<span class="mw-page-title-main">Committee on Space Research</span>

Committee on Space Research

<p>The <b>Committee on Space Research</b> (<b>COSPAR</b>) was established on October 3, 1958 by the <a href="/en/International_Council_for_Science" title="International Council for Science" class="wl">International Council for Scientific Unions</a> (ICSU).  <span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-1"><a href="#cite_note-1" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[1]</span></a></span>  Among COSPAR's objectives are the promotion of scientific research in <a href="/en/Outer_space" title="Outer space" class="wl">space</a> on an international level, with emphasis on the free exchange of results, information, and opinions, and providing a forum, open to all <a href="/en/Scientist" title="Scientist" class="wl">scientists</a>, for the discussion of problems that may affect <a href="/en/Space_research" title="Space research" class="wl">space research</a>.  These objectives are achieved through the organization of symposia, publication, and other means.
COSPAR has created a number of research programmes on different topics, a few in cooperation with other scientific Unions. The long-term project <a href="/en/COSPAR_international_reference_atmosphere" title="COSPAR international reference atmosphere" class="mw-redirect wl">COSPAR international reference atmosphere</a> started in 1960; since then it has produced several editions of the high-atmosphere code <a href="/en/COSPAR_international_reference_atmosphere" title="COSPAR international reference atmosphere" class="mw-redirect wl">CIRA</a>. The code "IRI" of the <a href="/en/URSI" title="URSI" class="mw-redirect wl">URSI</a>-COSPAR working group on the <a href="/en/International_Reference_Ionosphere" title="International Reference Ionosphere" class="wl">International Reference Ionosphere</a> was first edited in 1978 and is yearly updated.</p>

<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt1">Organization</div>
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<style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1066479718" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles mw:Transclusion">.mw-parser-output .infobox-subbox{padding:0;border:none;margin:-3px;width:auto;min-width:100%;font-size:100%;clear:none;float:none;background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .infobox-3cols-child{margin:auto}.mw-parser-output .infobox .navbar{font-size:100%}body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-header,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-subheader,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-above,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-title,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-image,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-below{text-align:center}</style><div class='mobile-collapse'><header class="mobile-collapse-header mobile-collapse-btn"><b>Quick facts: Abbreviation, Formation, Type, Location, Regi...</b> <span class='arrow'>▼</span></header> <table class="infobox vcard mobile-collapse-element"><caption class="infobox-title fn org">Committee on Space Research</caption><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="padding-right:0.6em;">Abbreviation</th><td class="infobox-data nickname">COSPAR</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="padding-right:0.6em;">Formation</th><td class="infobox-data note">October<span>&nbsp;</span>3, 1958<span class="noprint"><span>;</span><span> </span>64 years ago</span><span style="display:none"><span>&nbsp;</span>(<span class="bday dtstart published updated">1958-10-03</span>)</span></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="padding-right:0.6em;">Type</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/INGO" title="INGO" class="mw-redirect wl">INGO</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="padding-right:0.6em;">Location</th><td class="infobox-data label"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1126788409" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles">.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul{line-height:inherit;list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol li,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul li{margin-bottom:0}</style><div class="plainlist"><ul><li><a href="/en/Paris" title="Paris" class="wl">Paris</a>, France</li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="padding-right:0.6em;"><div style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.2em; padding: .1em 0;">Region served </div></th><td class="infobox-data">Worldwide</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="padding-right:0.6em;"><div style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.2em; padding: .1em 0;">Official language </div></th><td class="infobox-data">English, French</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="padding-right:0.6em;"><div style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.2em; padding: .1em 0;">President</div></th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/Pascale_Ehrenfreund" title="Pascale Ehrenfreund" class="wl">Pascale Ehrenfreund</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="padding-right:0.6em;"><div style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.2em; padding: .1em 0;">Executive Director</div></th><td class="infobox-data">Dr. Jean-Claude Worms</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="padding-right:0.6em;"><div style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.2em; padding: .1em 0;">Parent organization</div></th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/International_Council_for_Science" title="International Council for Science" class="wl">International Council for Science</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="padding-right:0.6em;">Website</th><td class="infobox-data"><a rel="mw:ExtLink nofollow" href="https://cosparhq.cnes.fr/" class="external text" target="_blank">COSPAR Official website</a></td></tr></tbody></table> <footer class='mobile-collapse-footer mobile-collapse-btn'><b>Close</b> <span class='arrow'>▲</span></footer></div>



The Committee on Space Research was established on October 3, 1958 by the International Council for Scientific Unions .    Among COSPAR's objectives are the promotion of scientific research in space on an international level, with emphasis on the free exchange of results, information, and opinions, and providing a forum, open to all scientists, for the discussion of problems that may affect space research.  These objectives are achieved through the organization of symposia, publication, and other means.
COSPAR has created a number of research programmes on different topics, a few in cooperation with other scientific Unions. The long-term project COSPAR international reference atmosphere started in 1960; since then it has produced several editions of the high-atmosphere code CIRA. The code "IRI" of the URSI-COSPAR working group on the International Reference Ionosphere was first edited in 1978 and is yearly updated. 