Outer Space Treaty – At a Glance

Outer Space Treaty

Space has always been the final frontier for human knowledge and imagination. From a geopolitical perspective, Space is increasingly becoming an essential modality of State Power and Sovereignty. A stable framework to govern Space related activities and their usage was the need of the hour as Space race ensued between US and USSR.

The UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space framed the Outer Space Treaty or the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space.

Background

● OST came in force in 1967
● It has 104 signatories today.
● These include major space powers like the US, Russia, China as well as emerging space powers like India.
● It was first binding legal instrument for the management and governance of outer space that came into force.

Details of the Treaty

The spectrum of Space and its relation to State Power and Sovereignty has shifted over the years.
● This boundless expanse provides both an opportunity as well as a threat to the sovereign interests of Nation States.
● Given the profitability of enterprises such as asteroid mining and satellite exploration,
● if uncontrolled, the Space Race could lead to an apocalyptic extension of the geopolitical bid for power into the realms of Outer Space.
● The OST, therefore, served as a necessary mechanism aimed at preventing escalatory conflict, to ensure the “non-appropriation of Outer Space by any one country.
● It was an attempt to establish Space as a Global Commons of sorts, for the benefit of all of mankind.
● The article bans the deployment of military technology, but a later clause suggests that military technology can be used for research purposes.
● The dual use of Space technologies – particularly missile guiding satellites – can be attributed to the loopholes that can be seen in the phrasing of the treaty.

The Treaty Today

Analysts remain divided in their opinion regarding the OST.
● In the 50 years since its establishment, the OST has been witness to several technological, military and critical infrastructure advancements.
● Issues such as
○ the privatization of space exploration,
○ the dangers of excessive satellite debris,
○ the utilization of satellite technology for unethical breaches of privacy,
○ emergence of Ballistic Missile Defence systems, asymmetric warfare, cybermilitary operations and information warfare
○ the emergence of Quantum Physics, Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Computing; all pose tremendous challenges to our understanding of Space today.
While the OST does deal with some of these issues, there is a need to rework the treaty and contemporize it to deal more directly with issues of the current era.


Relevance – GS – Paper III / Science & Technology.

Source: IDSA: Outer Space Treaty: 50 years later

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