Space policy for late comer countries: A case study of South Korea

Korea’s space development program was created almost 40 years behind those of the advanced countries but it has nevertheless made remarkable progress. Korean space development has been focused on technology catch-up, where commercialization and growth of industrial competitiveness are important rationales. However, the program has several problems, including: lack of a space equipment manufacturing industry, total system companies in the space manufacturing industry and communication between industry and researchers, and much concentration of projects and initiatives in the Korean Aerospace Research Institute (KARI). This study analyzes the problem by comparing space agencies and programs in Korea and other countries, particularly Japan and the USA. It is shown that the role of a national laboratory is critical in space industry development and argued that KARI should make greater efforts to promote the Korean space industry by encouraging technology transfer, sharing equipment and communication between companies. For successful space development, the main organization – usually the national research institute – should change its role from a research-only laboratory to manager and supporter of space development and industry. Such a move would invigorate Korea’s space industry and allow it to catch up with countries with a similar environment.     

Some consequences of the commercialization of satellite remote sensing

Remote-sensing technology developments will influence the flow and requirements of remote-sensing data until the end of this century. Sensing-upon-request modes of operation are becoming regular practice and, in combination with commercial sales, are leading to contracts in which copyright clauses and other conditions influence the distribution of remote-sensing data. Moreover, the introduction of programmable and directable sensor systems is making it easier to gather more data over certain areas at the cost of less or none over others, leading to potential indirect censorship. The development of a media market for remote-sensing products also brings a threat of actual censorship on the release and use of imagery. The effects of the technology developments and commercialization policies require a careful consideration of whether or not the present international remote-sensing regime, as governed by the UN principles relating to remote sensing of the Earth from space, can continue unmodified in future.     

量子通信技术及应用研究综述

量子通信技术自20世纪80年代诞生以来,获得了突飞猛进的发展。文章将量子通信技术及应用研究划分为量子通信协议研究、量子通信工程技术研究以及量子通信应用研究等三方面。在对量子密钥分发、量子秘密共享、量子隐形传态和量子安全直接通信等量子通信协议的技术原理、应用领域和研究进展进行分析对比的基础上,对量子光源产生、量子随机数发生、量子纠缠编码和单光子探测等量子通信工程技术的研究现状进行了总结,并对当前世界各国在量子通信链路构建、量子通信网络构建和量子通信系统构建等方面的主要研究进展进行了介绍,指出了量子通信当前存在的通信速率低、传输距离近、制造成本高等问题,明确了未来的发展方向,可以为量子通信技术和应用相关研究提供一定的参考。     

Iran's space programme: Riding high for peace and pride

Iran's efforts to develop space technology for civil and peaceful purposes began many years ago. Almost all its success in this connection is the result of indigenous potential in terms of human resources, available expertise and experience along with international cooperation and exchange of knowledge. There are considerable civilian entities involved in space-related development and production in Iran. This article describes the history and current status and capabilities of Iran's space programme and its aim to use space for peace and prosperity and to attain the position that it deserves in the global arena. Stepping into space using an indigenously developed system has provided Iran with a notable and unprecedented national pride. Only international cooperation, as already exists in the framework of COPUOS activities on the peaceful uses of outer space, can improve 21st century understanding of the space policy and visions of Iran for the world community. Iran's space programme is really no different from that of any other nation. It is committed to developing its assets in space both for peaceful purposes and for use as part of various multinational space projects. It should not be ignored that such achievements require a high degree of expertise, ability and comprehensive knowledge about the subject, while the attitudes and visions of leaders in each nation who also influence and contribute to the pace, progress and developmental objectives of any nation's space program should not be disregarded.     

Basic space science and developing countries

Basic science — including space science — is vital for national development, but developing countries often meet obstacles to participation in the international scientific community. This can be mitigated by international cooperation, particularly in the field of education. The author calls for a concerted effort to increase such cooperation regionally, internationally and bilaterally; international organizations should also become involved. Various forms of cooperation are suggested and UN efforts in the promotion of basic space science are described.     

Ensuring equal access to the benefits of space technologies for all countries

There is a concern in the developing world that industrialized countries have not done all they might under Article 1 of the Outer Space Treaty to make the benefits of space technology available to all countries; some are now seeking codification of rights and responsibilities in this sphere. This article discusses recent debate on the issues by COPUOS and its Legal Subcommittee on whether an additional legal framework is necessary to ensure a fairer distribution of benefits. G77 countries were strongly in favour of some form of technology and information transfer, while industrialized countries favoured the existing practice of developing international cooperative space projects. The author believes that a new set of principles will be formulated in the next few years and that organizations like Intelsat and Inmarsat can provide valuable models for ensuring access through cooperative programmes.     

太赫兹技术在医学领域的应用与展望

太赫兹(THz)波也被称作T射线,通常是指频率范围在0.1 THz～10 THz之间的电磁波.近几年来,随着太赫兹仪器的改进,太赫兹系统变得更容易使用,极大地促进了对许多潜在应用的研究.太赫兹波具有良好的探测能力和非电离的特点,其在研究生物分子的结构特性和动力学,以及在医学生物组织的成像方面有重要的应用价值.本文主要介...     

A framework for evaluating national space activity

Space technology and resources are used around the world to address societal challenges. Space provides valuable satellite services, unique scientific discoveries, surprising technology applications and new economic opportunities. Many developing countries formally recognize the advantages of space resources and pursue national level activity to harness them. There is limited data or documentation on the space activities of developing countries. Meanwhile, traditional approaches to summarize national space activity do not necessarily capture the types of activity that developing countries pursue in space. This is especially true if they do not have a formal national space program or office. Developing countries pursue national space activity through activities of many types—from national satellite programs to commercial use of satellite services to involvement with international space institutions. This research aims to understand and analyze these trends. This paper introduces two analytical frameworks for evaluating space activity at the national level. The frameworks are specifically designed to capture the activity of countries that have traditionally been less involved in space. They take a broad view of space related activity across multiple societal sectors and disciplines. The discussion explains the approach for using the frameworks as well as illustrative examples of how they can be applied as part of a research process. The first framework is called the Mission and Management Ladders. This framework considers specific space projects within countries and ranks them on “Ladders” that measure technical challenge and managerial autonomy. This first method is at a micro level of analysis. The second framework is called the Space Participation Metric (SPM). The SPM can be used to assign a Space Participation score to countries based on their involvement in various space related activities. This second method uses a macro level of analysis. The authors developed both frameworks as part of a long term research program about the space activities of developing countries. This aspect of the research focuses on harnessing multiple techniques to summarize complex, multi-disciplinary information about global space activity.     

International space programmes and policies : N. Jasentuliyana and Ralph Chipman, eds North Holland, Amsterdam and New York, 1984, 552 pp, $65.00

The Second United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space ( 82) identified crucial problems and made recommendations on strategies for developing countries to bridge the gap with advanced nations in the area of space technology. This article addresses some issues which, although implicit in the Report, are not discussed in detail therein. The role of space science and related scientific research is particularly emphasized. Close attention is paid to the role of human factors, such as the motivation to conduct research, the motivation to engage in international cooperation, and the motivation to utilize and exploit space. Possible opportunities for space research for developing countries, as well as relevant issues concerning management of space, are briefly discussed.     

China's space communications goals

As a large, developing country with poor communications networks, China is in a good position to benefit from satellite communications systems. This article describes the country's efforts since the late 1970s to develop satellite technology, particularly in the field of long-distance, broadcast education. Attention is also given to the role satellite communications can play in reaching remote, sparsely populated areas and in providing bilingual channels for ethnic minorities. The basis of the government's policy is a ‘Leasing for Transition’ programme arranged with Intelsat. But while emphasizing the value of cooperation and exchanges, the author also points to the headway made in indigenous technological development.     

Partnerships in remote sensing : A theme with some examples

This article reviews the revolution in remote sensing which has taken place over the past 25 years. This revolution could not have occurred without the closest cooperation among government agencies, industry and academia. International cooperation is shown to be essential in carrying out the bold missions planned for the next decade. The article reviews the history of the NASA-NOAA relationship, and the history of international partnerships with emphasis on development of the operational METSAT system. The government-industry partnership is also reviewed, with case studies to examine the evolution of METSAT sensor design, LANDSAT commercialization, and the NOAA Administrator's new initiative to facilitate development of a commercial Ocean Color Instrument. Government interaction with academia, in the form of National Science Foundation programmes and government-university ‘cooperative institutes’, is reviewed. The author concludes by showing how plans for integrating research and operations on Space Station platforms can only succeed through an alliance of all the remote-sensing players.     

The participation of developing countries in space research

The Second United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (Unispace 82) identified crucial problems and made recommendations on strategies for developing countries to bridge the gap with advanced nations in the area of space technology. This article addresses some issues which, although implicit in the Unispace Report, are not discussed in detail therein. The role of space science and related scientific research is particularly emphasized. Close attention is paid to the role of human factors, such as the motivation to conduct research, the motivation to engage in international cooperation, and the motivation to utilize and exploit space. Possible opportunities for space research for developing countries, as well as relevant issues concerning management of space, are briefly discussed.     

Towards an effective and adequately verifiable PPWT

The 2008 Russia–China proposal to the Conference on Disarmament on preventing space weapons has attracted wide attention. Lengthy debates have been made on the need for such a treaty and for two of its most disputed elements, namely prohibition of ground-based anti-satellite weapons and verification. This article argues that, regardless of verifiability, such a treaty is urgently needed for the benefit of international peace and security, and for the security interests of spacefaring countries. But in order to serve these purposes effectively, the treaty should at least explicitly prohibit testing, deployment and use of space-based weapons and ground-based anti-satellite weapons. Given the necessary political will, it is feasible to “adequately verify” these constraints. The verification regime should permit the incorporation of new measures in the future, combine international technical means and national technical means, combine remote-sensing technologies and on-site inspections, and be complemented by transparency and confidence-building measures.     

极化复用技术在遥感卫星数据传输中的应用

极化分割频率复用技术（简称极化复用技术）是解决数据传输频带资源紧张的技术途径之一,能够拓展一倍频率资源。文章针对极化复用技术在遥感卫星数据传输中的应用进行分析,推导出了星地传输极化复用信号影响因子F的定量计算公式,利用国际电联（ITU）的星地链路计算模型,给出了雨衰和降雨去极化效应的定量影响分析,对我国遥感卫星应用极化复用技术提出了有益的工程建议。     

Space-based societal applications—Relevance in developing countries

Space technology has the vast potential for addressing a variety of societal problems of the developing countries, particularly in the areas of communication, education and health sectors, land and water resources management, disaster management and weather forecasting. Both remote sensing and communication technologies can be used to achieve this goal.With its primary emphasis on application of space technology, on an end-to-end basis, towards national development, the Indian Space Programme has distinguished itself as one of the most cost-effective and development-oriented space programmes in the world.Developing nations are faced with the enormous task of carrying development-oriented education to the masses at the lower strata of their societies. One important feature of these populations is their large number and the spread over vast and remote areas of these nations, making the reaching out to them a difficult task. Satellite communication (Satcom) technology offers the unique capability of simultaneously reaching out to very large numbers, spread over vast areas, including the remote corners of the country. It is a strong tool to support development education. India has been amongst the first few nations to explore and put to use the Satcom technology for education and development-oriented services to the rural masses.Most of the developing countries have inadequate infrastructure to provide proper medical care to the rural population. Availability of specialist doctors in rural areas is a major bottleneck. Use of Satcom and information technology to connect rural clinics to urban hospitals through telemedicine systems is one of the solutions; and India has embarked upon an effective satellite-based telemedicine programme.Space technology is also useful in disaster warning and management related applications. Use of satellite systems and beacons for locating the distressed units on land, sea or air is well known to us. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is already a part of the International initiative called Satellite Aided Search and Rescue System.The programme to set up satellite-based Village Resource Centres (VRCs) across India, for providing a variety of services relevant to the rural communities, is also a unique societal application of space technology. The VRCs are envisaged as single window delivery mechanism for a variety of space-based products and services, such as tele-education; telemedicine; information on natural resources for planning and development at local level; interactive advisories on agriculture, fisheries, land and water resources management, livestock management, etc.; interactive vocational training towards alternative livelihood; e-governance; weather information; etc.This paper describes the various possibilities and potentials of Satcom and Remote Sensing technologies for societal applications. The initiatives taken by Indian Space Research Organisation in this direction are highlighted.     

Space education policy — a global imperative

The discoveries and knowledge gained from space exploration and technology development are valuable scientific education tools which are not being adequately used in the classroom. Moreover, the increasing application of space technology to everyday life and industry requires a work force educated to be able to work productively in this field and to take advantage of all it has to offer. This article provides a survey of what is presently being done in the field of space education in Europe and the USA. Although encouraging, it is not nearly enough to meet the needs of 21st century society, principally because current efforts lack government or industry support. The author argues that this state of affairs must change, and proposed an international symposium as a first step towards this goal.     

The progress of astronautics in China

China now has thirty years of experience in space. This article traces the development of China's space efforts and the successes China has achieved in space technology, particularly satellites and launchers. China's future plans for space activities are examined, including plans for cooperation with friendly countries, manned space flight, facilities to launch larger space vehicles, and participation in a permanent space station.     

中国返回式卫星发展与成就

文章概述了返回式卫星技术在世界各国发展的情况;介绍了中国返回式卫星发展历程及其取得的成就;总结了取得的科学技术成果及其在中国空间技术方面的贡献;最后面对中国航天事业的发展提出中国返回式卫星发展远景设想.     

星载超光谱成像技术应用及现状分析

文章介绍了星载超光谱成像技术的基本概念、主要应用目标和原理。综述了超光谱成像技术的国内外发展现状。最后对我国发展超光谱成像技术提出一些建议。     

美国典型高超飞行器项目研发及启示

简要回顾了美国典型高超声速飞行器项目及其动力系统发展的历程,分析了其发展的态势、经验和教训。美国始终将高超声速技术作为航空航天事业发展的重要领域,高超声速飞行器和动力技术方案与国家战略及应用背景密切相关。为了降低技术风险,采取了多方案并行的研发模式。高超声速技术的研发应充分重视顶层设计,注重技术的继承性,发挥不同单位的技术优势,加强基础研究、关键技术攻关和实验设施建设。