Inside UNOOSA — Dr. Fredrick Jenet on the UN and Space Governance
Watch the episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2SyFNKR5yQ
Episode 197 of This Week in Space (“Inside UNOOSA”) brings together UNOOSA Director Aarti Holla-Maini and Expanding Frontiers Dr. Fredrick A. Jenet for a detailed conversation about how the United Nations shapes space activity. Hosts Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik open with current headlines on ISS crew rotations and commercial space stations, then move into the less visible infrastructure that keeps spaceflight rules coherent as more actors enter orbit, the Moon, and beyond.
Early in the episode, Dr. Jenet outlines his role as National Space Society representative to the UN and vice-chair of the NSS International Committee. He describes how observers at the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) provide technical context and long-term perspectives for diplomats who must negotiate guidelines, soft law, and shared norms under consensus rules. That observer role stays active. It involves written input, side meetings, and continuous translation between engineering realities and policy language.
Aarti Holla-Maini then walks through what UNOOSA actually does. The office sits inside the UN Secretariat as a small team that convenes member states, maintains the UN registry of space objects, supports access to satellite data for disaster response through initiatives such as UN-SPIDER, and builds capacity in space law and regulation for countries that want to stand up agencies or even new spaceports. She stresses UNOOSA’s function as a neutral hub. The office cannot impose rules. It can create the conditions for informed decisions and shared tools.
The conversation digs into pressure points that will define the next decade. Large satellite constellations raise collision risk and drive demand for more structured space traffic coordination. Growth in launch cadence plus new spaceport plans force aviation and space regulators to think together about shared airspace. Planned lunar activity raises questions about resource use, transparency, and how to respect the non-appropriation principle while still allowing extraction. Future issues appear on the horizon as well, such as the atmospheric impact of increasing re-entries and debris burn-up. COPUOS will likely need to address each of these topics through guidelines, working groups, and new coordination mechanisms rather than new treaties.
Throughout the episode, both guests return to the same core idea. Sustainable growth in space requires practical cooperation between governments, commercial operators, and civil society. UNOOSA provides a forum where that cooperation can form. Observer organizations such as the National Space Society can feed in technical expertise and long-term thinking. Regional ecosystems, including the one Expanding Frontiers supports in South Texas, will feel the downstream effects of these decisions as they shape the environment for future missions, startups, and talent.
