Threats to outer space utilization
The development of the space industry in the second half of the 20th century symbolized humanity's entry into a new paradigm of global politics. Since then, world leadership has become directly dependent on success in the technological race for dominance in space. Thus, progress in the space industry, accompanied by the synergy of public and private corporations, leads to the emergence of military, political and even environmental threats to world security, affecting the future of planet Earth. That is why today the term “space security” is actively used and promoted in the main program and strategy documents of the world's leading powers.
The “Space Race”
Theorists came to the understanding of space security during the “first space race” between the USSR and the USA in the 1950s-70s of the 20th century. It was then that the first international organizations dealing with space issues appeared: in 1950 - the International Federation of Aeronautics, and 9 years later - the UN Committee on the Use of Outer Space.
In 1966, the first and the only universal international treaty to date, the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, was signed, establishing a general legal regime in outer space and guarantees aimed at ensuring the security of mankind. The agreement stipulates that space activities shall be carried out only for the benefit and in the interests of all countries and prohibits the placement of weapons of mass destruction of any kind in orbit. However, the notion of space weapons and a ban on the deployment of conventional weapons in space, as well as a definition of outer space, are absent in the text of the document. Most States take the approach that at an altitude of 100 to 120 kilometers airspace ends and outer space begins. Anglo-Saxon countries, however, provide in their national legislation for a different criterion, according to which a distinction is made on the basis of the type of vehicle used. In practice, this means that such States can claim sovereignty over the lower layers of space, pretending that they are the upper atmosphere, and place conventional weapons there that are not covered by the Outer Space Treaty.
Thus, gaps and contradictions in the legislation of different states create a potential threat of using outer space for military purposes, which Russia has been trying to counter since the beginning of the arms race. For example, back in 2007, Moscow together with Beijing developed a draft international treaty prohibiting the deployment of conventional weapons in space. However, this document was never signed due to the negative reaction of the United States. Seven years later, the countries submitted an updated draft treaty, but its harmonization was hampered by the reluctance of some states to include it in the agenda of the Disarmament Commission. Since then, all Russian initiatives to ban conventional weapons in space on UN platforms have been regularly blocked by a number of Western countries.
Militarization of outer space
chnological competition between states in the space sphere has inevitably led to the development of their own space-based missile defense and anti-satellite defense systems. According to the Center for Strategic Studies (CSIS), the most advanced countries in developing space weapons are China, India, Russia, the United States, Iran and North Korea. For example, China was the first country to destroy its own space object - a hydrometeorological satellite - in 2007 using anti-satellite weapons, which caused serious concern for the United States. Exactly one year later, the Americans successfully conducted similar tests, destroying their reconnaissance satellite.
Although space weapons, as well as anti-space defense systems, are a closed sphere that is protected by state secrecy, the media periodically leaks information that the development of relevant weapons is still actively underway. Experts categorize space weapons into two types: kinetic and non-kinetic, each of which has three variants of use according to the "base-strike" type, namely "ground-to-space", "space-to-space", and "space-to-earth".
Over the past five years, the media have been actively discussing the increasing number of military satellites that are capable of disabling other satellites through electromagnetic interference. Thus, in 2020 it became known about the launch of such a satellite by Iran, in 2023 - by North Korea, and in 2024 - by India. At the same time, according to experts, China, the United States and Russia started using such satellites much earlier.
In the context of increasing threats to national security, countries are beginning to use laser technology for anti-satellite defense. A number of U.S. publications talk about putting such systems into service in Russia. We are talking about the Peresvet laser complex, which first became known to the general public after Russian President Vladimir Putin's annual address in 2020.
According to experts, the complex, built on completely “new physical principles,” is capable of destroying spying satellites in orbits of up to 1,500 kilometers. A similar system is also used in the Excalibur program of the U.S. Defense Department, but it is technically inferior to its Russian counterpart.
At the same time, the space arms race continues, and attempts at legislative regulation of this sphere are turning into an instrument of information struggle between states. For example, Western media actively promoted the news that the Russian Federation had put a veto on the UN Security Council's draft resolution banning the deployment of nuclear and other weapons in space. Russia's position in this matter was justified by the fact that the other members of the UN Security Council rejected the amendment by China and Russia, which implied a call for “all states, and above all those with major space capabilities, to take urgent measures to prevent the permanent placement of weapons in outer space.” However, the information effect of this news had a negative impact on Moscow's reputation in light of the ongoing SWO and the permanent agenda of Western countries about the nuclear threat from Russia.
Nevertheless, Russia's next attempt to submit a draft resolution on the prevention of an arms race to the UNSC in May 2024 was blocked by the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Japan, Slovenia, the Republic of Korea and Malta due to the reluctance of Western countries to establish a comprehensive ban on the deployment of conventional weapons in space. This behavior of heads of state clearly demonstrates how the arms race is moving to the political plane and is used by countries as a tool to influence the global information agenda.
Participation of companies in the space race
Space over time is becoming a privilege not only of states, but also of such large corporations as SpaceX, Arianespace, ADASPACE. That is why governments are increasingly seeking cooperation with corporations, concluding favorable agreements for their political influence. Thus, in 2021, the US National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and SpaceX signed an agreement to expand the intelligence capabilities of the state, and in May 2024, the corporation launched the fifth group of satellites into orbit in the interests of NRO. These reconnaissance satellites are aimed at rapidly detecting ground targets anywhere in the world. NRO and the U.S. plan to create a full network of satellites in orbit by 2029.
Moreover, it is known that SpaceX cooperates with the Pentagon in the framework of assistance to Ukraine, providing Kiev with uninterrupted communications through Starlink services. However, such cooperation between public and private corporations poses a threat to the security of third countries. This is why Roscosmos' cooperation with the telecommunications corporation Oneweb was terminated in 2022. The British leadership refused to satisfy Dmitry Rogozin's demands to ban the use of satellites for military purposes, and Roscosmos, in turn, canceled all Oneweb launches from Baikonur, Kuru and Vostochny cosmodromes in order to avoid spying on Russian territory.
Thus, the commercial activities of technology giants also make a destructive contribution to space security, creating even more opportunities for the development of the military capabilities of powers in space.
Environmental threats in space
Human activity in space is the cause of a number of environmental problems affecting the future of planet Earth. After all, everything that is delivered into space orbits eventually turns into garbage that is not utilized in any way. This debris poses a danger to working or newly launched spacecraft, as at any moment there could be a crash that damages or destroys a satellite. In addition to the dangers in outer space itself, large man-made objects deorbiting into the Earth's atmosphere can cause chemical contamination of large areas with highly toxic rocket stage fuel or trigger a nuclear explosion.
To date, there is no full-fledged procedure for the disposal of waste in space, except for the withdrawal of inoperative satellites to other orbits, but even these measures are not always implemented. However, in October 2023, the first fine for space debris was issued. The US Federal Communications Commission ordered television provider Dish to pay a $150,000 fine for leaving an inoperable satellite in orbit. And last November, the U.S. Senate passed the Orbital Sustainability Act, which aims to support the development of technologies to remove 900,000 pieces of space debris that pose a potential threat to satellites, space missions, etc.
As for Russia, in the course of the Priority-2030 academic leadership project to combat space pollution, Russian scientific specialists developed a new type of tugboat for waste collection. Scientists at Omsk State Technical University combined two existing tugboat models and created a new one that has greater speed and spends energy resources more economically. However, this project has not yet been launched into space.
Thus, with the development of technology and intensification of states' activities in space, there are more and more threats to the security of planet Earth. World powers, using gaps in legislation, in pursuit of superiority in outer space do not notice that they cause significant damage to the environment, which can lead to irreversible consequences. Thus, the only true solution to this situation is the creation of a universal international legal framework regulating and establishing new guarantees for the environmentally friendly use of space for civil and military purposes.
