VIENNA: Saudi Arabia has been elected first vice-chair of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), a senior leadership position that underscores the Kingdom’s growing influence in the global space sector and international space governance.
The appointment was announced during the committee’s latest session in Vienna and was reported by the Saudi Press Agency on Wednesday.
Saudi Arabia will be represented in the role by Muryah Al-Shahrani, general manager of Space Systems and Infrastructure at the Saudi Space Agency. Al-Shahrani is regarded as one of the Kingdom’s leading space specialists and has contributed to international initiatives on space governance, including participation in COPUOS activities and the global DebriSolver competition focused on addressing space debris challenges.
He has also played a key role in developing Saudi Arabia’s national capabilities in Space Situational Awareness (SSA), a field critical to monitoring and managing activities in Earth’s increasingly congested orbital environment.
The first vice-chair position forms part of the five-member Bureau that guides the work of COPUOS and its subsidiary bodies. The Bureau helps manage committee proceedings, facilitate consensus among member states and shape discussions on international policies governing the peaceful and sustainable use of outer space.
