International Charter Space & Major Disasters
The International Charter: Space and Major Disasters (“the Charter”) is a global agreement which aims to provide a unified system of space data acquisition and delivery to those affected by natural or man-made disasters.
Credit: The International Charter: Space and Major Disasters
It provides and enables dissemination of earth observation satellite data at no cost to government and pre-authorised resilience/emergency response bodies in response to “activations”.
Charter members are national government bodies or agencies (one of which is the UK Space Agency), or recognised space system organisations (such as the European Space Agency) which are the owners or operators of Earth observation satellite missions and have access to contributing resources, assets or facilities to sustainably support, coordinate and govern ongoing Charter operations. These members and their partners all strive to meet the common goal of providing assured, coordinated and timely access to satellite imagery to assist recognised rescue and resilience authorities in the event of a natural or manmade disaster to ultimately help minimise losses and save lives.
As part of its work within the UK Government and around the globe, the UK Space Agency contributes to the International Charter: Space and Major Disasters, working alongside industry, other UK Government Departments (such as the Cabinet Office and Department for International Development) and international partners to assist those in need.
Click here to find out more about the charter and how to activate it