United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs

What United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs does

UNOOSA is a subsidiary organ of the United Nations General Assembly, established in 1970 and headquartered at the Vienna International Centre in Austria, that serves as the secretariat for the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) and its subsidiary bodies. Its core function is to promote international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space, convene multilateral policy negotiations, and implement capacity-building programs for UN member states. The organization's portfolio comprises interconnected initiatives including Access to Space for All (orbital opportunities and satellite development for emerging space nations, materializing in the PHI-1 12U CubeSat launched November 2025 in partnership with MBRSC), UN-SPIDER (space-based disaster management support via a network of regional support offices), the International Committee on GNSS (coordinating interoperability among global navigation satellite system providers), and thematic programs such as Space4SDGs, Space4Women, and Space4Youth. UNOOSA also maintains the international space law framework, stewarding the five UN space treaties and operating the Space Object Register.

The organization's technology posture is that of a policy and coordination body rather than a technology developer; it provides platforms for space situational awareness coordination, GNSS interoperability, and disaster management support rather than proprietary space hardware or software products. AI capabilities are applied across policy analysis, Earth observation imagery analysis via geospatial foundation models, and orbital anomaly detection, but these are governance and advisory uses rather than core AI products. The office partners with national space agencies (MBRSC, KASA, PhilSA, UAE Space Agency, U.S. Department of State), intergovernmental organizations (ICAO, ITU, ATU, ASEAN), and commercial actors (Amazon, SpaceX) to deliver programmatic outcomes.

UNOOSA's business model is non-commercial: it is funded through assessed contributions from UN member states as part of the UN regular budget, supplemented by voluntary contributions, and does not charge for its services, capacity-building programs, or publications. Its go-to-market motion is event-driven, centered on annual COPUOS sessions and subcommittees, regional workshops, and multilateral partnerships rather than commercial sales. It serves all 195+ UN member states, with particular emphasis on emerging space nations, developing countries, academia, and the broader space community through its six regional centers for space science and technology education spanning Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and West Asia.

Name

United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs

Legal name

United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs

Website

https://unoosa.org

Company type

Public

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

UNOOSA is the United Nations office headquartered in Vienna that serves as the secretariat for COPUOS and coordinates international cooperation on the peaceful uses of outer space, serving all 195+ UN member states through programs on space law, GNSS, disaster management, and capacity building.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Space Policy Coordination

NAICS

Space Research and Technology (927110)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

International Science, Technology & Space Cooperation Organizations (BPADAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

United Nations System & Specialized Agencies (BPADAAAA)

Keywords

• Space policy coordination
• International space cooperation
• Space capacity building
• Disaster management support
• Space law frameworks

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Member State Contributions: UNOOSA is funded through assessed contributions from United Nations member states as part of the regular UN budget. It does not generate commercial revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

UNOOSA serves as the secretariat for the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) and promotes international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space through policy coordination, capacity-building, and legal frameworks. It implements flagship programmes including Access to Space for All (orbital and research opportunities for emerging nations), UN-SPIDER (space-based disaster management support), the International Committee on GNSS (GNSS interoperability), the Programme on Space Applications (training and fellowships), and thematic initiatives such as Space4SDGs, Space4Women, and Space4Youth.

Product overview

UNOOSA operates as a policy-oriented UN body rather than a product company. Its portfolio comprises interconnected initiatives organized around core programmatic areas: Access to Space for All provides platforms for emerging space nations to deploy satellites and conduct research; the Programme on Space Applications delivers training and capacity building across space science and technology domains; UN-SPIDER focuses on disaster management applications; the International Committee on GNSS coordinates global navigation satellite systems; Space Law maintains international space governance frameworks; and thematic initiatives (Space4Women, Space4Youth, Space4ClimateAction) advance specific societal objectives. The COPUOS secretariat function serves as the primary intergovernmental coordination mechanism.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Access to Space for All: Initiative enabling communities from all over the world to use and benefit from space technologies through cooperation among established space actors, the United Nations, and non or emerging space entities
• UN-SPIDER
• Space4SDGs

Products and services

• Access to Space for All
• UN-SPIDER (United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response)
• International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (ICG)
• Programme on Space Applications (PSA)
• Secretariat of COPUOS
• Space Law Programme
• Space4SDGs
• PHI-1 (Payload Hosting Initiative-1)

Quantifiable outcome

• PHI-1 satellite launch enabled international partners from UAE, Bahrain, Nepal, and Sharjah to test technologies in space under Access to Space for All initiative
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UAE Space Agency (chair of International Expert Group on SSA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 June 2026UAE presented its AED 1 billion International Space Cooperation Program at the 69th session of COPUOS. The UAE chairs the International Expert Group on Space Situational Awareness which includes over 120 experts from 43 countries. Bilateral meetings held between UAE delegation and UNOOSA Director Aarti Holla-Maini.
• Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 March 2026UNOOSA and PhilSA signed a Memorandum of Understanding on March 13, 2026 to strengthen space cooperation between the two organizations. The agreement was formalized by PhilSA Ad Interim Director General Dr. Gay Jane Perez and UNOOSA Director Aarti Holla-Maini. The partnership aims to enhance collaboration in space policy and international cooperation.
• Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) and Thailand's Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 March 2026Jointly convened the ASEAN Space Situational Awareness and Space Traffic Management Seminar-Workshop on 12-13 March 2026 in Manila. The event brought together heads of delegation from ASEAN member states to advance regional cooperation on space safety and orbital traffic management, with Secretary-General of ASEAN Dr. Kao Kim Hourn delivering keynote remarks.
• African Telecommunications Union (ATU), ITU, and AmazoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 February 2026Collaborative online capacity-building programme on low Earth orbit satellite internet services for policymakers and regulators across African Member States. The initiative responds to rapid satellite internet expansion and governance challenges including spectrum coordination, interference management, and responsible orbital resource stewardship.
• Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 November 2025Partnership under the Payload Hosting Initiative (PHI) within UNOOSA's Access to Space for All initiative. PHI-1, the first modular satellite platform under this partnership, launched on November 19, 2025 aboard SpaceX Falcon 9. The 12U CubeSat carries international payloads from Bahrain Space Agency, Antarikchya Pratisthan Nepal, and Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences and Technology.
• Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKASA organized the 19th Meeting of the International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (ICG-19) on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Korea, held in hybrid format on 19-24 October 2025 in Busan, Republic of Korea. UNOOSA serves as the executive secretariat of ICG.
• ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNOOSA and ICAO released a joint Issues Brief on 'Challenges and Opportunities of Airspace Integration for Space Transportation Operations' in June 2026, addressing regulatory coordination between aviation and space launch operations.
• U.S. Department of StateminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerU.S. Department of State invited a University of Arizona professor to join a United Nations expert discussion group advising on space situational awareness and space traffic coordination. This supports addressing orbital congestion from active satellites and space debris.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• UAE Space Agency: Active collaboration partner that chaired the International Expert Group on SSA and announced the AED 1 billion International Space Cooperation Program. Functions as both a national agency and an emerging convener in regional space diplomacy, often through UNOOSA forums.
• International Academy of Astronautics (IAA): International non-governmental organization promoting space science cooperation among academies and research institutions. Comparable to UNOOSA's Space4Youth and capacity-building work as a non-state convener in international space affairs, with observer status at COPUOS.
• Group on Earth Observations (GEO): Intergovernmental partnership coordinating Earth observation data and systems. Overlaps with UNOOSA's Earth observation and disaster-management mandates (UN-SPIDER), and serves as a complementary global coordination body in adjacent space-application domains.

Broad incumbents

• International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO): UN specialized agency setting international standards for civil aviation. Recently a direct joint-publication partner with UNOOSA on airspace integration for space transportation. Comparable as a sister UN body that regulates a transportation-related domain intersecting with space.
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA): Largest governmental space actor and a major contributor to UNOOSA-affiliated working groups. Comparable to UNOOSA in space science and policy leadership but as a national agency with operational launch and exploration capabilities UNOOSA lacks.

Direct peers

• World Meteorological Organization (WMO): UN specialized agency coordinating international cooperation in atmospheric and space weather science. Highly analogous structure to UNOOSA - UN system status, member-state funding, treaty-based mandate, and overlapping interest in space weather and Earth observation data exchange.
• Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO): Intergovernmental space organization headquartered in Beijing with 10+ member states. Comparable to UNOOSA in pooling member-state resources for satellite development, capacity building, and joint space programs, though operating regionally rather than globally.
• International Telecommunication Union (ITU): UN specialized agency coordinating international frequency spectrum, satellite orbits, and telecommunications standards. Directly comparable to UNOOSA as a UN system body focused on a global commons (radio spectrum) with similar treaty-based regulatory authority and state-driven convening structure.
• European Space Agency (ESA): Intergovernmental organization coordinating European space programs across 22 member states. Directly comparable to UNOOSA in delivering cross-border space cooperation, including coordinating member-state launch opportunities, technology programs, and policy positions, though ESA is more operationally developed.
• Committee on Space Research (COSPAR): International scientific union under ICSU promoting international cooperation in space research. Shares UNOOSA's convening mandate for space science collaboration, runs capacity-building programs, and convenes global space science assemblies analogous to COPUOS sessions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/unoosa
• Facebookfacebook.com/UNOOSA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/124960

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs