Space governance

Abstract

Outer space has become increasingly congested and competitive due to the growing number of spacefaring actors, including commercial players. This renewed competition presents challenges to maintaining a safe and secure space environment, with threats such as space debris, militarization of space, radio frequency interference, and a potential arms race in space. While existing space treaties offer foundational principles, they are outdated and insufficient to address these emerging concerns. The need for new rules of the road, in the form of norms of responsible behavior, transparency and confidence building measures (TCBMs), and legal mechanisms, is critical. However, developing such measures is hindered by a lack of consensus among major space powers and the proliferation of space technology to a large number of actors, which complicates decision-making processes. – AI-generated abstract.