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In 2019, US President Donald Trump declared that “space is the new domain of war”. This followed the creation of the US Space Force and the commitment to “American dominance” in space.
Other space nations, and those who fear the acceleration of an arms race in space, were very concerned. At the latest meeting of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, states warned that “preventing conflicts in space and preserving outer space for peaceful purposes” is more necessary than ever.
The election of Joe Biden as the next president of the United States and Kamala Harris as vice president suggests there is cause for hope. The future of space may look more like the recent launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station.
On board were US and Japanese astronauts, who joined the Russian and US crew already living aboard the ISS. As the Falcon 9 rocket flew into space, the collaborative, cooperative and commercial nature of space was once again clear for all to see.
Read more: The US-Russia Space Station mission is a cooperative study
Cooperation, not confrontation
The new Biden-Harris administration seems more interested in international cooperation and much more aware of the challenges of climate change, pandemics and other global issues. A carefully calibrated space policy can go a long way in addressing “ground” challenges, while allowing for many positive space activities.
Since 1967, human activity in space has been guided by the universally accepted principles embodied in the Outer Space Treaty. This ensured that we had no military conflicts in space and required the exploration and use of space “for the benefit and interest of all countries”.
Any alternative vision of the future of space is terrible to consider. The rhetoric about the inevitability of “war in space” makes this conflict more likely and risks a “tragedy of the commons” in space.
Read more: U.S. plan for a space force risks escalating a ‘space arms race’
Any space war would not have a clear winner. In a complex and globally shared arena such as space, it is important that states abide by accepted rules and established practices.
The United States has great scientific and technological advantages and a strong and competitive commercial space sector. Instead of seeking dominance, he can better serve the world (and himself) by focusing his leadership on exploiting space for the benefit of all humanity.
In a promising sign, Biden and Harris’ NASA review team is made up of an outstanding group of space scientists and a former astronaut.
The current administration re-established the National Space Council, chaired by the vice president, and this has reinvigorated American investment and leadership in space exploration. This includes an ambitious plan to return to the Moon under the terms of the Artemis Accords.
NASA
Respect the rules
In order for the fragile and shared domain of outer space not to become an arena of conflict, the rules that apply to any military use of space must be understood, respected and further developed. Otherwise, devastation, upheaval and impacts on civilian lives could occur, particularly in larger and more powerful countries such as the United States, whose economies and societies are heavily dependent on space infrastructure. Their access to space has given them the greatest competitive advantage, but they are therefore the most vulnerable if that access is compromised.
Space is a “congested, contested and competitive” area where scientific, commercial and economic interests converge, as well as military and national security concerns. In this sense, space is like the radio frequency spectrum, which has been successfully regulated and managed for decades according to the international rules adopted by the International Telecommunication Union.
But space is also much more. As the recent Crew-1 mission demonstrated, there are significant benefits when nations come together and cooperate. Enlightened leadership, guided by commonly agreed laws and practices, and the recognition that we share outer space as custodians for future generations, is the only realistic path to the future.
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