ROOM
41
Space Security
heritage’ of humankind and concerns related to the
exploitation of celestial bodies, plus environmental
hazards, safety, liabilities related to all types of
space activities and, of course, concerns about the
deployment and use of space weapons.
Of these unresolved issues, the deployment
and use of weapons in space is perhaps the most
important and dangerous threats we face.
One of the big problems is that the Outer
Space Treaty of 1967 and the other agreements
that followed in the 1970s relating to the safety of
astronauts, registration of space objects, liability
provisions, and the Moon and other celestial bodies
are now several decades out of date.
These agreements did not anticipate
significant commercial activities in space,
the potential of our cluttering up Earth orbit
with space junk, or the advent of cubesats,
megasatellite constellations, hypersonic
transport, stratospheric and celestial body
pollution or robotic freighters - and many other
issues stimulated by emerging technology.
Today no one seems to believe seriously that any
new and sweeping space treaties are possible to
negotiate and agree. Baby steps seem to be the way
forward. Thus, instead of space treaties we seem to
try to cope with things such as ‘codes of conduct’,
transparency and confidence-building measures,
model space national laws, and international
voluntary guidelines such as those associated with
orbital space debris.
Until it becomes clear as to who can do what,
under what terms and conditions, under what types
of possible liabilities, and with what opportunity for
personal or shared profit, this will be a deterrent to
new types of space business.
Some activities now underway - such as the
UNCOPUOS Working Group on the Long-Term
Sustainability of Outer Space Activities as well as the
InterAgency Space Debris Coordination Committee
(IADC) and the creation of the IAWN and the SMPAG
committees to cope with asteroid threats. These,
and other international efforts, all seem to indicate
possible pathways through this minefield.
But the future is not what it used to be and
more needs to be done. Much will depend on new
way of thinking towards enlightened global space
governance both now and in the coming decades.
About the author
Joseph N. Pelton, Former Dean International Space University. Author
of The New Gold Rush: The Riches of Space Beckons (Copernicus Press,
2017) and co-editor with Professor Ram Jakhu of the
International Study
on Global Space Governance
(Springer Press, 2017).
Today no
one seems
to believe
seriously
that any new
widely agreed
and sweeping
space treaties
are possible to
negotiate and
agree
Hunting and mapping
asteroids by US-based
artist James Vaughan.
jamesvaughanphoto.com
