Humanity has entered a new phase of space exploration with private companies in the sector and the great advances made by the governments of more and more countries. So now the UN (United Nations) fights to update the rules of “use” of space, which are already somewhat worn out since the signing of the Outer Space Treaty, in 1967. That is, for more than 50 years.
The current scenario demands this. This is what was shown in November last year by the Russian mission that destroyed its own old satellites with a missile launched from Earth into space. The maneuver generated a cloud of debris that endangered the astronauts aboard the International Space Station.
Space is not lawless
To understand better, know that the great vacuum — as far as we know — outside the Earth does have law.
There is an international agreement called the Outer Space Treaty that was signed in 1967 by 111 Nations and regulates the general principles of space activities, guaranteeing freedom of exploration and use of outer space for all humanity.
However, after 54 years, much has changed. The agreement is so old that even man walked on the moon after it, in 1969.
Nowadays it is even more common to hear about space explorations. Like, for example, the actions of billionaire Elon Musk and his projects with SpaceX — and even plans for human occupation of Mars in the next decade .
With all this going on, the 1967 Treaty was left with loopholes regarding the “rules of the road”.
The agreement has two main prohibitions. And it is precisely these points that open a dangerous gray area in current and future space actions.
- The first prohibition is that the Moon and celestial bodies should only be used for peaceful purposes.
But this same rule is not described for the use of the rest of the space. And this opens up a large dubious area in regulation, mainly for the use of weapons or other military activities in space orbits.
- The second is that space exploration must be carried out with due regard to the corresponding interests of all other States Parties to the Treaty.
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But this rule also leaves “interpretive” scope, without making it clear what can and cannot be done.
The treaty also specifically prohibits the implementation of nuclear weapons or destruction mass anywhere in space, but he is unclear about using conventional or ground weapons against resources in outer space. That is, it is not defined in the Treaty whether it is “legal” to send a land or supersonic missile into space for military purposes.
Is space warfare possible?
Can the famous movie Star Wars leave the small screens straight into the sky above us?
The answer is still a big question mark. What is known is that the space is already used for military purposes. Many old orbiting satellites, Soviet space stations, geolocation technologies (GPS) and even a NASA space shuttle were developed or used for this.
The race for space exploration and economic dependence only tends to increase. So, the UN proposal is for a 95-member committee to study the legal issues of these activities.
A resolution introduced in November 2021 required the expert group to meet twice a year during the years 2022 and 2023.
It is a first step to talk about actions and updates of possible space rules through the development of sidereal exploration.
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