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Opinion | Global space race and orbital debris drive need for global arbitration
- The intensifying US-China space rivalry and the increasing number of commercial satellites in orbit are raising the chances of highly costly collisions
- Existing space treaties leave gaps and ambiguities, but a system of international arbitration could help settle any disputes that arise
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We are seeing a new space race, with China and the United States going head-to-head on several crucial missions. Brandon Weichert, author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, has said that “I would dare say that China has already caught up with the US in space in several key metrics. In fact, in what I think is the most important aspect of a nation’s space programme – its manned space flight programme – the Chinese have surpassed the US.”
This comes as Chinese start-up Space Pioneer recently launched a rocket powered by coal-based aviation kerosene. This has been hailed as an important breakthrough and a form of efficient and sustainable energy for all of China’s aerospace industry.
With all the challenges people on Earth face at the moment, one would be forgiven for wondering why space is such a priority for some. It is difficult and expensive to get to, not survivable for humans without special equipment and even risky for satellites and robots to operate in.
Yet, despite all the risks, space provides valuable opportunities to learn more about life on Earth as well as advantages for certain types of profitable businesses that cannot be duplicated terrestrially.
Space is also an arena for security and defence. However, there are growing issues around operating in space, particularly related to debris and collisions, with the increased potential for a serious accident in space involving significant economic loss. This deserves further attention.
The possibility of a massive collision in orbit is increasing, especially given the amount of space debris left orbiting the planet. For example, the International Space Station had to swerve last year to avoid space debris created by a Russian anti-satellite weapon test. Disputes are inevitable as space gets increasingly busy, but where does liability lie? Can you own space? How could disputes be resolved?
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