Humans have explored and exploited near-earth space for more than six decades. More recently, the past two decades have seen the start of a New Space Era, characterized by more spacefaring nations and companies and a growing risk of collisions and conflict. Yet the basic treaties and mechanisms that were crafted 50 years ago to govern space activities have only marginally changed.
The calls for more progress on space governance and responsible space behavior are growing louder and coming from a larger group. To help address the gap between current space governance and future needs, the authors of this Perspective summarize the development of space governance and key problem areas, identify challenges and barriers to further progress, and, most importantly, offer recommended first steps on a trajectory toward responsible space behavior norms appropriate for the New Space Era. The authors used a review of relevant literature and official documents, expert workshops, and subject-matter expert interviews and discussions to identify these challenges, barriers, and potential solutions.
Source: Responsible Space Behavior for the New Space Era: Preserving the Province of Humanity | RAND
In 2008 there were 10k objects circling our planet. Now we have 20k. Especially with mr Musk sending up huge amounts of only partially working satellites in his Starlink program we need better agreements on how we use this incredibly congested area above us. For a visualisation of how bad it is, take a look at stuffin.space.
Robin Edgar
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