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shaping and promoting sustainable outer space conduct. Negotiations will,
therefore, require time and patience, as many states still do not even have
space agencies that specialise in these matters. However, given that the threat
from space debris is increasing exponentially and could lead to a domain that
is no longer reliable or safe for human use, such discussions cannot wait
much longer.
Both spacefaring nations and developing countries - or non-spacefaring
nations - should attach importance to measures to preserve space as heritage,
to prevent militarisation, to strengthen an effective international cooperation
in favour of space security, to promote peaceful uses of outer space, to
design a solid system of multilateral verification/observation that contributes
to the promotion of confidence among states. In the legal realm, all
countries should seek universal application of the provisions of the UN
treaties on outer space, and endorse greater transparency and confidence in
the activities related to this field. Principles such as cooperation, mutual
assistance and the common heritage of mankind can help lead to a new era
of space policymaking.
It is a fact that full collaboration among space faring nations is necessary to
perfect capabilities for detecting and monitoring space debris and other
threats to space operations. The growing hazard to space operations caused
by the increasing amount of orbital debris, future collisions between
manoeuvrable satellites and debris might be avoided if actionable
information is provided to satellite operators ahead of close encounters. So
far, most of the debris is located at a high orbit, where it could pose a
significant threat for decades. That is the reason why space faring nations
should work with developing countries to establish at least a non-legally
binding international code of conduct for outer space activities on the basis
of a common interest, not from the perspective of their national interests
alone.
The global space community seeks to require that all space actors act
responsibly through active participation in ICoC discussions to strengthen
the current legal framework of space activities. All the participant countries
must be aware that every party of ICoC will be in a position to share more
internal details about its domestic space policies. This new stage of
negotiation established by ICoC would not benefit China's and Russia´s
geopolitical interests as co-sponsors of the PPWT; both countries recognise
142 | Awaiting Launch: Perspectives on the Draft ICoC for Outer Space Activities