ROOM
39
Space Security
T
he future world of space will not be like it
has been up to now. Activities will include
a much wider range of operations, many
different types of space applications, and
the regulatory and ‘policing’ mechanisms will be
considerably different. The problem is how does
regulatory regime keep up? How does global
space governance keep up with space
technology invention and the disruptive
activities of NewSpace companies and constant
entrepreneurial innovation?
There was a time in human existence when
change took millions of years. Then it took
thousands of years, followed by hundreds of years,
then decades, years, and now it seems as if our
world changes in only hours or minutes.
In another century it seems likely that we may
see the operation of space-based solar power
systems, as well as businesses engaging in new
types of mining. A hundred years hence, we may
also well see the creation of permanent space
bases and perhaps even true space colonisation.
In this future time the importance of
understanding and coping with cosmic
hazards will be much better understood. We
will be actively engaged in defending against
asteroids, comets, solar flares, coronal
ejections, changes to Earth’s magnetosphere,
and orbital space debris.
Humanity is moving
towards a new reality
Joseph N. Pelton
Executive Board
Member of the
International
Association for the
Advancement of
Space Safety (IAASS)
If life as we know it a century hence has not ended in a nuclear holocaust,
a viral pandemic, or perhaps run-away climate change with catastrophic
storms ravaging Earth, our world could still be quite different. There
could be a much different and broader range of space activities than now
is the case and along with them will be a need for a new range of space
regulations, confidence building measures, and ‘rules of the road’ in space.
The world is moving towards a new reality where
humanity will depend increasingly on a new
space economy and it will be recognised that
space hazards can threaten global prosperity
