HBK CHAT VOL: 22 ISS 1

International Space News (ISN)

VOL 22: ISS 1

The wonder of SpaceOps through the eyes of Sharon Petrus - Emelia Mosima

Having been left with only three years to retirement, you would think it’s fair to declare that Sharon Petrus has reached the end of her prime. Yet for her, the future is as bright as Dubai’s night lights and amassed with opportunities. Petrus recently accompanied SANSA Space Operations Committee Members to SpaceOps Spring Meetings held in Dubai in preparation of the 17th International Conference on Space Operations, also dubbed SpaceOps, scheduled for 6-10 March 2023. “I got a bit of a fright when Tiaan Strydom asked me to assist in the SpaceOps secretariat function, and it was also of short notice. I felt overwhelmed but I wanted to help. I knew a bit about what has been going on in SpaceOps over the years because I’ve previously provided logistical support for the SANSA team attending the conference. I was also part of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) supporting the Professional Conference Organiser (PCO) when South Africa hosted SpaceOps virtual conference in 2020/21”, narrates Petrus.

The secretariat function of the Space Ops Organization was previously fulfilled by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) which ceded these responsibilities early this year citing organisational growth. Following this, SpaceOps ExCom decided that previous and upcoming hosts will jointly assume these responsibilities. Consequently, SANSA as the previous hosts is sharing these responsibilities with Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), the host of SpaceOps 2023. “My biggest role at the Spring Meeting was to observe how things are done so that the handover process can begin. It was a bit intimidating to be in the room with the different organising groups. Also an honour, I must say, to meet all the guys from NASA and ESA. You would’ve realised how normal a people they are but quite intense in terms of what SpaceOps must deliver”, Petrus explains. The duties of the SpaceOps Secretariat include communication support services to the SpaceOps Organization and its associated committees; marketing and

7