last two decades Cluster has spent in space, it has provided invaluable data on how the Sun interacts with Earth’s magnetic field, helping us better understand and forecast space weather. Like a ship in a never-ending storm, Earth is bombarded by swarms of particles ejected from the Sun at supersonic speeds. Most of these solar wind particles are deflected by the magnetosphere, and sail harmlessly by. But Earth’s shield is not bulletproof. Gusts of solar wind can squeeze it mercilessly, pushing energetic particles through weak spots, and potentially damaging electronic equipment including vital satellites orbiting in space. Scientists have been studying this continuous feud between the Sun and Earth for many years, first from the ground and then with the aid of single satellites. But the complexities of the Sun-Earth connection have always eluded them, until Cluster came along.

Director of Science Prof. Carole Mundell says: “Cluster is the first mission to make detailed studies, models and 3D maps of Earth’s magnetic field, as well as related processes within and around it. We’re proud to say that through Cluster and other missions, ESA has advanced humankind’s understanding of how the solar wind interacts with the magnetosphere, helping us prepare for the dangers it can bring.”

With this first-ever targeted reentry, Cluster has also helped ESA become a world-leader in sustainable space exploration. The reentry follows a tweaking of Salsa’s orbit back in January 2024 to target a region as far as possible from populated regions. This ensured that any spacecraft parts that survive the reentry would fall over the open ocean. Nowadays, satellite missions are designed according to regulations that require them to minimise the risk of causing damage on their return to Earth. When Cluster was built in the 1990s no such regulations were in place. Without intervention, the four Cluster satellites would have reentered Earth’s atmosphere naturally–but with less control over when or where this would happen. Salsa’s reentry marks the end o a unique mission that will ultimately help protect humanity from our tempestuous Sun.

Hera Launched Successfully

(from ESA release, October 2024)

ESA’s first planetary defence spacecraft has departed planet Earth. The Hera mission is headed to a unique target among the more than 1.3 million known asteroids in our Solar System–the only body to have had its orbit shifted by human action–to solve lingering mysteries associated with its deflection. By sharpening scientific understanding of the ‘kinetic impact’ technique of asteroid deflection, Hera aims to make Earth safer. The mission is part of a broader ambition to turn terrestrial asteroid impacts into a fully avoidable class of natural disaster.

Developed as part of ESA’s Space Safety programme and sharing technological heritage with the Agency’s Rosetta comet hunter, Hera lifted off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral

Space Force Station in Florida, USA, on 7 October at 10:52 local time (16:52 CEST, 14:52 UTC) with its solar arrays deploying about one hour later.

The automobile-sized Hera will carry out the first detailed survey of a ‘binary’–or double-body –asteroid, 65803 Didymos, which is orbited by a smaller body, Dimorphos. Hera’s main focus will be on the smaller of the two, whose orbit around the larger asteroid was changed by NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission, demonstrating asteroid deflection by kinetic impact, in 2022.

“Planetary defence is an inherently international endeavour, and I am really happy to see ESA’s Hera spacecraft at the forefront of Europe’s efforts to help protect Earth. Hera is a bold step in scaling up ESA’s engagement in planetary defence,” said ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher.

Hera will also perform challenging deep-space technology experiments including the deployment of twin shoebox-sized ‘CubeSats’ to fly closer to the target asteroid, manoeuvring in ultra-low gravity to acquire additional scientific data before eventually landing. The main spacecraft will also attempt ‘selfdriving’ navigation around the asteroids based on visual tracking.

The mission’s launch and journey into deep space is being overseen from ESA’s European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany. See the link here

▶ Hera’s first images using HyperScout H. The HyperScout H instrument captured this false-colour image of Earth and the Moon from a distance of approximately 1.6 million km. Earth (bottom right) is oriented with north pointing upwards, with the Pacific Ocean illuminated by the Sun. The Moon is visible in the top right of the image. (Image credit: ESA)

Learning the History of the Moon by Measuring Ingredients of Lunar Soil

(from ISRO release, 2024)

In a recent ISRO release entitled “Chandrayaan-3 APXS elemental abundance measurements at lunar high latitude”, which summarises a paper published in Nature (Vadawale et al., Nature 633, 327, 2024), a detailed analysis of lunar soil in the southern polar region of the Moon reveal a dominance of Ferroan Anorthosite (FAN) which strongly supports the Lunar Magma Ocean (LMO) hypothesis.

According to this widely accepted theory on the early evolution of the Moon, the Moon was entirely a magma ocean when it formed. As the magma cooled, heavier minerals such as olivine and pyroxene sank and formed the inner layers of the Moon, while the lighter mineral plagioclase floated and formed the outer crust. Thus, APXS (Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer) observations of soil with a dominant FAN component support this theory. What is more interesting is the presence of excess Mg-rich minerals (also called mafic minerals) in the soil observed by APXS.

Addressing this excess takes us to an event about 4.2 to 4.3 billion years ago on the Moon, just after the formation of different layers due to the cooling of the global magma ocean. An asteroid impact in the south polar region of the Moon caused the formation of the largest known impact basin in the solar system, named the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin. This basin is about 2500 km in diameter, with its estimated boundary near the landing site shown in the Figure . The impact was so deep that it excavated the deeper layers of the Moon, which have higher amounts of mafic minerals, and displaced them to the surrounding areas, including Shiv Shakti Point, which is only 350 km away from the rim of the SPA basin. Since then, several impacts in that region have resulted in cratering and thorough mixing of the excavated mafic material with FAN in the surficial layer. This has resulted in the uniform composition observed by the APXS instrument.

See the link

(Image credit: NASA/LRO)

▶ Polar mosaic image from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Wide Angle Camera showing the Chandrayaan-3 landing site - Shiv Shakti point (left) and zoomed-in view around the landing site showing nearby craters (right).

SPACE SNAPSHOTS

JUICE' JANUS View of the Moon

(from ESA release, August 2024)

The JANUS camera onboard ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) is designed to take detailed, highresolution photos of Jupiter and its icy moons. JANUS will study global, regional and local features and processes on the moons, as well as map the clouds of Jupiter. It will have a resolution up to 2.4 m per pixel on Ganymede and about 10 km per pixel at Jupiter. This image of our own Moon was taken during JUICE’s lunar-Earth flyby on 19 August 2024. The main aim of JANUS’s observations during the lunar-Earth flyby was to evaluate how well the instrument is performing, not to make scientific measurements.

(See the link)

Image of the Moon taken by the JANUS camera onboard Juice (Image credit: ESA/Juice/JANUS)

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Looks Back While Climbing Slippery Slope

(from a NASA release, October 2024)

View of Jezero Crater’s interior taken by the Perseverance rove (Image credit NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS).

This enhanced-colour mosaic was taken on 27 September by the Perseverance rover while climbing the western wall of Jezero Crater. Many of the landmarks visited by the rover during its 3½-year exploration of Mars can be seen. On its way up the side of Jezero Crater, the agency’s latest Red Planet off-roader peers all the way back to its landing site and scopes the path ahead. NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover is negotiating a steeply sloping route up Jezero Crater’s western wall with the aim of cresting the rim in early December. During the climb, the rover snapped not only a sweeping view of Jezero Crater’s interior, but also imagery of the tracks it left after some wheel slippage along the way.”

Earth from Space: Ross Island, Antarctica

(from ESA release, November 2024)

The icy landscape of Ross Island in Antarctica is featured in this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image from 3 February 2024, during the austral summer. According to the orientation of the image, the geographic South Pole would be around 1350 km from the top of the image.

Ross Island, covering around 2460 sq km, lies in Eastern Antarctica at the edge of the vast Ross Ice Shelf, a small fraction of which is visible in the upper part of the image. The island was named after the British explorer Sir James Clark Ross, who discovered it in 1841 during his quest for the magnetic South Pole.

Four volcanoes form the island: Mount Bird, Mount Terra Nova, Mount Terror and Mount Erebus. Two can be seen clearly in the image: Mount Terror is on the left and Mount Erebus, the largest, is on the right. The jagged edges of the Erebus ice tongue can be seen stretching out into McMurdo Sound. The ice tongue is the forefront of a glacier that originates from the volcano’s slopes.

Ross Island is also one of Antarctica’s most important centres for scientific research. Both the US McMurdo Station and the New Zealand Scott Base are at the extreme tip of the long and narrow Hut Point Peninsula, visible in the upper part of the image.

The icy landscape of Ross Island in Antarctica (Image credit: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2024), processed by ESA)

of Interest to COSPAR MEETINGS

COSPAR 2026, Florence, Italy (see next page)

7-10 January 2025

Macao, China

2025 Macau International Forum on Space and Planetary Sciences

7-11 April 2025

Hefei, China

Int. Conf. of Deep Space Sciences

37-9 May 2025

New Delhi, India

The Global Space Exploration Conference 2025

10-14 February 2025

Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

COSPAR ISWAT 2025 Working Meeting

31 March-4 April 2025

Fairbanks, AK, USA

NASA Sun-Climate Symp.: Exploring the Sun’s Role in a Changing Cryosphere

26-29 May 2025

Prague, Czech Republic

44th EARSeL Symposium

13-18 July 2025

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

IUPAC World Chemistry Congress

7-9 April 2025

Karlsruhe, Germany

6th Joint International Symposium on Deformation

Monitoring

13-18 July 2025

Florence, Italy

StatPhys29

17-22 August 2025

Sydney, Australia

[Meetings organized or sponsored by COSPAR are shown in bold face]

2025 URSI Asia-Pacific Radio Science Conference

3-7 November 2025

Nicosia, Cyprus

6th COSPAR Symposium: Space Exploration 2025: A Symposium on Humanity's Challenges and Celestial Solutions

31 Aug.-6 September 2025

Lisbon, Portugal

IAGA-IASPEI Joint Scientific Assembly 2025

4-11 July 2026

Toronto, Canada

25th ISPRS Congress: From Imagery to Understanding

1-5 September 2025

Rimini, Italy

IAG Scientific Assembly 2025

1-9 August 2026

Florence, Italy

46th COSPAR Scientific Assembly E-mail: cospar@cosparhq.cnes.fr

11-14 September 2025

Frankfurt/Main, Germany

IUPS congress

29 September-3 October2025

Sydney, Australia

International Astronautical Congress 2025

11-18 August 2026

Calgary, Canada

International Union of Crystallography Triennial Congress

15-22 August 2026

Krakow, Poland

XXXVIth URSI General Assembly and Scientific Symposium 2026

MEETING ANNOUNCEMENTS

6th COSPAR Symposium

3-7 November 2025, Nicosia, Cyprus

We are pleased to announce that the 6th COSPAR Symposium will be held 3-7 November 2025, in Nicosia, Cyprus. At the time of writing, the Symposium program is being finalised. Here is an overview of the topics that will be covered:

• Space Exploration 2025: A Symposium on Humanity's Challenges and Celestial Solutions

This space exploration symposium proposes a critical forum to explore how space exploration can address some of humanity's most pressing issues in 2025, while also considering the potential challenges it presents.

The context:

Our planet faces a multitude of challenges, from climate change and resource depletion to pandemics, political instability, and a growing vulnerability to space weather. A powerful solar storm, like the Carrington Event of 1859, could cripple power grids and disrupt communication systems worldwide. This vulnerability extends to potential human settlements on the Moon, raising concerns for the Artemis program and the safety of astronauts. Developing a robust space weather alert system at all levels of governance is crucial for ensuring humanity's technological continuity and protecting human health from the potential effects of solar radiation.

• Uniting Through Innovation: Space as a Catalyst for Collaboration

Despite current conflicts on Earth, space exploration can serve as a powerful unifier. By setting our sights on common goals that benefit all of humanity, we can foster international cooperation and encourage peaceful scientific endeavours.

• Harnessing the Power of AI for Exploration and Solutions

Advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) present incredible opportunities for space innovation. AI can be utilized to develop predictive modelling tools to better understand and forecast space weather events, potentially mitigating their impact. Furthermore, AI can be a powerful tool for space exploration missions themselves, assisting with tasks like spacecraft navigation, resource identification, and scientific data analysis.

• Space as a Source for Solutions:

Resource depletion is another pressing concern for humanity. Asteroids and potentially even the Moon hold vast stores of valuable resources. Responsible space exploration strategies can provide alternative solutions, lessening the strain on Earth's finite resources. However, space exploration itself can contribute to climate change through rocket launches. Finding sustainable propulsion methods will be crucial.

• Emerging Nations and the Democratization of Space

The rise of CubeSats, miniature and low-cost satellites, has opened the door for emerging nations and even universities to participate in space exploration. This democratization of space offers exciting possibilities for scientific discovery, environmental monitoring, and resource prospecting. The Symposium will explore how to create a framework for collaboration and knowledge sharing to ensure space exploration is beneficial for all of humanity.

This Symposium will bring together policymakers, space agencies, scientists, ethicists, AI experts, climate change specialists, representatives from emerging nations, and the public to engage in a dynamic dialogue on these crucial issues.

We look forward to sharing the full program with you very soon here.

In the meantime, please Save the Date!

MEETING REPORTS

Report on IAU/COSPAR CBW: JWST Data Analysis Workshop

South East Asia in Chiang Mai, Thailand, June 2024

[Carlos Gabriel, Chair, COSPAR Panel on Capacity Building, Mariano Méndez, IAU Hands-on-Workshops]

The workshop took place from 24 June to 5 July 2024 at the Kantary Hills Hotel and Service Appartments in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Organised mainly by the COSPAR and IHOW Capacity Building initiatives, it was supported by international organisations such as the space agencies ESA, NASA and JAXA, and the Spanish Centro de Astrobiología, as well as by the local sponsor NARIT, the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand. The workshop was proposed and locally organised by Dr. Nicha Leethochawalit and other colleagues from NARIT.

The workshop aimed to train students and researchers in using public data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) for scientific research. It focused on the data from the NIRCAM, NIRISS, NIRSPEC, and MIRI instruments. Participants were able to gain hands-on experience downloading, reducing, and analyzing JWST data, using examples from different scientific cases for each instrument as well as own chosen data for individual projects. The workshop also aimed to foster collaboration among astronomers in Southeast and South Asia, building on previous efforts like the IAU Symposium 377 and a recent workshop on Freeform Optics. Space Telescope Science Institute's JWebbinars material and JWST data available on the MAST and ESA archives were utilized.

Details about the whole event, including the program, can be found under the IAU I-HOW (link here), and the COSPAR Capacity Building Program web pages, and under the local web page of the workshop.

Participants

A total of 40 participants (also called “students”) were selected out of a total of 128 candidates. The distribution of the selected students according to region, background and nationality can be seen in Figure 1 .

Most of the undergraduate students were local to Chiang Mai, their selection was consciously made as an effort to promote local space science activities, increasing the number of participants originally envisaged at low financial costs to the organisation. As usual, all non-local students received full lodging during the two weeks and travel subsidy (around 90% of the actual travel costs). Meals and coffee breaks as well as the costs of the excursion were covered for all the participants.

Gender distribution (f/m): 19 /21

Figure 1: Regional, national, background and gender distribution of participants

The geographical distribution of the students revealed a broad regional distribution. The even gender distribution was not forced, but arose naturally from the selection process, which did not take gender into account as a criterion.

Lecturers

The list of lecturers including affiliation follows:

Prof. Luis Colina Centro de Astrobiologia, Spain

Dr. Nicha Leethohcawalit NARIT, Thailand

Dr. Javier Alvarez Centro de Astrobiologia, Spain

Dr. Carlos Gabriel COSPAR, Germany

Prof. Mariano Mendez University of Groningen, the Netherlands

Scientific co-leader

Scientific co-leader

Lecturer / supervisor

Lecturer / COSPAR organiser

Lecturer / IAU organiser

Dr. Themiya Nanayakkara Swimbume University of Technology, Australia Lecturer / supervisor

Dr. Isabel Rebollido Vazquez European Space Agency, Spain

Dr. Samapom Tinyanont NARIT, Thailand

Lecturer / supervisor

Lecturer / supervisor

Prof. Xin Wang University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Lecturer / supervisor

Dr. Christopher Wilmer Steward Observatory, USA

Lecturer / supervisor

Figure 2: Group photo of students and lecturers

The young age of most of the lecturers reinforces the continuity of our initiatives

Except for Gabriel and Méndez, who have participated in many previous workshops, for all other lecturers this was the first experience ever with a COSPAR or IAU CB workshop, although all of them, without exception, had previous experience with astronomy schools. Particularly important is the young age of most of the lecturers, which reinforces the future continuity of our initiatives.

In addition to the face-to-face lectures, we had online lectures given by:

Prof. Felix Mirabel

Prof. Marcia Rieke

Prof. Michele Trenti

Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina

University of Arizona, USA

University of Melbourne, Australia

Prof. Eva Villaver Agencia Española del Espacio, Spain

Program

From the program (Fig. 2 ) it can be seen that this workshop was structured differently to our traditional workshops, with approximately 35% of the time dedicated to science lectures, 15% to lectures on mission specifics (spacecrafts, instruments and data analysis software) and 50% to the projects the students had to carry out. In this occasion a lot of time went into lectures on mission specifics, including data reduction exercises performed using Jupyter notebooks. A good portion (50%?) of this time should count as part of the project work. If we do so, the proportions of science / mission specifics /projects are 26% / 16% / 58%. The difficulties posed by the large number of JWST observation modes and corresponding reduction pipelines explain this.

The projects

The projects were in principle, as in many former occasions in astrophysics workshops, defined by the participants prior to the workshop. Many of them, however, could not be carried out for various reasons, or at least not to the expected extent. The time to develop the project was also partly insufficient and, in many cases, there was no data available for these projects; some difficulties in obtaining data from archives due to bandwidth saturation as well as processing difficulties worked against a greater use of the workshop in this respect. Nevertheless, all participants were able to perform data reduction and calibration tasks of various kinds.

The local organisers strived to organise a computing system in line with processing expectations, based on a Jupyter hub server hosted at NARIT's Chalawan high-performance computing (HPC) cluster.

The computing team configured a dedicated node with 32 CPU cores and 320 GB of ram memory. The bottlenecks were that both the allocated ram and CPU cores were not sufficient for JWST data processing by the 40 participants of the workshop, especially JWST stage 1 data reduction (raw image reduction). Eventually that number was increased to 40 CPU cores, but the high demand remained a problem. For this reason, some participants opted to use their own computers for processing, although they also faced internet speed problems from the hotel.

An important lesson for future JWST workshops of this kind is the large volume of data and the complexity related to JWST for such a large group of participants. A pool of data to be analysed with the corresponding processing prepared in advance might optimize the results, especially for those cases where individual projects for one reason or another fail.

Results

At the end of the workshop each student gave a short presentation (10 minutes + three minutes’ discussion time) summarizing the results obtained. Practically all students stayed within the time available. The results were very good, showing that all the participants understood the methodologies of the work in the field and most of them are in principle able to work with data and tools of at least one of the observation modes discussed after returning to their home institutes.

Most (participants) are in principle able to work with data and tools of at least one of the observation modes discussed

Venue

The workshop took place in a conference hall of the Kantary Hills Hotel, where students and lecturers were half-board lodged (breakfast and lunch included), which was a big help to optimize the time. The excellent condition of the conference room in all aspects of audio-visual, transmission and recording of presentations (we used Zoom for external presentations as well as to provide online local ones, but also as a recording method) fully satisfied the requirements. Perhaps one or two smaller adjoining rooms could have facilitated project work for those working in groups, on the other hand the work tables were very convenient, and the venue large enough to work well.

Meals and Coffee Breaks

Breakfast and lunch were included in the hotel service. Coffee breaks were held in the morning and afternoon in the large hallway adjacent to the conference room. The difficulty of finding a suitable place to have dinner together each evening was solved by providing pocket money for all participants, students and teachers. Near the hotel and all over Chiang Mai there were many small restaurants and food outlets, very convenient, easily accessible and with a wide variety of dishes.

Lodging

The chosen hotel, Kantary Hills, was excellent in every respect for a workshop ofthis kind. Spacious, high quality double rooms for the students and single rooms for the lecturers, with water, coffee and tea facilities included. Two swimming pools and a free-to-use gymnasium as well as an executive lounge for guests to work in a relaxed atmosphere rounded off an excellent offer. If we add that the use of the conference room was free of charge due to the large number of rooms occupied by the group, we have perhaps the best conditions ever obtained for one of our workshops, at least in the reporters’ long experience of workshops.

The excursion

On the Saturday in between we had an excursion for all participants, including the lecturers, to an elephant sanctuary, the Elephant Nature Park (www.elephantnaturepark.org), an elephant rescue and rehabilitation centre with more than 100 elephants. There we received a lot of information about these animals and their life there, after a former hard life, touring the park for several hours. We were even able to prepare a cake for the elephants, who had a hard time with two buffaloes wanting to take away their snack. We were very impressed by the work they do in this sanctuary to recover the injured and traumatized elephants.

Figure 3: A cake for the elephants (shared with the buffalo)

We then visited the National Radio Astronomy Observatory of Thailand, one of the NARIT facilities, located some 80 km from Chiang Mai. Staff led us on a tour of its two main antennas, the 40 m short millimetre single-dish telescope and a 13 m VLBI Global Observing System (VGOS) radio telescope as co-location, operating in the frequency range 300 MHz - 115 GHz. In the framework of the collaboration with VLBI arrays around the world, TNRT will dramatically improve the quality and performance of the images thanks to its unique geographical location.

General evaluation

We prepared and distributed an evaluation sheet among the students, for feedback concerning the different aspects of the workshop, obtaining 33 answered evaluation sheets (> 82 %). As usual, a thorough analysis of the answers given seems necessary, going beyond the limits and scope of this report.

There is satisfaction with all general aspects of the workshop, without a single negative response. The relevant answers to the different questions vary only between agreement and strong agreement with the positive statement in the questions.

Figure 4: Visit to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory of Thailand

Figure 5: A lecture underway

Software lectures are the most highly rated (70%) compared to science ones and project time, which is surprisingly different from previous workshops. The reason probably lies in the fact that this is where the participants perceive they have made the most progress, as they were interactive data reduction classes with Jupyter notebooks. The project time, traditionally chosen as the most valued in other astronomy workshops, fell short in this one and was limited by the technical problems mentioned above.

Regarding the level of the presentations there is a high degree of satisfaction, also with the time devoted to this part, as well as with the level of responses from the lecturers. The problems that limited the project work time are clearly reflected in the opinions of the majority, who felt that the time devoted to the projects was too short. Here there is clear room for improvement by optimising resources, both in the preparation prior to a dedicated JWST workshop and in its technical planning. On the other hand, the participants understand that the origin of the problems does not lie with the lecturers/supervisors. On the contrary, there is a high level of satisfaction with both their level and their dedication.

The level of professionalism in the local organisation as well as the general conditions ofthe venue and accommodation are also widely acknowledged, except for the most divergent issue in the entire survey: the level of internet in both the hotel and the conference room. This has to be attributed primarily to the enormous requirements of such a workshop rather than to shortcomings of the venue, which in principle has a very good level of connectivity.

This brings us to what we always consider the most important point of this survey: the future ability to work with the data from missions/facilities addressed during the workshop, which in this case receives a unanimous affirmative response, with two thirds ‘strongly agreeing’. Finally, the question of whether participation in the workshop was beneficial was answered with a unanimous yes, with more than three quarters strongly agreeing.

Again, we would like to thank all the people (especially the local organisation committee and the lecturers) and the institutions that have substantially contributed to making possible this event: NARIT, IAU, COSPAR, ESA, NASA, JAXA and the Spanish Centro de Astrobiología.

Figure 6: Goodbyes after the student presentations–here with Javier Alvarez (CAB), wearing shorts

2024 COSPAR Capacity Building Workshop on the International Reference Ionosphere

2-12 September 2024, Kilifi, Kenya

[Report by Dieter Bilitza and Joseph Olwendo]

The 2024 COSPAR Capacity-Building Workshop (CCBW) on the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) was held in Kilifi, Kenya during the period 2 – 13 September 2024, expertly organized locally by Dr. Joseph Olwendo and his team from Pwani University. The workshop was supported by COSPAR and by the Kenyan Space Agency. Additional funds were provided by URSI and SCOSTEP and Pwani University provided the administrative and secretarial support.

In response to the official announcement of the workshop in early 2024 we had received applications from 69 students, and young researchers, mostly from African countries, to participate in the workshop. Out of the 69, 35 were selected based on an evaluation of their submitted CVs, Letters of Recommendation and Research Plans. The final selection included attendees from eight African countries: Kenya, Egypt, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana, South Africa, Ethiopia. One selected Kenyan student accepted the invitation but did not come to the meeting and no explanation was provided. One student from Poland and two Chinese students were self-financing. With only 10 female students, the gender distribution (29.4% female) was not as balanced as in earlier COSPAR-IRI Workshops. The percentage corresponds to similar numbers at African universities (Google AI Overview).

During the first week tutorials, lectures and hands-on demonstrations taught the students the basics and recent advances in observation techniques and modelling approaches for the Earth’s ionosphere. An important goal of the workshop was to familiarize the students with the access to and usage of ionospheric data sets and models so they will be able to continue their research interests at their home institutions. The lectures, tutorials and hands-on demonstrations were given by 10 lecturers:

Shigeto Watanabe, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan

Ionosphere – An Introduction.

Dieter Bilitza, George Mason University, Fairfax, USA

IRI-Introduction and latest developments

An important goal was to familiarize the students with the access to and usage of ionospheric data sets and models

John Bosco Habarulema, SANSA, Hermanus, South Africa

-Ionosondes and the measurements they take

-GIRO and GAMBIT: access to ionosonde data.

Shunrong Zhang, MIT, Boston, USA

-Incoherent scatter radar and ionospheric studies

-Access to incoherent scatter data.

Andrzej Krankowski, University of Warmia and Mazury, Olsztyn, Poland

-GNSS data and ionospheric studies

-Access to GNSS data.

Vladimir Truhlik, Institute for Atmospheric Physics, Prague, Czech Republic

-Representation of plasma temperatures in IRI

-Representation of ion composition in IRI

-Access to satellite data.

Haris Haralambous, Frederick University, Nicosia, Cyprus

Radio Occultation & access to COSMIC data.

Joseph Olwendo, Pwani University, Kilifi, Kenya

Low latitude electrodynamics, scintillation, Spread F.

Jia Yue, Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC), NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, USA

A general description and introduction to CCMC

Min-Yang Chou, CCMC, NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, USA

IRI at CCMC

The two CCMC lecturers were self-financing. The airfare of one USA lecturer was funded by NASA.

Lectures in the morning and team work in the afternoon

The 34 selected students, were divided into seven groups and each team received a specific research problem to be studied during the two-week meeting. Each team had one of the lecturers as their main advisor, but was free to ask help from other lecturers as well. Each project was related to an ionospheric modelling problem that required the students to review the provided problem-related papers, to download data from some of the sites explained in the tutorials, and run some the online models shown during the hands-on demonstrations. The first week ended with a dry run where each team presented their results so far and got feedback from the lecturers.

The workshop was held at the Mnarani Hotel not far from Pwani University. The hotel offered a special fullboard rate for Pwani university events and had excellent conference facilities and management support. The full-board included breakfast, lunch, dinner, tea/coffee/snacks for the session breaks and use of the conference facilities. It was especially important that the hotel had promptly responding generators because there were quite a number of black-outs during talks.

Each team received a specific research problem, related to an ionospheric modelling problem, to be studied during the meeting

Group picture of students and lecturers

On Wednesday afternoon an excursion was organized for the students and lecturers to the Gede Ruins, about 35 km in the North of Kilifi. Gede is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is an Arab-Swahili Islamic settlement from the eleventh century that has been intensely excavated and studied.

The CCBW meeting was combined with an IRI expert meeting during the second week giving the students an opportunity to attend an international science meeting, for some it was their first time, and an opportunity to present a talk or poster at the meeting about their own research. Eleven of our students gave talks and one presented a poster. It was also a great opportunity to talk about potential post-doc positions. The IRI meeting was attended by 76 participants and included 46 talks and 10 Posters in sessions on ‘IRI and Data Assimilation, ‘Storm Effects’, ‘Irregularities’, ‘New Inputs for IRI’, TEC and Topside’, ‘Plasma Bubbles and Scintillations’, ‘F-peak’, ‘Plasmasphere’, ‘Plasma Temperatures and Ion Drift’, ‘Posters’, ‘Final Discussions’.

The CBW was combined with an IRI expert meeting during the second week

Group picture of the IRI workshop participants.

Excursion to the Gede ruins

During the Final Discussions session several improvements for the next version of the model were discussed and it was decided to include the new models for the occurrence probability of sporadic-E, for electron temperature, and for the plasmaspheric extension of the electron density profile, that were all presented during the meeting. Two new members were invited and accepted to become members of the IRI Working Group: Dr. Joseph Olwendo (Pwani University, Kenya) without whose untiring effort and dedication before, during and after the meeting this workshop would not have been possible; Dr. Alessio Pignalberi (INGV, Rome, Italy) has made important contributions to the modelling of the IRI electron density in the topside and bottomside. There were also two short presentations about the COSPARIRI 2025 Workshop that is planned for October 2025 at ICTP, Trieste, Italy and about a proposal to hold the 2027 COSPAR-IRI Capacity Building Workshop at Wuhan University in Wuhan, China. A very moving memorial for Dr. Lee-Anne McKinnell was presented by John Bosco Habarulema with remembrances from the audience. Lee-Anne, who passed away on 19 August 2023, was the SANSA Space Science Managing Director. She was a very active member of the IRI Working Group and its Chair from 2010 to 2014. She had organized IRI Workshops in Grahamstown in 2003 and Hermanus in 2011.

A very moving memorial for Dr. Lee-Anne McKinnell was presented by John Bosco Habarulema

First Place Team (from left to right): Haris Haralambous (Advisor), Kisembo Francis (Uganda), Mefe Moses (Nigeria), Nahum Maundu (Kenya), Mostafa Hegy (Egypt), Wilberforce Muniafu (Kenya), Joseph Olwendo (LOC). PROJECT: Study the occurrence probability of sporadic-E for future inclusion in IRI.

The students continued their work during the second week and presented their project results at the end of the second week to the full IRI Workshop audience. Three senior scientists served as judges evaluating the project work, results, and presentation of the seven groups. The first to fifth placed teams received the Mandana Sigaroudi Young Scientist Awards which, thanks to the generous contribution by the award sponsor, include a monetary award.

Left picture: 2nd Place Team (from left to right): D. Bilitza (Advisor), S. Degefa (Ethiopia), M. Kololuo (Kenya), T. Ojebisi (Nigeria), A. Hiyadutu (South Africa), K. Webber (Kenya). PROJECT: Compare the IRI auroral boundary model with Ovation and other models.

Right picture: 3rd Place Team (from left to right): E. Odhoch (Kenya), J. Tanin (Kenya), J.B. Habarulema (Advisor), H. Awad (Egypt), B. Kyamules (Uganda), A. Ogwala (Nigeria). PROJECT: Spread-F climatology in IRI is limited to the American sector. Study other longitude sectors.

Left picture: 4th Place Team (from left to right): D. Bilitza (MO) I. Adawa (Egypt), H. Safary (Kenya), D. Athward (Kenya), J. Olwendo (LOC), not shown: S. Gao (China), S.-R. Zhang (Advisor). PROJECT: Compare the bubble model of Stolle et al. (2024) with satellite data and evaluate the model for future use in IRI.

Right picture: 5th Place Team (from left to right): D. Bilitza (MO), H. Cherop (Kenya), Z. Njeri (Kenya), S.O. Lomotey (Ghana), A. Yassen (Egypt), J. Olwendo (LOC), not shown: J. Wu (China), J. Yue & M.-Y. Chou (Advisors). PROJECT: Use CCMC systems to study the relationship between IRI and NRLMSIS parameters and discuss how well this agrees with experimental data.

SpaceWeek Nordeste 2023

12-20 August 2023, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil

The Earth Observation Labomar Laboratory (EOLLAb), affiliated with the Institute of Marine Sciences (LABOMAR) of the Federal University of Ceará (UFC), in collaboration with NASA, organized the SPACE WEEK NORDESTE 2023, held 14-20 August 2023, in Fortaleza, CE, Brazil, with the theme of 'Science and Space Technologies for the Benefit of Nature and Society”.

Space Week Nordeste 2023, held in person, focused primarily on showcasing activities being developed at regional, national, and international levels in the fields of Aerospace Engineering, Telecommunications, Astronomy, Satellites, Monitoring of extreme weather events from space, and Space-focused Education. Additionally, during the event, the aim was to inspire and educate people about the wonders of space, the importance of Earth observation from space, space exploration, and its impact on our lives, while also attracting young talents to this field of knowledge.

The aim was to inspire and educate people about the wonders of space

The scientific portion of Space Week 2023 at UFC (14-18 August 2023) had approximately 200 participants, including students, teachers, and researchers from various parts of the world. The event featured 10 practical workshops, seven scientific themes for abstract submissions, and 14 lectures. On 19 and 20 August 2023, the event took place at Shopping Iguatemi Bosque, where approximately 10 000 people visited the stands or participated in lectures and scientific outreach activities.

Space Week Nordeste 2023 has shown its potential to grow and become a benchmark event in the field of science and technology related to the space sector in the Brazilian Northeast region. At Space Week Nordeste 2023, it was already decided that Space Week Nordeste 2024 will be held in the city of São Luís, MA (16-22 September 2024); in 2025 in the city of Recife, PE, in 2026 in the city of Natal-RN and 2027 in the city of Salvador, BA.

A New Era of High-resolution X-ray Spectroscopy

I-HOW & COSPAR workshop 2024 ABC guide

19–30 August 2024, Fudan University, Shanghai, China

[Report by Junjie Mao, Tsinghua University, China]

On 19-30 August 2024, the I-HOW & COSPAR 2024 workshop: «A new era of high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy was held at the Fudan University, Shanghai, China. The workshop was proposed by Junjie Mao (Tsinghua University, China), Cosimo Bambi (Fudan University, China), and Jiacheng Jiang (University of Cambridge, UK). This workshop, mainly organized by the I-HOW and COSPAR PCB initiatives, was supported by several international organizations, including IAU, COSPAR, ESA, and NASA. The workshop was supported locally by the Tsinghua University, Fudan University, Nanjing University, and Purple Mountain Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Participants Learners

There were in total 57 complete registrations. Diego Altamirano, Cosimo Bambi, Matteo Guainazzi, Jiacheng Jiang, and Shui-Nai Zhang reviewed the applications. To make a fair selection, Junjie Mao did not join the reviewing process since he knew a large fraction of the Chinese participants. Originally, 31 participants were selected. However, three of the selected participants did not join the workshop due to personal issues, conflict of agenda, and cancellation without notice. No substitutions, in terms of formal offers, were made since Kuan Liu (Guangxi University), Chunyi Zhang (Xiamen University), and Xinyi Zheng (Beijing Normal University) were recruited as self-funded teaching assistants (TA). These three were all registered participants but were not selected during the reviewing process. The institutions of the three TAs add diversity to the participants (not covered in official learners). Among the 28 learners, slightly more than half of the learners come from China (including four non-Chinese affiliated with Chinese institutions). These learners come from 10 institutions with no more than three learners from the same institution. Slightly fewer than half come from India (all Indian). These learners are from eight institutions. The rest includes one person from Uzbekistan, one from Leicester in the UK, and one from MPE in Germany. Among the 28 learners, only six were female (five Chinese and one Indian).

Teaching team

Except for Celia Sanchez-Fernandez and Aitor Ibarra (both from ESA), all the others come from different institutions. Of the lecturers, 6/14 were female. Matteo Guainazzi and Aitor Ibarra had attended such kind of workshops for years. Shui-Nai Zhang was a LOC member for the 2013 COSPAR Capacity Building Workshop (Ping Zhou and Junjie Mao were learners back then). Priyanka Chakraborty attended the first I-HOW workshop in X-ray. All the others attended such workshops as lecturers or supervisors for the first time.

There were 10 project supervisors with no more than four students per supervisor each week. A total of seven teaching assistants (self-funded) were recruited and joined the workshop in person, two of whom were female and two of whom were experienced (in high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy) postdocs.

Local Organizing Committee

LOC members were mostly present throughout the workshop (all from Fudan University): Debtroy Das, Yiming Huang, Songcheng Li, and Shuaitongze Zhao. Two secretaries, Jing Lu (Fudan University) and Yindong Zhang (Tsinghua University) did most of the admin work behind the scenes.

Program

There were ~ 21 hours of lectures, ~ 33 hours of hands-on exercises/projects, 6 hours on mock Time Allocation Committee and 6 hours on the final presentation. The Mock Time Allocation Committee activity was a new trial for I-HOW & COSPAR workshops. The evaluation form did not include an evaluation on this event though, but when Junjie Mao organized such an event in the summer of 2023, two of the ten learners won their first XMM proposal as PI! Unfortunately, we did not ask learners to prepare proposals or ideas for this workshop due to time limits.

We had two sports events at Fudan University: one basketball shooting game in the first week and two frisbee games (the first one interrupted due to rain) in the second week. For the excursion, we visited Zhujiajiao town and had dinner there.

Projects

There were ~ 21 hours of lectures, ~ 33 hours of hands-on exercises/projects, 6 hours on mock Time Allocation Committee and 6 hours on the final presentation. The Mock Time Allocation Committee activity was a new trial for I-HOW & COSPAR workshops. The evaluation form did not include an evaluation on this event though, but when Junjie Mao organized such an event in the summer of 2023, two of the ten learners won their first XMM proposal as PI! Unfortunately, we did not ask learners to prepare proposals or ideas for this workshop due to time limits.

Evaluation

25/28 (~ 90 %) participants submitted the evaluation form successfully. Results can be found in this link, including a spreadsheet and the visualization of the results (PDF). For most items, more than 80% (20/25) of the submissions had no negative feedback. For the following items, all responses are very positive (agree and strongly agree):

• General - Applications were efficiently handled

• Accommodation and Venue - The trip to China and Shanghai was efficiently done

• Fudan University was a good place to hold this workshop

• The Future - I will be able to use high resolution X-Ray spectroscopy data in my future research

For the following items, no negative feedback:

• Science lectures - The lectures were stimulating

• Science lectures - I found it easy to get on with the lecturers

• Science lectures - The lecturers responded well to questions

• Software lectures - The lecturers responded well to questions

• Project - I found the supervisors helpful and easy to get on with

• The room at the Fengjing hotel was good

• I have benefitted significantly from attending the workshop

For the following items, the results diverge mainly due to the mixed level of experience, skills, and expected goals to achieve:

• 7/25: the science lectures were either too short or too long

• 11/25: The time spent on software lectures was either too short or too long

• 8/25: The software lectures were at too low a level

• 12/25: The time spent on the projects was too short

• 7/25: The lectures did not prepare me adequately for the projects

• 9/25 (strongly) agree: they realized too late what the ultimate scope of the project was

• 7/25 disagree: I have learned enough to do this without much extra help

Lessons learned

The following items are in no particular order, some are only relevant to this workshop.

• In rare cases, we noticed some mismatches between application materials and the level of selected learners. A small fraction also had language issues. Not sure if it is too much work (for both participants and reviewers) to send a 3-minute video instead of the motivation letter. If so, we need to send a detailed guide on how to make a recording with Zoom or other tools.

• The reviewing process considered regional/institutional balance but did not consider gender balance. More female learners were selected in China, but only one in India. It is hard to judge objectively if this needs to be improved or not. It might be good to have gender balance statistics from IAU (I’ve seen one IAU figure at some conference at some point) as guidance for gender balance consideration.

• We released a detailed ABC guide two weeks before the workshop’s formal start. It might be possible to prepare and distribute the ABC guide even earlier but it should not be too early.

• While we clarified that travel subsidy will be given in CNY, only during the registration on-site, Indian learners informed us that they cannot convert CNY to INR at Indian banks. This is not a critical issue as they can spend some CNY in China (many stayed a few more days after the workshop ended) or convert CNY to INR at the airports. This is unexpected. If the organizers were informed early, overseas lecturers could bring some cash in EURO or USD for the travel subsidy. Future workshops might consider to improve this aspect.

• For the XRISM-related data reduction, we were not allowed to teach. While the XRISM lecture covers this (verbally), it might be better to explain this in the ABC guide (written).

• Some vegetarian learners complained about the food service as shown in the evaluation form. Indeed, limited vegetarian options were provided at Fudan University. The welcome reception did not provide vegetarian pizza (incorrect information was given by the supplier about their vegetarian option). JM made special agreements with the Fudan canteen to replace one of the meat dishes with 2-3 vegetarian dishes for dinner every day (pure vegetarian lunch boxes were provided every day). There is no easy way out though. While there are some vegetarian restaurants (including Indian) in Shanghai, they are not within walking distance.

The full report is available here.

Key Issues on Manned Space and Deep Space Exploration Workshop

23 July 2024, Beijing,

China

O[Yinan Zhang, CAST]

n 23 July 2024, the International Workshop “Key Issues on Manned Space and Deep Space Exploration” was successfully kicked off in Beijing by the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST).

This workshop was preceded, earlier in March 2024, by the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) study group “Key Issues on Human Flight Deep Space Exploration”, initiated by Academician Prof. YANG Hong from CAST and co-chaired by A. Coustenis. In order to include a worldwide representation of scientists and experts to carry out this study, CAST invited scientists from COSPAR to attend the aforementioned workshop, benefiting from the time proximity with the 2024 COSPAR General Assembly which had taken place the week before in Busan, South Korea. Dr. Athena Coustenis, Mr. Niklas Hedman, Dr. Pascale Ehrenfreund (COSPAR President), Prof. Bernard Foing (Vice-Chair of COSPAR Panel on Exploration), Prof. Livio Narici, and Dr. Petra Rettberg, thus attended the Workshop and gave keynote lectures and interacted with the CAST scientists and engineers. Members of the COSPAR Panel on Planetary Protection contributing to this workshop were: A. Coustenis (Chair), N. Hedman (Vice-Chair and COSPAR General Counsel), P. Rettberg, and Kanyan Xu (CAST). Mr. Mathieu Grialou representing CNES at the Beijing French Embassy, and six experts from CAST, led by Prof. YANG Hong, also attended and gave additional keynote lectures at the workshop.

The President of CAST, as well as the former Vice President of the International Astronautics Federation (2023-2026), Dr.LI Daming gave the opening speeches welcoming all the scientists, experts and guests from COSPAR, IAA, the French space agency CNES, China National Space Administration, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Macau University, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, and the Chinese Society of Astronautics. Dr. Jean-Michel Contant, the IAA Secretary General also sent a video address for this workshop. All the lectures focused on key issues of robotic and crewed exploration of the solar system, including but not limited to leading-edge spacecraft techniques, biological regenerative life support system, radiation protection techniques for both astronauts and spacecraft, in situ resource utilization techniques, planetary protection policies and more. The lectures and the subsequent Q&A sessions invited a lot of interest in the audience and inspired discussion, insights and various exchanges on Manned Space and Deep Space Exploration which is a timely important topic.

The lectures focused on key issues of robotic and crewed exploration of the solar system

The IAA Study Group is open to all the scientists and experts who share the same interest or concern and the insights and views on the related issues gathered and generated through this study group would be published by IAA, while the expertise and contributions of the COSPAR representatives was very much appreciated. This Workshop is scheduled to be followed by a series of such events in the coming years.

Group photo at China Academy of Space Technology (CAST)

Summer School on Small Satellites COSPAR-LASP

May-June 2024, Lima, Peru

[by the members of the SATELLITE SYSTEMS UNI – PERU team from the National University of Engineering (UNI), Lima, Peru: Salvador Eduardo Romero de la Roca, Roberto Carlos Future Mendieta, Martin Jesus Rospigliosi Levano, Raul Martin Figueroa Teran, Gabriel Ulises Flores Castañeda]

The Summer School on Small Satellites COSPAR-LASP began on 28 May 2024. Dr. Amal Chandran, Program Manager, showed us the LASP facilities at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Our workplace for the development of the COSPAR-1 mission was located at the LASP Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy (CASA) / Astrophysics Research Lab (ARL). The objective of this report is to present the progress of the Peruvian team in the Summer School on Small Satellites COSPAR-LASP during June 2024.

Peruvian team at the LASP Space Technology Building (LSTB).

Activities carried out in the program:

At LASP, Dr. Amal Chandran assigned the program members to specific areas, allowing the Peruvian team to work on the development of the COSPAR-1 mission in the following subsystems:

1. Salvador Eduardo Romero de la Roca:

• Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Ground Systems.

2. Roberto Carlos Future Mendieta:

• Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Flight Software, and Attitude Determination and Control System.

3. Martin Jesus Rospigliosi Levano:

• Mechanical Engineering, Thermal.

4. Raul Martin Figueroa Teran:

• Project Management, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Thermal.

5. Gabriel Ulises Flores Castañeda:

• Electrical Engineering, Flight Software, Communications, and Ground Systems.

Every week, a progress review and Q&A meeting for each subsystem was held in a classroom of CASA/ARL.

Skills acquired:

During this month of participation, the Peruvian team members acquired technical skills in:

• Systems engineering for high-level requirements in small satellites.

• Mechanical design modeling of small satellites using SolidWorks.

• Thermal simulation of small satellites in Ansys Thermal Desktop.

• Software validation of FLATSAT HEX20.

• Building a Yagi Antenna for FLATSAT HEX20 communication tests.

The Peruvian team also participated in classes taught by LASP professionals covering the following topics: Electrical Engineering System for CubeSats, Systems Engineering for CubeSat Missions, Intro to Thermal Engineering–SmallSats, Flight Software Engineering, Spacecraft Mechanical and Electrical

Interfaces with Launch Vehicle, and Space Weather Impact on Satellite Operations.

Finally, on Friday, 28 June, a general presentation of the development of the COSPAR-1 mission during June was held in classroom.

▶ On the left: Peruvian team with the National Central University (NCU) team from China, Academy of Sciences Located in Taipei, in the FLATSAT HEX20 test lab at LASP.

▶ On the right: Peruvian team working in the LASP Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy (CASA) / Astrophysics Research Lab (ARL).

COSPAR PUBLICATION NEWS

Advances in Space Research (ASR) Open Access Papers

We are pleased to announce that three recent articles from one of our flagship journals, Advances in Space Research , have been made Open Access (OA) until 12 February 2025, courtesy of Elsevier:

“Theoretical approach to circular solar sail deployment”, V. Ya. Kezerashvili et al.

“Model study of the influence of atmospheric waves on variations of upper atmosphere and ionosphere parameters during a meteorological storm on May 29, 2017”, Y. Kurdyaeva et al.

“Comparison between GPS network analysis with undifferenced and double differenced integer ambiguity resolution: A practical perspective”, G. Chen et al.

Advances in Space Research (ASR) Special Issues

In this column, we bring you recently or soon to be published ASR papers:

• Progress in Cosmic Ray Astrophysics, Vol. 74, N° 9, edited by Igor V. Moskalenko and Eun-Suk Seo

• Global Navigation Satellite Systems: Recent Scientific Advances, Vol. 74, N° 6, edited by Elisa Felicitas Arias, Paride Testani

• Recent Advances in Satellite Constellations and Formations, Vol. 73, N° 11, edited by Margaret Ann Shea

• Recent advances in equatorial, low- and mid-latitude mesosphere, thermosphere and ionosphere studies, Vol. 73, N° 7, edited by Venkatesh Kavutarapu and Michael Pezzopane

• Synergistic Use of Remote Sensing Data and In-Situ Investigations to Reveal the Hidden Secrets of the Moon, Vol. 73, N° 4, edited by Shashi Kumar and Anil Kumar

• Parameter Retrieval and Applications with Imaging Spectroscopy Data from AVIRIS-NG, Vol. 73, N° 2, edited by Bimal Kumar Bhattacharya and Himanshu Govil

Here we indicate new / open calls for papers for special issues of ASR:

• The Powerful Solar-Terrestrial and Space Weather Event in May 2024 – Observations, Data and Preliminary Analysis: deadline 15 January 2025

• Astrophysical Spectroscopy and Data in Investigation of the Laboratory and Space Plasmas: deadline 31 January 2025

• Ionospheric Imaging: Recent Advances and Future Directions: deadline 15 January 2025

To keep abreast of other recent/soon-to-be-published or free-to-read articles in ASR, click here

LSSR Celebrates 10th Anniversary !

The editorial board for Space Research Today offers their congratulations to Tom Hei, Editor-in-Chief of Life Sciences in Space Research, one of COSPAR’s flagship journals, and his team for the 10th anniversary of their journal.

Here, with Tom’s permission, we publish his celebratory message:

2024 marks the 10th anniversary of the launch of Life Sciences in Space Research , a journey that witnesses the steady growth of a new journal that has been readily accepted and valued by the space research community. In the past decade, we have seen the submission rate of the journal grow as has its impact in the space research field. As COSPAR is an international space research organization, our authors come from all over the world. The top five countries in terms of authorship for the past three years are the United States, China, Russia, Germany and India, in that order. In the inaugural editorial printed in April 2014, the editorial board made a commitment to provide a product of which everyone in our space life science field would be proud. As the Editor in Chief, I am pleased to report that thanks to the hard work and dedication of our editorial staff, publishers and contributors, we have achieved that. On a personal note, I have found my role as EIC both exciting and fulfilling as I watched the journal mature and received approval for Medline/PubMed indexation in July of the following year, soon after the launch of the journal.

The past decade has witnessed many major advances in space research. From the Rosetta mission to the Jupiter-family comet Churyumov–Gerasimenko, to the first food grown in space and consumed by astronauts onboard to the International Space Station, to the famed NASA Twin Study that elucidated impacts of spaceflight on a human body through the study of identical twins, to the successful launch of the Chinese space station Tiangong and the first demonstration of alterations in the structure and function of human cardiomyocyte derived from pluripotent stem cells. One thing remains crystal clear, international cooperation remains the cornerstone of human space exploration. As such, we urge the United States Congress to repeal the ill-conceived Wolf amendment that prohibits NASA funded investigators from cooperation with their Chinese counterparts. We owe this to the international space research community. I would like to thank our contributing authors, our reviewers, our editorial board members, our journal managers/ publishers and members of the COSPAR publication committee for their support in the past ten years. Finally, and most important, on behalf of the whole editorial board, I would like to thank our faithful readers for their continuous support and wonderful suggestions on how to further improve “your” journal for the space life science community.

(Tom Hei, Editor-in-Chief, Life Sciences in Space Research )

▶ At the 2024 COSPAR-Busan Assembly with our current publisher Dr. Rebeca Aladro-Fernandez. Pictured, from left: Guenther Reitz, Polly Chang, Rebeca Aladro-Fernandez, Tom Hei, Jack Miller and Satoshi Kodaira

Titan After Cassini-Huygens

Most Up-to-date Coverage of Titan Now Available!

We are proud to announce that “Titan After Cassini-Huygens”, the first volume in the COSPAR Book Series, in collaboration with Elsevier, is now available!

Series

the mission data. Our knowledge of Titan has increased substantially due to observations from the Cassini-Huygens mission, which ended in 2017. Since then, observations from Earth, as well as laboratory and theoretical studies, have continued to add to our knowledge. These conclusions, combined with the latest ground-based and theoretical research, provide the most recent understanding of the science of Titan, covering the origin and evolution of Titan, its magnetic and plasma environment, surface, interior structure, geology, atmosphere, and the astrobiological potential for the oceans on the moon. The first book of the new COSPAR book series, Titan After Cassini-Huygens, is an integral reference for scientists, researchers, and academics working on Titan or ocean worlds.

Part of the COSPAR Book Series

Edited by Dr. Jean-Louis Fellous, former Executive Director of COSPAR (Committee on Space Research; 2008–2019)

Key Features • Details the total knowledge of Titan from Cassini-Huygens and subsequent observations from Earth, as well as laboratory and theoretical studies from the last decade Covers all aspects of Titan, including its origin and evolution, magnetic and plasma environment, surface, interior structure, atmospheric science, and astrobiological potential Provides detailed referenceable, peer-reviewed chapters covering investigators of the Cassini spacecraft and Huygens probe, as well as the ALMA radio telescope observatory About the Editors

Dr. Rosaly Lopes is Deputy Director for the Planetary Science Directorate at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She obtained a BSc in astronomy and a PhD in planetary science from University College London, UK, and was a member of the Cassini RADAR team.

Dr. Charles Elachi is Professor (Emeritus) of Electrical Engineering and Planetary Science at the California Institute of Technology. He was Director of NASA’ Jet Propulsion Laboratory (2001–2016) and Cassini RADAR team lead.

Dr. Ingo Mueller-Wodarg is Professor in Physics at Imperial College London and an expert in the study of atmospheres of planets and moons in our solar system. He was a science team member of the Cassini Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer.

Dr. Anezina Solomonidou is a planetary scientist with expertise in planetary geology and was a member of the Cassini RADAR team. She is now the Scientific Officer for Space Sciences and Space Exploration at the space agency of Greece.

“Titan After Cassini-Huygens” is the most up-to-date and comprehensive coverage of our knowledge on Titan, including results and insights from the joint NASA/ European Space Agency/Italian Space Agency mission Cassini-Huygens and the conclusions drawn by experts following detailed analysis of the mission data. Our knowledge of Titan has increased substantially due to observations from the Cassini-Huygens mission, which ended in 2017. Since then, observations from Earth, as well as laboratory and theoretical studies, have continued to add to our knowledge. These conclusions, combined with the latest ground-based and theoretical research, provide the most recent understanding of the science of Titan, covering the origin and evolution of Titan, its magnetic and plasma environment, surface, interior structure, geology, atmosphere, and the astrobiological potential for the oceans on the moon.

Key features include:

Series

TITAN

• the total knowledge of Titan from Cassini-Huygens and subsequent observations from Earth, as well as laboratory and theoretical studies from the last decade

• coverage of all aspects of Titan, including origin and evolution, magnetic and plasma environment, surface, interior structure, geology, atmospheric science and astrobiological potential

• detailed, referenceable data from investigators of the Cassini spacecraft and Huygens probe, as well as the ALMA radio telescope observatory

The first book of the new COSPAR book series, “Titan After Cassini-Huygens” is an integral reference for scientists, researchers, and academics working on Titan or ocean worlds.

The book is edited by Rosaly Lopes (NASA/JPL, USA), Charles Elachi (JPL/Caltech, USA), Ingo MuellerWodarg (Imperial College London, UK) and Anezina Solomonidou (Hellenic Space Centre, Greece).

For more information on the book and the editors, and to pre-order your copy, please go to this link here (currently 50% off the bundle of paperback and e-book). ISBN 978-0-323-99161-2

Edited by

Rosaly M.C. Lopes, Charles Elachi, Ingo Mueller-Wodarg, and Anezina Solomonidou

WHAT CAUGHT THE EDITOR'S EYE

O[Richard Harrison, Space Research Today General Editor]

ne thing that recently caught my eye was a book called “Farside” by Ben Bova. I have read many of his books in the past and find his planetary exploration books fascinating, clever and somewhat realistic (rather than ‘unlikely’ fantasy). As a space scientist, I am a bit picky about space fiction; the books have to feel plausible. I have always found that with Ben Bova, though I recognise that this is a personal view! “Farside” was written some years ago (2013; ISBN 978-0-7653-6359-6, published by Tom Doherty Assoc.) but my wife found a copy recently, knowing that I had not read that one. It is mainly set on a lunar human settlement called Farside, at an unspecified date some decades ahead of us, I guess. Farside is, as you would expect, on the far side of the Moon and it is populated by engineers and scientists building a far side observatory. The principal lunar settlement referred to in the book is called Selene (on the near-side) and, at the time of the story, the lunar settlements have some degree of independence from Earth. I won’t spoil the story, but, strangely enough, the nature of the story raises interesting points for a future COSPAR. Again, without giving anything away, there are reasons why certain things are banned on Earth but embraced by those on the Moon. Of course, as you can imagine, this relates in particular to potential technical developments that are not relevant today but it is easy to see that with today’s policies relating to planetary protection, space weather, the detrimental use of space, and in other areas, our focus is somewhat Earth-centric (we do care about the contamination of other Solar System

bodies, of course, but not human settlements offEarth) and future human expansion will add further dimensions to the many discussions relating to human policy, standards and laws. Is there a lesson here to perhaps think a little bit further ahead, say, 50 years, to consider the long-term future direction of our organisation? It is an interesting thought!

Another item I came across that struck a chord with me was the announced re-entry of one of the four Cluster spacecraft. This was reported in an ESA release on September 9th. This is a landmark event in that the combined Cluster (ESA) and SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory; ESA/NASA) missions made up the first cornerstone mission of the ESA Horizon 2000 programme, namely the Solar Terrestrial Physics (STP) "cornerstone". SOHO was launched in late 1995 and is still operational today (though not all instruments are now operational), making observations of the Sun and the solar wind from the so-called L1 point, sunward of the Earth; the Cluster spacecraft were launched in pairs in 2000, and were aimed at studies of the Earth’s magnetosphere in concert with the SOHO mission. The Cluster spacecraft made use of formation flying to investigate near-Earth space environment plasma processes in ways that one spacecraft could not achieve. This powerful STP cornerstone combination drove many major advances in solar, solar wind and magnetospheric physics over more than two and a half decades, and both missions outlived their nominal planned lifetimes many times over. Witnessing the demise of the first of these spacecraft marks the end of an era.

What Caught The Associate Editor's Eye

[Evagelia C. Laiakis, Space Research Today Associate Editor]

Afew months ago, as I was listening to the “2 Funny Astronauts” podcast with Mike Massimino and Garrett Reisman, Scott Kelly (special guest) brought up that after his one-year mission to the International Space Station his heart had shrunk by ~25%. His heart eventually returned to normal upon return to Earth but this highlights the unknowns with long duration spaceflight for human physiology. By the way, that is one great podcast! (there’s a Youtube channel too)

A recent paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) 1 and commentary in Nature News 2 sent an automated heart-on-a-chip platform to the ISS for one month. The investigators were able to monitor cardiac function in a real-time manner and compare returned chips to ground controls. Remarkably, the number of changes identified, during and immediately after flight, ranged from contractility to signs of sarcomere disruption and mitochondrial damage, reflected in transcriptomic analysis as well. A wealth of information has been coming out of “space mice” allowing us to start unraveling the short- and long-term effects of spaceflight in order to develop mitigating methods. Multi-omic analyses and raw data are now routinely being catalogued in online repositories, such as NASA’s OSDR, allowing us to identify biological processes that are dysregulated by spaceflight.

Although rodent studies have provided invaluable data, experiments in human tissue would provide data necessary to develop targeted mitigation strategies. This, of course, cannot be achieved, therefore the tissue-on-a-chip platform, as presented in the PNAS paper, provides a glimpse into understanding changes in actual human cells, during and after spaceflight. The possibilities set forth are endless, and as these tissue platforms become more sophisticated by incorporating different types of human cells and tissues, we continue to still unravel the mysteries of space travel. The future of space biology and space radiation research is bright and there is still much to be learned. Ad astra!

1. D.B. Mair, J.H Tsui, T. Higashi et al. Spaceflight-induced contractile and mitochondrial dysfunction in an automated heart-on-a-chip platform. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024; 121(40) e2404644121. PubMed PMID: 39312653. PMCID: PMC11459163.

2. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03105-x

LETTER to the Editor

Too much research, not enough solutions ?

To the Editor,

I recently came across an editorial in Le Monde (Science et Médecine), 30 October 2024, in which a researcher in oceanography described why they had resigned from a university position. What it boiled down to was the frequent mismatch, observed by the author, between academic research in climate change and local action. On the one hand, academic research these days is largely dependent on grants, on the other, to effectively attract funding the vast majority of grant proposals are reliant on techno-solutions involving the creation of bright new equipment and laboratories. Increasingly, these are loaded with the promise of saving our planet, associated with initiatives to prevent climate change. And yet little is done on the ground.

"Mismatch between academic research in climate change and local action"

We have been observing climate change for over forty years now. The author quotes Jim Skea, president of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): Climate change is the result of over a century of unsustainable energy and land use, lifestyles and patterns of consumption and production.

What is needed now is perhaps not yet another set of satellites to observe how fast the glaciers are melting, nor more super computers to model these changes, but more action in the community, more communication about the research that currently exists, and practical solutions for society now. We need to recognise research and its place in this global challenge, and exploit it effectively, but a priority must be to learn to change our attitudes and habits fast, especially at individual and local levels, to realise those practical solutions. Anon.

If you would like to react to this Letter to the Editor, or to any other articles in this issue of SRT, please email us

Submissions to Space Research Today

Anyone is welcome, indeed encouraged, to submit an article or news item to Space Research Today . As we are the main information bulletin of COSPAR, we are particularly focused on issues and news related to COSPAR business, to space research news and events, including meetings, around the world. In the spirit of a bulletin publication, we aim to be as flexible as possible in the submission procedures. Submission should be made in English, by e-mail to any member of the Editorial Team (see contact details given earlier).

Submissions may be made in (i) e-mail text, with attached image files if required, and (ii) As Word files with embedded images (colour is encouraged). Other formats can be considered; please contact the editorial team with your request. If you are submitting an article, please include ‘about the author’ information, i.e. a paragraph about yourself with an image.

The nominal deadlines are 1 February for the April issue, 1 June for the August issue, and 1 October for the December issue, but material can be submitted at any time.

The editors will always be pleased to receive the following types of inputs or submissions, among others:

Research Highlight articles: These are generally substantial, current review articles that can be expected to be of interest to the general space community, extending from two pages to over five pages, with figures and images (again, colour encouraged). These could be reports on space missions, scientific reports, articles on space strategy or history.

In Brief articles: short research or news announcements up to three pages, with images as appropriate.

COSPAR Business and COSPAR Community : articles related to COSPAR business, reporting on particular activities, meetings or events.

Snapshots : striking space research related images (e.g. a spacecraft launch, a planetary encounter image, a large solar flare, or a historical image, particularly related to COSPAR) for which we require the image and a single paragraph caption, plus the image credit.

In Memoriam submissions: Articles extending to a few pages, including an image, about a significant figure in the COSPAR community.

Letters to the Editor : Up to two or three pages on any subject relevant to COSPAR and space research in general. These can cover news, opinions on strategy, or scientific results.

Meeting announcements : meeting reports and book reviews all welcome.

Articles are not refereed, but the decision to publish is the responsibility of the General Editor and his editorial team.

COSPAR – Committee on Space Research

Furthering research, exploration, and the peaceful use of outer space through international cooperation

COSPAR was established by the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU), now the International Science Council (ISC), in October 1958 to continue the cooperative programmes of rocket and satellite research successfully undertaken during the International Geophysical Year of 1957-1958. The ICSU resolution creating COSPAR stated that its primary purpose was to "provide the world scientific community with the means whereby it may exploit the possibilities of satellites and space probes of all kinds for scientific purposes, and exchange the resulting data on a cooperative basis". Accordingly, COSPAR is an interdisciplinary scientific organization concerned with the promotion and progress, on an international scale, of all kinds of scientific research carried out with space vehicles, rockets and balloons. COSPAR’s objectives are carried out by the international community of scientists working through ISC and its adhering National Academies and International Scientific Unions. Operating under the rules of ISC, COSPAR considers all questions solely from the scientific viewpoint and takes no account of political considerations.

Composition of COSPAR

COSPAR Members are National Scientific Institutions, as defined by ISC, actively engaged in space research and International Scientific Unions federated in ISC which desire membership. The COSPAR Bureau manages the activities of the Committee on a day-to-day basis for the Council – COSPAR’s principal body – which comprises COSPAR’s President, one official representative of each Member National Scientific Institution and International Scientific Union, the Chairs of COSPAR Scientific Commissions, and the Finance Committee Chair.

COSPAR also recognizes as Associates individual scientists taking part in its activities and, as Associated Supporters, public or private organizations or individuals wishing to support COSPAR’s activities. Current members in this category are Airbus Defence and Space SAS, Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity (ZARM) , Germany; China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) , China; China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) , China; Groupement des Industries Françaises Aéronautiques et Spatiales (GIFAS) , France; the International Space Science Institute (ISSI) , Switzerland.

COSPAR also has an Industry Partner programme to encourage strategic engagement with relevant industries who wish to be involved in the activities of COSPAR and support its mission.

The current Industry Partners is Lockheed Martin Corporation , USA and Northrop Grumman , USA.

COSPAR Bureau (2022-2026)

President: P. Ehrenfreund (Netherlands/USA)

Vice Presidents: C. Cesarsky (France), P. Ubertini (Italy)

Other Members: V. Angelopoulos (USA), M. Fujimoto (Japan), M. Grande (UK), P. Rettberg (Germany), I. Stanislawska (Poland), C. Wang (China)

COSPAR Finance Committee (2022-2026)

Chair: I. Cairns (Australia)

Members: C. Mandrini (Argentina), J.-P. St Maurice (Canada)

COSPAR Publications Committee

Chair: P. Ubertini (Italy)

Ex Officio: P. Ehrenfreund (Netherlands/USA), J.-C. Worms (France), R.A. Harrison (UK), T. Hei (USA), M. Shea (USA), P. Willis (France)

Other Members: A. Bazzano (Italy), M. Klimenko (Russia), G. Reitz (Germany), M. Story (USA), P. Visser (Netherlands)

COSPAR Secretariat

Executive Director: J.-C. Worms

Associate Director: A. Janofsky

Administrative Coordinator: L. Fergus Swan

Accountant: A. Stepniak

COSPAR Secretariat, c/o CNES, 2 place Maurice Quentin

75039 Paris Cedex 01, France

Tel : +33 (0) 1 44 76 74 41, +33 (0)4 67 54 87 77

E-mail: cospar@cosparhq.cnes.fr, Web: https://cosparhq.cnes.fr

Visit the website for details of COSPAR governance

Chairs & Vice-Chairs of COSPAR’s Scientific Commissions

SC A on Space Studies of the Earth's Surface, Meteorology and Climate

J. Benveniste (France, Chair)

E. Lansard (Singapore)

SC B on Space Studies of the Earth-Moon System, Planets, and Small Bodies of the Solar System

H. Yano (Japan; Chair)

B. Foing (Netherlands),

R. Lopes (USA)

SC C on Space Studies of the Upper Atmospheres of the Earth and Planets, including Reference Atmospheres

D. Pallamraju (India, Chair)

P.R. Fagundes (Brazil),

D. Themens (UK),

E. Yigit (USA)

SC D on Space Plasmas in the Solar System, including Planetary Magnetospheres

N. Vilmer (France, Chair)

A. Gil-Swiderska (Poland), J. Zhang (USA)

SC E on Research in Astrophysics from Space

I. Papadakis (Greece; Chair)

E. Churasov (Germany),

B. Schmieder (France),

W. Yu (China)

SC F on Life Sciences as Related to Space

T.K. Hei (USA; Chair)

G. Baiocco (Italy), J. Kiss (Germany), P. Rettberg (Germany), Y. Sun (China)

SC G on Materials Sciences in Space

M. Avila (Germany; Chair)

K. Brinkert (UK),

K. Li (China)

J. Porter (Spain),

A. Romero-Calvo (USA)

SC H on Fundamental Physics in Space

M. Rodrigues (France; Chair)

O. Bertolami (Portugal),

S. Hermenn (Germany), P. McNamara (ESA/ESTEC)

Chairs & Vice-Chairs of COSPAR’s Panels

Panel on Capacity Building (PCB)

J.C. Gabriel (Spain; Chair)

D. Altamirano (UK), J. Benvéniste (ESA), D. Bilitza (USA), M. C. Damas (USA), N. Kumar (India) D. Perrone (Italy), R. Smith (USA), M. Tshisaphungo (S. Africa)

Panel on Establishing a Constellation of Small Satellites (PCSS)

D. Baker (USA; Chair)

A. Chandran (USA)

Panel on Education (PE)

R. Doran (Portugal; Chair)

M.C. Damas (USA), S. Benitez Herrera (Spain), G. Rojas (Portugal)

Panel on Potentially Environmentally Detrimental Activities in Space (PEDAS)

C. Frueh (USA), C. Pardini (Italy)

Panel on Exploration (PEX)

M. Blanc (France; Chair)

B. Foing (Netherlands), C. McKay (USA), F. Westall (France)

Panel on Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility Initiative (PIDEA)

M. Snitch (USA; Chair)

L. Giulicchi (ESA/ESTEC)

Panel on Interstellar Research (PIR)

P. Brandt (USA; Chair)

S. Barabash (Sweden), E. Provornikova (USA)

Panel on Machine Learning and Data Science (PMLDS)

Y. Shprits (Germany; Chair)

Panel on Innovative Solutions (PoIS)

E.H. Smith (USA, Chair)

G. Danos (Cyprus)

Panel on Planetary Protection (PPP)

A. Coustenis (France; Chair)

P. Doran (USA), N. Hedman (UNOOSA)

Panel on Radiation Belt Environment Modelling (PRBEM)

Y. Miyoshi (Japan, Chair)

A. Brunet (France), Y. Shprits (Germany),

Y. Zheng (USA)

Panel on Technical Problems Related to Scientific Ballooning (PSB)

M. Abrahamsson (Sweden; Chair)

V. Dubourg (France), H. Fuke (Japan), E. Udinski (USA)

Technical Panel on Satellite Dynamics (PSD)

A. Jäggi (Switzerland; Chair)

K. Sosnica, (Poland)

X. Mao (China),

F. Topputo (Italy)

Panel on Social Sciences and Humanities (PSSH)

I. Sourbès-Verger (France; Chair)

N. Hedman (Austria)

Panel on Space Weather (PSW)

M. Bisi (UK; Chair)

J.E.R. Costa (Brazil), S. Gadimova (UNOOSA), N. Gopalswamy (USA), K. Yoon (S. Korea)

CHAIRS OF COSPAR / JOINT TASK GROUPS (TG):

URSI/COSPAR Task Group on the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI)

Chair: Vladimir Truhlik (Czech Rep.), 2022 – 2026

COSPAR/URSI Task Group on Reference Atmospheres, including ISO WG4 (CIRA)

Chair: Sean Bruinsma (France), 2021 – 2024

Task Group on Reference Atmospheres of Planets and Satellites (RAPS)

Chair: Hilary Justh (USA), 2021 – 2024

Task Group on the GEO (TG GEO)

Chair: Suresh Vannan (USA) 2022 – 2026

Sub-Group on Radiation Belts (TGCSS – SGRB)

Chair: Ji Wu (China), 2021 – 2025

Task Group on Establishing an International Geospace Systems Program (TGIGSP)

Chair: Larry Kepko (USA), 2021 – 2025

Advisory board: Committee on Industry Relations

Chair: Nelson Pedreiro (Lockheed Martin, USA)

Space Research Today Editorial Officers

General Editor: R.A. Harrison, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell, Oxfordshire OX11 0QX, UK. Tel: +44 1235 44 6884, E-mail: richard.harrison@stfc.ac.uk

Executive Editor: L. Fergus Swan (leigh.fergus@cosparhq.cnes.fr)

Associate Editors: J.-C. Worms (France; cospar@cosparhq.cnes.fr), D. Altamirano (UK; d.altamirano@sotonac.uk), Y. Kasai (Japan; ykasai@nict.go.jp), E.C. Laiakis (USA; ecl28@georgetown.edu), H. Peter (Germany; heike.peter@positim.com)

SPACE RESEARCH TODAY PUBLISHING INFORMATION

ISSN: 2647:9933

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Space Research Today (3 issues per annum) is published by COSPAR and can be freely viewed or downloaded from the COSPAR website https://cosparhq.cnes.fr/ No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without permission from the publisher or the copyright holders. COSPAR does not necessarily agree with opinions expressed in articles in Space Research Today .