Preventing the weaponization of outer space: Is a Chinese-Russian-European common approach possible?

Preventing the weaponization of outer space is one of the most relevant issues of the current space law debate. In recent years discussions on this issue have significantly increased in international fora, such as the UN Conference on Disarmament and the COPUOS. While it has not been possible to arrive at an agreed solution on how to efficiently deal with the problem of possible weaponization of outer space so far, several valuable proposals have been put forward. China and Russia, on the one side, and the European Union, on the other, have taken the lead in this respect. While the former have submitted a proposal for a draft treaty on the demilitarization of outer space, known as the PPWT, the latter has issued a Draft Code of Conduct for Outer Space Activities. Despite the differences between the two proposals, this paper proposes the development of a Chinese, Russian and European common approach aimed at preventing the weaponization of outer space. Although such a goal is undoubtedly challenging, some political and legal factors may enable such cooperation in the not-too-distant future.     

Space for defence: A European vision

A common European defence policy is still at a very preliminary stage, and although some limited progress has recently been made, it is a politically sensitive issue. In contrast to scientific research or large industrial ventures such as aircraft development, where Europe has moved forward rather well, obstacles to further integration in defence and security matters are numerous. Space systems could be used to facilitate such integration as their duplication is costly and so much remains to be done in Europe in this field. A common European ‘vision’ for the role of space systems in security and defence thus needs to be developed. This article reviews the role of space in security and defence missions, the technology and industrial base Europe needs, and its capability and autonomy in achieving access to space. Space system vulnerability and the means of minimizing it are addressed, including measures to prevent the weaponization of space. The possible role of ESA in support of the European Defence Agency for defence space systems development is identified, along with the need for ad hoc organizations for operational exploitation. Ten recommendations are made that would permit progress at the European level, following the path already successfully achieved in the civilian domain.     

A European military space community: Reality or dream?

Europe is faced with several essential policy decisions with regard to the exploitation of space technology. Important issues are: the relations between civilian and military uses of outer space, employment opportunities, industrial and commercial interests, European security and international stability, regional and international cooperation. Concerted action is required for political reasons and in order to achieve the necessary scientific, technological and economic critical masses. Another major policy issue is, therefore, whether Europe should expand its space venture in the framework of a European military space community as proposed by France, through national or bilateral programmes, by participating in the US SDI research, or through NATO, the Independent European Programme Group, the Western European Union, or the European Space Agency.     

Moving Europe towards a more effective procurement of space-based assets

It has become essential for European states to consider a more coherent strategy in the procurement of future space assets in order to safeguard European industrial competitiveness. Space-related research programmes remain uncoordinated and separated between civil, military and commercial applications. This paper explores the present European institutional environment and the interaction between different actors involved in space procurement. New developments are underway with the establishment of the European Defence Agency and the attempt to federate existing groups and actions. Institutional users of space systems, including defence customers, often rely on the same technology. The article considers space procurement from a widespread perspective, which goes beyond sectoral boundaries. The establishment of a permanent advisory forum is suggested in order to centralise various requirements at European level and procure space assets more efficiently.     

Spaceports and new industrialized areas in the Pacific Basin

This article analyses the rapid economic advancement of the Pacific Basin area, and discusses its future potential. Common efforts in space utilization can integrate the area, and overcome the wide diversity of political, economic and social structures. Aspects of communications, space remote sensing and space-based materials processing are examined and forecasts are made for the future role of the Pacific Basin in these areas. A populated Orbital Space City will be necessary to further space utilization. To support future activities in space, a Pacific Spaceport and a Pacific Space Centre are proposed, which would lead to the development of several ‘New Industrialized Areas’ in the age of the Solar Power Satellite. Estimates are made of the amount of electricity which will be required.     

Competitiveness of the European space industry. Lessons from Europe's role in NATO

This article aims to illustrate how the predominant role of the US military space capabilities within NATO adversely affects the European space industry's competitiveness and performance, as compared with the USA space industry. Thus, first the intra-NATO specialization is illustrated, followed by an analysis of the economics of the space industry. The connection is made through an economics model whose results verify the hypothesis, and predicts that the recent commitment by the WEU to military space can improve the position of the European space industry, especially if followed by close cooperation between the WEU and ESA.     

Effects of the long-term ESA programme on employment : Eurospace

European countries will be urged to undertake a new space programme, prepared under the direction of the European Space Agency (ESA). Can the financial efforts requested of them be considered as a profitable investment? This article examines the historical and potential effects of the European space programmes on employment, both within and outside the space sector.     

Space and maritime security–strategies for countering the pirates

Following previous work on space and internal security as part of the European Space Policy Institute's (ESPI) Space and Security programme, ESPI initiated a workshop dealing with an issue of high political as well as public concern – using space as an instrument in the broader strategic context of maritime security – together with the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy (AIES), which has special expertise in security matters related to Europe. Over 50 high-ranking professionals took part in the 30 November 2009 event, “Space and Maritime Security - Strategies and Capabilities to Counter Piracy”, held at the Austrian Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ) in Vienna. The use of space assets for maritime security has moved up the political agenda as a result of the reliance of the EU ATALANTA NAVFOR mission on services and data provided by the European Union Satellite Centre (EUSC). The workshop therefore addressed technological capabilities as well as industrial approaches in the context of the political framework conditions. It provided a dialogue between space and non-space security communities.     

逐步建立亚太空间合作组织框架下的潜在冲突解决机制（英文）

Competition among countries has evolved from just on Earth but into space as space technology and space power is a key attribute in the world today. Today space technology has spread, due to the enormous development, into every sector of life in the Earth for the benefit of mankind. Every country has the ambition to be a part of the space initiative. Asia Pacific Space Cooperation Organization(APSCO) is an organization that tries to promote space activities through cooperation in the Asia Pacific region. This paper attempts to explore the nature and categories of potential conflict that may arise under the APSCO framework program. Furthermore, it also endeavors to establish an effective and better dispute settlement mechanism under the overall APSCO framework. Finally, this paper introduces the institutional framework and working procedures of the arbitration body for future smooth cooperation and space exploration by APSCO.     

The European Defence Agency and EU military space policy: Whose space odyssey?

This paper analyses the growing involvement of the European Defence Agency (EA) in the field of space, suggesting that this is symptomatic of the greater importance now being placed on military space by the European Union. It charts the history of the agency in general and its role in space in particular, delineating the many synergetic relations it has with other space-related institutions at EU level. It argues that EDA is as much a response to socioeconomic as strategic considerations, and that it acts to protect European competitiveness in the arms field, thereby highlighting the rising significance of EU military space policy for European security and military institutions.     

European space research in support of international partnership

The envisaged future space research programmes, whether in the field of space exploration or Earth observation are becoming more and more technically complicated and so costly that a single nation can hardly afford to realize them. Major non-European space-faring nations, China and India will progressively play an important role besides US, Russia and Japan. The Space Advisory Group of the European Commission recommended that the European Commission supports within Horizon 2020 a comprehensive Robotic Mars-Exploration Programme under European leadership that should become an essential element of a coordinated international space research programme. The International Space Station (ISS) experience shows that cooperative space programmes build links between industries and laboratories from around the world, which then further develop in non-space related activities, with positive impact on the economy and scientific research. Strategies need to be developed to mitigate the gradual increasing risks incurred by climate change. In order to lower their entry barrier to engage in space emerging and developing space nations need to be included in cooperative space programmes. We present the recommendations of the Space Advisory Group of the European Commission concerning Europe's participation to global space endeavours.     

A Franco–German view of Europe's ambition in space for the 21st century

Europe has at last started to integrate the assets of its broad set of actors into a comprehensive European Space Strategy. But will this first approach be ambitious enough to strengthen Europe as a global actor? In this contribution, the individuals responsible for strategy in the French and German space agencies seek an answer to this question. They do so by reviewing the historical background to European space efforts, and its role in shaping present-day activities; setting forth a vision of how Europe should proceed in space, and measuring current progress in drafting a European space strategy against this vision.     

The UK parliamentary space committee: The emergence of a space lobby?

In the past few years the UK has become increasingly active as the financial conscience of the European Space Agency. This is not because the UK government has a wish to spend more on its national space effort; it is because it remains unconvinced of the benefits of certain European space activities, notably manned endeavours. In the absence of an effective UK space lobby, the government's policies have remained largely unchallenged. This article traces the growth of the Parliamentary Space Committee in the context of developments in recent European space policy and highlights the need for an active UK space lobby.     

Europe needs a space policy

This article argues that growing space activities are essential to maintain European high-technology ambitions. The approval of ESA's future programme at the ministers' meeting in late 1991 is regarded as an absolute minimum and the adoption of a collective European space policy setting European autonomy, international cooperation, competitiveness and equitable market conditions is urgently required. The article further argues that a power structure to define, adopt and update such a policy and monitor its implementation must be established. It should be based on ESA, with other organizations concerned with space playing advisory roles.     

Enhancing Europe's capabilities in space research and technology: Towards a European Space Board

With the proposed implementation of a European space policy and the prospect of several major undertakings in the space domain the European Union should decide to set up a high-level independent body and confer on it the authority and means to provide expert advice on space-related subjects to its institutions, policy makers and agencies, as well as to the space research community. Although the political and legislative situation in the USA is different from that in Europe, such a body has existed there since 1959 and has proven most useful. The current situation in Europe is analysed and the arguments for setting up such a structure are presented. It is suggested that the foundations for this new advisory structure can be found in the existing European Space Science Committee, the European Science Foundation's expert committee on space research. A structure and remit is proposed for such a body and elements of its mode and means of operations are discussed.     

Defining a European space research policy: The role of the European Space Science Committee

The willingness of the European Union (EU) to acquire an important position by defining a well articulated space policy for Europe requires a redefinition of the roles of the various actors of this policy. This has been demonstrated at the last ESA Ministerial Conference despite the financial difficulties encountered by all spacefaring European countries. The European Space Science Committee (ESSC), an associated Committee of the European Science Foundation (ESF), actively participated in the elaboration of such a policy by presenting the point of view of the space scientific community and making recommendations to ensure that scientific space research is appropriately accounted for in overall European space policy. The ESSC is briefly described along with its activities and contributions to the definition of a European space policy.     

Interdisciplinary Odysseys: The ESF/ESA/ESPI Vienna Conference on Humans in Outer Space

An interdisciplinary approach to discussing the human presence in outer space was undertaken on 11–12 October 2007 by the European Science Foundation (ESF), ESA and the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI). At the ‘Humans in Outer Space—Interdisciplinary Odysseys’ conference space experts and scholars from the area of humanities as well as social sciences discussed the roles disciplines such as law, philosophy, ethics, culture, art and psychology will increasingly play in space exploration. Conference output took form in the ‘Vienna Vision’, which provides a unique European perspective on the various needs and interests of humanities and social sciences linked with space exploration. This report presents the goals and outcome of the conference, as well describing the analysis leading to the creation of the Vienna Vision.     

Article

This is a slightly edited version of the Executive Summary of a joint report on cooperation in space science produced by the Space Studies Board of the USA National Research Council and the European Space Science Committee of the European Science Foundation. Using analysis of 13 case-study missions it reviews 30 years of joint missions and makes 14 recommendations based on its findings. These include the importance of setting a scientific rationale for each mission and of ensuring that objectives are shared by engineers and others involved in it, the need for independent periodic assessments and that all agreements should specify the scope, expectations and obligations of the respective agencies and relevant partners.The USA and Europe have been cooperating in space science for more than three decades. This history of cooperation has survived significant geopolitical, economic and technological changes, such as the end of the Cold War, the pressure of budget reductions and the increasing focus on economic competition and the global marketplace. Both Europe and the USA have learned from one another and acquired a knowledge base as well as an infrastructure to implement joint missions and research activities. More importantly, the decades of cooperative space research efforts between the USA and Europe have built a community of scientists whose joint scientific exchanges have established a heritage of cooperation on both sides of the Atlantic.The scientific fruits of this heritage are plainly evident in achievements such as a signature for supermassive black holes provided by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST); the first views of the solar atmosphere and corona illuminated by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO); the sharing of expensive research facilities on the International Microgravity Laboratory (IML); and the impressive data on ocean altimetry from the Ocean Topography Experiment (TOPEX-POSEIDON) mission, which is significantly improving our understanding of global ocean circulation.There were no guideposts for the emergence of space science cooperation between Europe and the USA. In the process of introducing new procedures and improvements to facilitate cooperation, missteps occurred, and there were political, economic and scientific losses. This report takes stock of US–European history in cooperative space endeavors, the lessons it has demonstrated and the opportunities it suggests to enhance and improve future US–European cooperative efforts in the sciences conducted in space.     

Developments in space activities in Poland

Poland has a long-standing tradition in space activities. Polish institutions have participated as co-investigators in almost all European Space Agency (ESA) science projects, as well as on many other missions. However, the first Polish satellite (PW-SAT) was only launched in 2012. Poland was one of the first Eastern European countries to conclude a Cooperation Agreement with ESA in the peaceful use of outer space; it was signed in 1994 and followed by a second in January 2002. Negotiations on Polish membership in the ESA were started in autumn of 2011, and ended in April 2012. Following ratification of the agreement, Poland officially became the 20th Member State of ESA on 19 November 2012. This article examines how Poland is setting its way as a space nation. It describes recent developments in the Polish space programme, including the road to Poland's full membership in the European Space Agency.