- Accessing information from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the UN Committee On the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), and other databases
- Disentangling interference from LEOsats and other sources
2.2.3. International and national laws governing outer space
This module will introduce the learner to the relevant laws, treaties and legal approaches related to the legality of a private entity or a nation launching satellites into space. While a legal challenge initiated by the astronomy community seems unlikely to stop the already approved launches, it is possible that future launches could be stopped or deferred until LEOsat operators take into account the mitigation strategies developed by the astronomy community. Moreover, the intense competition between various LEOsat operators will inevitably lead to legal disputes and actions, and it is in the interest of the astronomy community to be aware of these developments.
This module will focus on the following (US) laws and international treaties that are relevant to LEOsat operators and, by extension, to astronomers:
- The Outer Space Treaty[1] (1967),
- US Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act[2] (2015),
- National Environmental Policy Act[3] (1970)
- Ancestral Global Commons approach (Venkatesan et al., 2020)
2.3. Appendices
The following modules, proposed for the training curriculum, will provide observers with a wide variety of hardware as a quick start to observing satellites.
- Appendix A: Quick Start Recipe (DSLR Cameras)
- Appendix B: Quick Start Recipe (small, < 0.5-meter-class telescopes, CCD imaging)
- Appendix C: Quick Start Recipe (large, > 0.5-meter-class telescopes, CCD imaging)
- Appendix D: Citizen Science Projects (Zooniverse, Satellite Streak Watcher[4], etc.)
An ideal timeline for the completion of the construction of this curriculum is about a year. This timeline is constrained by the timeline for development of SatHub and software tools proposed by the Algorithms Working Group. Nevertheless, it is prudent to make at least portions of this curriculum available as soon as possible — at least on the expected timescales of the deployment of satellite constellations, if not quicker.
