Considering Future Goals for Global Space Cooperation

Transcription

1 ODUMUNC 2018 Issue Brief UN Committee on the Peaceful Use of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS) Considering Future Goals for Global Space Cooperation by Sean McGuffin Old Dominion University Model United Nations Society Welcome to ODUMUNC 41. Here are a few special notes about this topic. First, a few issues are specifically mentioned here, but any topic concerning space is on the table and delegates are encouraged to come up with new ideas and write specific details on about their plans into their resolutions. Second, the European Space Agency (ESA) is a thing in this body. The member states of the ESA will be able to commit the organization to resolutions with a simple majority of its members, but more details are below. Third, no prior knowledge of space or science is required for this committee, but rather, a solid grasp of the topics at hand and an understanding of your country s priorities and positons. humanity and must be shared fairly. While a few Member States dominate most outer space exploitation, roughly 70 have orbital satellites of their own, and every Member State benefits directly from communications, guidance and navigation, and remote sensing satellites. Outer space, in other words, already is everyone s business. But keeping it that way requires constant diplomacy. UNCOPUOS is at the heart of that problem, adapting to new technology, innovating space programs, and trying to reconcile the conflicting priorities of the UN s 193 Member States. Figure: Map of countries with orbital satellites The UN has been encouraging peaceful in space ever since humans first started to launch satellites into orbit. Issuing the first resolution on space in 1958, the UN quickly set up bodies to discuss and manage international use and exploration of space. What would become the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) opened its doors just a year after the humanities first satellite, Sputnik. The office is responsible for promoting international and joint utilization of space science and technology for sustainable economic and social development. The office also hosts Committee on the Peaceful Use of Outer Space (COPUOS), the same body delegates will be meeting in come February. There are several advantages to international in space, ranging from technical efficiency or program management avoiding catastrophes like rockets or satellites colliding, to financial savings to strengthening the normative principle that space belongs to all 1

2 Areas for global space Updating treaties to facilitate space mining Several companies are developing technology to permit mining on the moon and asteroids. While practical exploitation of space resources is still several years away, these are long-term investments. Successful research and development (R&D) requires long-term investment and the promise that investors will get rewards for their investments. But technology is not the only barrier to exploiting space minerals. 1 The most important is the 1967 Outer Space Treaty (OST). The Treaty is widely considered the UN s greatest achievement relating to space. It is the basis of space law, and has been signed or ratified 130 countries. The treaty s principles of free exploration, peaceful, and a state s responsibility for damages it, or its actors, cause are the bedrock of all past and future agreements on space. The foundational pact that establishes space as the province of all mankind and forbids the nearly 100 states that have ratified or acceded to it from colonizing celestial bodies or using them for military operations. 2 1 U.S. space- mining law seen leading to possible treaty violations, CBC News, 26 November 2015, mining- us- treaty Jesse Dunietz, Floating Treasure: Space Law Needs to Catch Up with Asteroid Mining, Scientific American, August 28, 2017, ating- treasure- space- law- needs- to- catch- up- with- asteroid- mining/ While the international law it creates is disputed, there is a consensus that it does not permit firms to take ownership of celestial bodies, parts of celestial bodies. It may require equitable sharing of space resources. Several subsequent treaties reaffirm the consensus of the 1960s-90s, that no Member State should be allowed to control any aspect of outer space. Major agreements include the Moon Treaty of 1970 and the Space Benefits Declaration, of UNCOPUOS could address the problem by amending particular treaties, which would require agreement of the States Party to each agreement. Alternatively, UNCOPUOS could propose a new overarching agreement, to replace all previous interional treaties on the subject. Pressure for re-writing space treaties comes mostly from American firms, where R&D is concentrated, but the U.S. Government has not begun to work on the issue. Severe budget cuts to the U.S. Department of State in 2017 and the re-organization of the department under Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have reduced America s ability to negotiate. Other countries are interested in changes, include major space actors like China, the European Union, India, Japan, and Russia. But many countries are opposed to changes in current space treaties. Countries of the Non- Aligned Movement (NAM) the 120-country voting bloc of developing countries that dominated the UN General Assembly are especially concerned. Many have important Earth-based mining industries to protect, such as Canada, Chile, Democratic Republic of Congo or South Africa. They are not uncategorically opposed. Rather, they demand assurances their economies will not be made to suffer as a result of new forms of resource ex traction. Side- 3 Elizabeth Howell, Who Owns the Moon? Space Law & Outer Space Treaties, Space.com, 27 October 2017, space- law.html 2

3 payments, global taxes on sales of space resources, or guaranteed market share might be enough to satisfy most. Other solutions are possible. If the US or other countries are seriously interested in promoting exploiting of space resources, its government and others could strike individual bargains with Member States opposed, offering them offsets to ensure their support or abstention on the issue. What form those offsets take would have to be negotiated each time. This approach might be especially consistent with President Donald Trump s emphasis on transaction relations, deal with clear benefits to his country. Capacity Building Many countries around the globe have a presence in space. Almost 5 dozen states operate satellites of all kinds, used for research, communication, and defense. While that number is higher than might have been expected, the majority of state do not have the capability to engage in space due to a lack of technical and financial resources. While the Office for Outer Space Affairs has initiated programs in the past to build the capabilities of non-spacefaring nations, many of these have lacked the support needed to be truly effective. In 2015 the UN General Assembly s Fourth Committee, Special Political and Decolonization Committee, unanimously passed a resolution that reaffirmed, the importance of technical assistance and capacity-building in space science and technology applications, in particular for the benefit of developing countries. This resolution also reopened 4 activities aimed at increasing the capabilities of states with developing space programs: Costa Rica s Workshop on Human Space Technology; South Africa s Symposium on Basic Space Technology; Kenya s Workshop on Applications for Wildlife Management and Protecting Biodiversity; and, Iran s Workshop on the Use of Space Technology for Dust Storm and Drought Monitoring in the South West Asia. This body could focus on country specific programs like these, or open broader working group that bring together advanced and developing space fairing states to share knowledge about peaceful uses of space technology and share helpful technical data. Any such working groups need to have set agendas, rules on how information can be used, participants, and funding options in place before they begin. Smaller scale programs on general education about space technology could be areas for progress. Countries with developing early and developing space programs could benefits greatly from small scale programs to share technical expertise with more advanced space programs. Allowing engineers from countries without advanced space programs. Sustainable Development Goals and Space After the earlier than expected success of the Millennium Development Goals, the UN adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); a grouping of 17 objectives it would like to reach by Space based platforms could greatly enhance the UN s ability to track, predict, and solve some of the broadest problems the SDGs are trying to solve. Satellite communications can bring news, education, and communication to remote communities through internet and phone access. Climate data and GPS can inform locals about natural disasters or weather patterns that might affect their crops. Earth observation satellites can better improve land use and monitor erosion, track progress of assorted goals, and plan infrastructure, not to mention how these technologies can improve logistics of any ongoing programs. SDG 4, providing a quality education, and SDG 3, ensuring healthy lives, can be greatly assisted 3

4 through the use of space, even SGD 2 and 6, zero hunger and clean water and sanitation respectively, have aspects that can use space based technology. The Threat of Near-Earth Objects One of the few threats that has the ability to effect all of humanity at an instant is an impact from Near Earth Object. Meteorites strike the earth every day, but most are small enough that they have little to no impact on humanity. Despite the relatively low probability of an impact from a large space object, the possible damage to the planet is so great and time needed to prepare a countermeasure so long that steps must be taken to assure that if such an event were to occur the planet is capable of prevent such a disaster. The UN Office for Outer Space Affairs has taken steps to foster international on this effort, creating Space Mission Planning Advisory Group (SMPAG). A committee to share insight and plan on how to best prepare for Near Earth Objects. However the committee has no official budget from the UN and only has 14 state participating along with the European Space Agency. UNOOSA has also facilitated the International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN). A body that links together organizations all over the world that are already monitoring and tracking near earth objects. The organization has 6 main participating space agencies from around the globe that share information about their observation. To date the US is the only state that has developed advanced plans to deflect an asteroid headed towards earth, and announced its intent to test of such technology in October of To better guard against a possible meteorite impact the UN could better facilitate broader international participation in SMPAG, and provide the organization funding to increase its level of activity. It could also work towards increasing IAWN membership to include other states with asteroid observation capabilities to join the organization and share their tracking data. IAWN has a pitiful level of participation when compared to the number of states with observatories capable of tracking asteroid especially given the global threat these celestial bodies pose. Lastly the UN could garner international participation and joint towards an asteroid deflection program. A single state, or multiple states acting separately towards this goal would be less effective than a group of states cooperating towards a common goal that is in all of their mutual interest. Space Debris & Sustainability of Outer Space Activities The importance of space to humanity and it even greater potential in the future means efforts should be taken to ensure it can continue to serve everyone. One of the greatest threats to current space platforms and future space exploration is the danger posed by space debris. There are around 21,000 pieces of space debris larger than 10cm currently circling the globe, each of which is capable of destroying whole satellites due to the incredible speed at which they are traveling. The worst case scenario for scientist is called the Kessler Effect. It explains how just one collision could cause a cloud of space debris that in turn causes more damage to other objects in a worsening cycle of cause and effect. If severe enough it would be decades before any further any further exploration could take place. The General Assembly agreed in 2016 that steps should be taken to prevent the pollution of space. However, to date there are no standards on what states should do to prevent space debris, how to possibly collect current or future pieces of space junk, or whom should be responsible for either of these initiatives. Many counties that 4

5 do not have highly developed space programs assert that those who advanced space programs should shoulder the burdens to fix and prevent this problem. Other areas of The UN Office for Outer Space Affairs has a number of other topics that it intends to work towards AT the next UNISPACE conference in addition to the ones listed above including. Disaster management, space and climate change, space treaty implementation, and more. All of which can be found at their web site. 4 Country positions A country s position on future space is highly dependent upon where its current program stands. Those that have advanced programs want to assure they can continue to use space technology to their advantage, and want to expand their space programs not only within the government but also into private business. Five country control 976 of the 1,381 operational satellites currently in orbit. 5 Countries with large space programs include: There are a large number of states that have moderate presence in space operating satellites for communications, weather, and science, over A complete list of every country with at least one satellite is available. 7 This everexpanding group, very generally, wants to widen their presence in space and catch up to other states as much as possible and is eager to share costs and technology with other states due to their limited financial and technical resource. Most countries have no presence in space, and at the moment do not have the financial recourses to begin their own programs, but they do have a deep interest in the working of this body. Space can offer a number of useful benefits, like providing internet to remote regions, assisting commerce, medic and education. The ability to reach anywhere on the globe makes space resources invaluable for their ability to reach anywhere on the globe, and many of these states are eager to benefit from possible with established space based platforms to benefit their own development or the efforts of aid workers within their borders. 4 Our Work: Topics, United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, dex.html 5 Gregory Sousa, Countries With The Most Operational Satellites In Orbit, 25 April 2017, with- the- most- operational- satellites- in- orbit.html 6 Boris Verhovsky, How many countries have a satellite of their own in space?, many- countries- have- a- satellite- of- their- own- in- space 7 First satellites of countries, Wikipedia, s_of_countries 5

6 Advanced space programs There are 9 countries that are presently launching objects into orbit: China, Democratic People s Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea), France, India, Iran, Israel, Japan, Russia, and the United States, along with the member states of European Space Agency (ESA) through their joint partnership. The programs of these countries are not equal, but all have a capability few possess. The level of willingness to cooperate with other states to varies, most are willing to lend resources and information, but they are also wary about providing advanced technology to potential competitors. Figure: Countries with orbital space launch capability America. The equatorial location makes its launch services exceptionally efficient and lowcost. The Agency is one of the largest, most wellfunded, and successful space agencies in the world, and cooperates a great deal with other countries. There is close with the Canada, Russia, and the United States, and it has also signed cooperative agreements with Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Cyprus, India, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Turkey. The European Space Agency can be involved in the various efforts the committee pursues, but a majority of ESA members states must agree to the decision, and will be voted on along with the draft resolution in question during voting, any member of the ESA can sign the organization on to a draft, but it does not become official unit voted upon. Democratic People s Republic of Korea (North Korea) & Republic of Korea (South Korea): North Korea has continually defended its rocket tests as peaceful and non-threatening, and has remained publically determined to continue it space programs; lambasting the efforts of other countries to impede its program though sanctions. The DPRK has successfully launched 2 satellites into space for earth observation and weather prediction. European Space Agency: The ESA is the joint space program compressing of 22 European countries; it works closely with the EU, but is a totally different organization, and several countries in the EU are not part of the Agency. Notably, Norway and Switzerland are not part of the EU, but are part of the ESA. It launches large booster rockets capable of carrying the largest payloads from its launch facility in French Guyana, on the Caribbean coast of South South Korea at every avenue has accused North Korea of using its peaceful rocket launches as a thinly veiled disguise for its ballistic missile program. The UN Security Council has in large part agreed with this projection, and has repeatedly condemned the strongest terms North Korea s missile test even as late at June, Many countries in the body are in favor of broader space, but almost all are very wary of providing assistance to the DPRK 6

7 out of fear that this technology could be used to harm their security or their economic interests. The United States and China: The United State has one of the most advanced space programs in the world, but NASA, but law is forbidden from working with China in almost anyway by law passed by Congress. The statute specially forbids the develop, design, plan, promulgate, implement, or execute a bilateral policy, program, order, or contract of any kind to participate, collaborate, or coordinate bilaterally in any way with China or any Chinese-owned company. This does not mean the US can t work in a program China is participating in, that it and China can t work towards a common goal, or that the US government can t promote private space industry from cooperating internationally. But, NASA is completely forbidden from working with or sharing any technology or information with China, including on international efforts like the ISS. This is despite China s willingness to cooperate on multiple levels. India: is a major provider of launch services, since its first space launch in Its largest booster rockets are capable of sending modestly sized payloads. But the state of Indian space since is impressive, having sent low-cost satellites to Mars. India is cooperating with Japan on a major effort to explore and exploit resources on the moon. Russia: continues to develop its space program. Russia currently is a major force in low-cost space services, launching all astronauts into space who visit or live at the International Space Station. Russia rockets have a reputation for reliability and low lost. Countries with satellite-only programs: roughly 70 countries own, or have firms that owns, orbital satellites, but rely on others such as China, Europe, Russia, Japan or the United States, for launch services to get those satellites in orbit. They are simultaneously space users and providers. Their mixed interests leave them partially depend on others to work efficiently. They are especially concerned with preserving universal access to outer space, and ensuring they can never be subject to sanctions or embargoes that make it hard for them to buy satellites or launch services. They want guarantees. Countries without satellites all use space services, such as telecommunications, remote sensing or scientific applications. As space consumers, they lack control over space programs essential to their national economies. They are among the most adamant countries in UNCOPUOS, which they use as a forum to maximize their access to outer space programs at the lowest possible cost. They are strongly committed to the principles of the 1967 Outer Space treaty, and will allow it to be amended or replaced only if they get the guarantees they need. 7

8 Bibliography U.S. space-mining law seen leading to possible treaty violations, CBC News, 26 November 2015, Jesse Dunietz, Floating Treasure: Space Law Needs to Catch Up with Asteroid Mining, Scientific American, August 28, 2017, Elizabeth Howell, Who Owns the Moon? Space Law & Outer Space Treaties, Space.com, 27 October 2017, Our Work: Topics, United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, Gregory Sousa, Countries With The Most Operational Satellites In Orbit, 25 April 2017, Boris Verhovsky, How many countries have a satellite of their own in space?, First satellites of countries, Wikipedia, 8