Security in Space The Next Generation - UNIDIR

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space activities, it has become critically important to ensure the security
and integrity of outer space.
One of the most effective ways to enhance space security is to build trust
and confi dence among spacefaring states by promoting international
partnerships and cooperation. Such cooperation in outer space has been
accelerated in the wake of the Cold War. Today, Americans and Russians,
along with Europeans, Japanese, Canadians and many others have worked—
and lived—together on the International Space Station.
Outer space also provides numerous business and commercial
opportunities. Hundreds of satellites have been put into orbit, providing a
sweeping set of new services, ranging from international communications
and weather forecasting, to broadcasting and Internet services. Today, the
commercial space sector generates over a hundred billion dollars every
year in direct revenue. This rapid expansion of the private space sector has
also contributed to greater international cooperation, which, in turn, has
helped to nurture mutual trust and build confi dence between and among
states engaged in space activities.
However, after half a century of expansion in space activities, there
is widespread and growing concern about the security of the space
environment. As a result of the exponentially increasing amount of debris,
experts worry that speeding fragments of orbital debris might spark a
cascade of collisions, threatening to destroy satellites and spacecraft.
In this context, it is encouraging that the United Nations Committee on
the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) adopted the Space Debris
Mitigation Guidelines last year. But this does not directly reduce the existing
danger. As the Chairman of COPUOS reported in this Council Chamber
last month, there are about 13,000 pieces of space debris large enough to
be tracked.
Most notably, there is serious concern that outer space will not be used
exclusively for peaceful purposes, but could be turned into an arena for
military confrontation and competition. As we are all aware, modern
international law does not prohibit deployment in outer space of weapons
other than weapons of mass destruction. As an illustration, the 1967 Outer
Space Treaty does not deal with conventional weapons. However, such
weapons—if deployed in outer space—would have the capability, as well
as the global reach, to destroy space objects of any kind. It is important to