Documents and Press

The OSI produces white papers, original research, and public communications, such as op-eds and interviews. We are just getting started, so while modest at the moment, expect this area to grow. Opinions expressed in the associated work are those of the authors, and do not reflect an official position of the OSI.

• "U.S. policy puts the safe development of space at risk"
• The article explores risks associated with unilateral and bilateral space mining policy. The full article can be found here (link). The PDF reprint is here (link).
• A brief overview of the article (on YouTube) is given by co-author Michael Byers here (link).
• Green College-OSI Lecture Series: "Humanity’s Expansion into Outer Space: Our ambition and its consequences”
• Onward to Mars: A conversation with Dr. Margarita Marinova, formerly with SpaceX, where she was a senior Mars development engineer
• Space Cooperation: A conversation with Dr. Jan Wörner, Director General of the European Space Agency
• International Open Letter on Space Mining and Signature Form
• The Outer Space Institute is pleased to publish the International Open Letter on Space Mining (link), which stresses the need for a multilateral agreement on the exploration, exploitation, and utilization of space resources and calls on states to present a resolution at the UN General Assembly that urges the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space to negotiate a draft of such an agreement. The list of early signatories is appended to the letter.
• The International Open Letter on Space Mining is now open for additional signatures. Should you wish to add your name, please use the following form (link). The current full list of signatories is available here (link). Note: updates may take a few minutes to show.
• Globe and Mail press article about the letter can be found here (link).
• Recommendations and Government Relations
• Open Letter to the Canadian Government Concerning Space Resources
  • On 6 April 2020, the President of the United States signed an Executive Order on Encouraging International Support for the Recovery and Use of Space Resources wherein the U.S. Administration takes the unprecedented position that outer space is not a global commons. The following open letter strongly urges the Government of Canada to reiterate its policy that outer space is a global commons and work through multilateral forums to seek a widely-supported international agreement on how space resources should be recovered and used: PDF
• The Vancouver Recommendations on Space Mining
  • In early March 2020, two dozen experts convened at the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. Brought together by the Outer Space Institute, they came from a wide range of countries and backgrounds, including government, industry, and academia. The composition of the group was very transdisciplinary, with representation from astronomy, planetary science, engineering, environmental science, international relations, and international law. The experts adopted the following Recommendations concerning space mining: PDF . The Recommendations were drafted in consultation with industry leaders, the CSA, GAC, and NRCan.
• Salt Spring Recommendations
  • The Recommendations were adopted at an international workshop on ‘Space Debris and National Security’ on Salt Spring Island, Canada, on January 10 and 11, 2020. They reflect a consensus view, and should not be attributed to the individual participants. The workshop was convened by the Outer Space Institute and the University of British Columbia with financial support from the Canadian Department of National Defence and the Salt Spring Forum: PDF
• Research Articles
• "Meteoroid Stream Formation Due to the Extraction of Space Resources from Asteroids" by Fladeland, Boley, and Byers. Conference paper for the 1st International Orbital Debris Conference, December 9-12, 2019.
• "The Role of NewSpace in Furthering Canadian Astronomy" by Boley et al. White Paper for the Canadian Astronomy Long Range Plan 2020, September 2019
• "Cold, dark, and dangerous: international cooperation in the arctic and space" by Byers. Polar Record, June 10, 2019

• Conference Presentations
• "Meteoroid Stream Formation Due to the Extraction of Space Resources from Asteroids" by Fladeland, Boley, and Byers. Presentation by Boley at the 1st International Orbital Debris Conference, December 9-12, 2019, Sugar Land, TX, USA
• "On the possibility of debris stream formation during asteroid mining operations" by Boley and Fladeland. Orginally published during the AAS Division of Planetary Science 50th meeting, Knoxville, October 2018

• Op-Eds and Explainers
  • "Arms Control in Outer Space: Mission Impossible or Unrealized Potential?" by Paul Meyer. Orignally published in the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.
  • It’s Time for a Truly Canadian Space Mission" by Michael Byers and Aaron Boley. Orginally published in The Tyee.
  • "Executive Orders and Artemis Accords -- Considerations for Canada", Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, David Kendall. Originally published on SpaceQ.
  • "The United States is going back to space. But we have some things to figure out on Earth first" by Michael Byers and Aaron Boley. Originally published in the Globe and Mail.
  • "Satellites and space debris are polluting our orbit. More than the stars are at stake" by Michael Byers and Aaron Boley. Originally published in The Globe and Mail.
  • "How Elon Musk can help save astronomy" by Michael Byers and Aaron Boley. Originally published in the Los Angeles Times.
  • "May the Space Force be with you: Canada and the non-weaponization of Space" by Paul Meyer. Orginally published in The Hill.
  • "Star Wars: Coming soon to a space near you – the diplomatic alternative" by Paul Meyer. Originally published for the Centre for International Policy Studies.
  • "Cold, dark and dangerous: The connection between the Arctic and outer space" by Michael Byers. Originally published in the Globe and Mail.
  • "With investment in Telesat, Canada enters the communications space race" by Michael Byers. Originally published in the Globe and Mail.
  • "Did climate change destroy the aliens?" by Michael Byers and Kent A. Peacock. Originally published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
  • "Toxic rocket fuel a hidden hazard for Canso" by Michael Byers and Cameron Byers. Originally published in The Chronicle Herald.
  • "Relax: An asteroid will just miss hitting Earth. But our actions could still have a deep impact" by Michael Byers and Aaron Boley. Originally published in the Globe and Mail.
  • "Washington sparks a space spat at the United Nations" by Paul Meyer. Originally published in the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.
  • "Canada should lend the Lunar Gateway project a hand – or even a whole arm" by Michael Byers. Originally published in the Globe and Mail.
  • "Canada and space security diplomacy: getting back into the game" by Paul Meyer. Published in The Hill Times, 26th November 2018 (no link at this time).
  • "Soyuz rocket failure: Russia has lost its reputation as a space leader" by Michael Byers. Originally published in the Globe and Mail.
  • "Trump wants a Space Force. He won't get one" by Michael Byers. Originally published in the Globe and Mail.
  • "Elon Musk, President of Mars?" by Michael Byers. Originally published in the Washington Post.
• Resources
  • AstriaGraph, a tool for viewing current space traffic and resident space object information. Developed and maintained by Moriba Jah and the Astria collaboration.
• Talks
  • "Capacity-building for Space Sustainability" webinar hosted by the Secure World Foundation with David Kendall as a discussant.
  • "Future Warfighting Symposium - Space and National Security -- Zoom Panel" hosted by the Naval War College with David Kendall as a discussant.
  • SGAC Space Exploration Project Group Panel Discussion on Lunar Governance with Aaron Boley as a discussant.
  • Space Governance Innovation Contest with principal orgainzer Timiebi Aganaba-Jeanty and closing remarks by Aaron Boley
  • "TedxASU Talk on The Future of the Space Era 4.0" by Timiebi Aganaba-Jeanty.
  • TED Talk on "The Worlds First Crowdsourced Space Traffic Monitoring System" by Moriba Jah.
• Interviews and News
  • "Who owns space? Well it depends who gets there first" by Andy Martin. Originally published in the Independent.
  • "The U.S. Is Trying to Be the 'Gatekeeper' of Space, Researchers Warn" by Becky Ferriera. Originally published in Vice.
  • "As Risks of Space Wars Grow, Policies to Curb Them Lag" by Ramin Skibba. Orginally published in Undark Magazine.
  • "This NASA Mission May Cause an Artificial Meteor Shower" by Jonathan O'Callaghan. Originally published in the NYT.
  • "An International Perspective on the Artemis Accords" by Marc Boucher. Originally published on SpaceQ.
  • "Canada Urged Not to Endorse US Approach to Space Mining" by Steven Chase. Originally published in the Globe and Mail.
  • "Modeling Debris from Asteroid Mining to Inform Legal Frameworks" by David Rich. Originally published on The Space Resource.
  • “In space, no one wants to clean up” by Malone Mullin, originally published for the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies.
  • "Regulating the Final Frontier" by Richard Littlemore. Originally published in Trek Magazine.
  • "Greening the Future of Outer Space" by Ramin Skibba. Originally published in Smithsonian Magazine.