AwaitingLaunch_1397728623369

Sputnik in 1957. However, since the technology was in the nascent stage of
development then, the perceptions in regard to space security were probably
not yet fully evolved. Nuclear issues being the cornerstone of security in that
era, activities in outer space were viewed under the limited nuclear prism.
Hence, early proposals with regard to devising a mechanism for space
security have a nuclear backdrop. The proposals for prohibiting the use of
space for military usage and the placement of Weapons of Mass Destruction
(WMD) in space were deliberated in the late 1950s and early 1960s by the
UN.
Shortly after the launch of the first satellite Sputnik, the UN formulated a
Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) during 1958-59
to address various issues ranging from international collaboration and
research to legal aspects and monitoring the track of objects launched in
orbit. Subsequently, five treaty mechanisms were put in place, which address
core issues concerning various space matters. They include the Outer Space
Treaty (OST, 1967), the Astronaut Rescue Agreement (1968), the Liability
Convention (1972), the Registration Convention (1975) and the Moon
Agreement (1979). Now, three decades after the last treaty mechanism was
put in place, a serious effort has begun to put together a globally accepted
formulation to realise space security in the form of the International Space
Code of Conduct (CoC). It is likely that this CoC would be put in place
shortly with a majority of stakeholders accepting it.
As part of the debate to assess the draft of CoC (version September 16,
2013), it could be also useful to compare and contrast it with the already
available mechanisms in the space domain. It may not be feasible to
undertake an explicit content comparison because most of the available
mechanisms are for a specified area and CoC covers a wider canvas.
However, it could be useful to appreciate the overall comprehensive
approaches behind formulating such mechanisms.
Till the 1980s, various treaty mechanisms were formulated to address various
issues concerning space technology management. However, all these efforts
were inadequate to ban space weapons. OST, which could be viewed as a
more compressive space treaty among the group of five, also limits itself,
making provisions only to ban the deployment of WMDs in outer space.
Hence, post-1980, few serious efforts have been made to bring together
various stakeholders on a common platform to debate this issue. One such
76 | Awaiting Launch: Perspectives on the Draft ICoC for Outer Space Activities