Currently, there is no agreed international framework on space resource exploration, exploitation & utilisation
The number of satellite launches has shot up exponentially in the past decade. Representative image: iStock._ The United Nations (UN) has recommended a new treaty for ensuring peace and security as well as preventing an arms race in outer space.
The negotiations should lead to the development of international norms, rules and principles to address threats to space systems, according to a UN policy brief, For All Humanity —The Future of Outer SpaceGovernance, released in May 2024.
“Over the past decade, we have witnessed fundamental changes in outer space. It is our shared responsibility to ensure that effective governance is in place to propel innovation and mitigate risks,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement.
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The brief also recommended “a combination of binding and non-binding norms” to address emerging risks to outer space security, safety and sustainability. The recommendations come ahead of the UN Summit of the Future, which will be held on September 22-23, 2024, in New York.
At the Summit of the Future, member states will agree on multilateral solutions for a better tomorrow and to strengthen global governance. The brief takes stock of the ongoing changes in outer space and assesses how they impact present and future governance.
The number of satellite launches has shot up exponentially in the past decade after it stayed consistent from 1957-2012. In 2013, there were 210 new launches, which increased to 600 in 2019 and 1,200 in 2020 and 2,470 in 2022.
This increase is fuelled by the active participation of the private sector. Though the private sector is more active in the United States, China, India and Japan are catching up, the brief noted.
NASA, through its Artemis mission, plans to land the first woman and the next man on the Moon, marking the return of humans to outer space after more than 50 years. Europe, India and Japan are also making progress in developing heavy rockets and human-rated vehicles.
Minerals on the Moon, asteroids and planets can be attractive for countries. Moon, for example, has rich deposits of helium-3, which is rare on Earth.
Similarly, asteroids contain abundant deposits of valuable metals, including platinum, nickel and cobalt. Some governments are in favour of the exploitation of space resources, including by the private sector.
Currently, there is no agreed international framework on space resource exploration, exploitation and utilisation, or a mechanism to support how it is implemented, the brief noted.
Conflict could arise if countries do not agree on international principles on activities in the exploration, exploitation and utilisation of space resources. It could also lead to environmental degradation and cultural loss.
Currently, space traffic is coordinated by national and regional entities. Each has its own standards, best practices, definitions, languages and modes of interoperability. A lack of coordination among the entities could impact countries with less space capacity. They might find it hard to operate with limited space assets.
Space debris is another issue. More than 24,000 objects which are 10 centimetres or larger, about one million smaller than 10 cm and likely more than 130 million smaller than one cm have been recorded.
“Objects as small as a chip of paint, travelling at more than 28,000 kilometres per hour, can cause significant damage to spacecraft,” the brief read.
Technology to remove space junk is being developed. But the UN highlights that there are important legal issues to consider, including jurisdiction, control, liability and responsibility for environmental pollution in space for present and future generations.
Further, the UN has called for additional frameworks to prevent an armed conflict in outer space and the weaponisation of outer space.
Any satellite is capable of manoeuvring purposefully into another and destroying it. This would significantly increase the potential for space debris and the compromising of critical civilian infrastructure, disrupting communications, observation and navigation capabilities vital to the global supply chain. Ignoring these challenges could increase risks to humanity.
In addition to a new treaty, the UN recommended an effective framework for coordinating space situational awareness, space object manoeuvres and space objects and events. They also urged member states to develop norms and principles for space debris removal that consider the legal and scientific aspects of space debris removal.
As for space resource activities, they propose an effective framework for sustainable exploration, exploitation and utilisation of the Moon and other celestial bodies.
In 1959, the United Nations established the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space to review and enable international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space.
In 1963, countries agreed to prohibit testing nuclear weapons in outer space; in 1977, the prohibition of altering the space environment as a weapon was agreed upon.
More recently, member states have set up a series of guidelines, frameworks and recommendations on issues such as mitigation of space debris, nuclear power source safety, the long-term sustainability of outer space activities and transparency and confidence-building measures in outer space activities.
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