Douglas Barrie, Matthew Bint & Ester Sabatino
The relevance of space has increased substantially in recent decades. The pervasiveness of space technology is demonstrated by the increasing number of civilian, commercial and defence applications relying on space for their functioning. Furthermore, the more than tenfold increase of satellites expected to be put in low Earth orbit by 2030 exemplifies the increasing reliance on space capabilities, making discussions over space governance, such as those over the definitions of rules and norms for responsible behaviour in space, crucial.
This report analyses the main United Nations activities intended to foster the peaceful and responsible use of space, such as activities conducted under both the banner of the ‘Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space’ (PAROS) agenda and the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) as well as in their recent merging under the Open-ended Working Group (OEWG) for the period 2024–28, which will provide recommendations on all aspects related to activities in outer space. The merging of the PAROS and COPUOS work strands under the OEWG was seen as a way to address both the civilian and military risks of space activities, particularly considering the strong dual-use character of space technology.
Regardless of the regulatory system countries decide to abide by, space situational awareness (SSA) is an indispensable tool to increase transparency and confidence building among space actors. Therefore, this report looks at ways SSA collection, data validation and sharing can be exploited to better contribute to a safer use of space and space technologies.
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