Recently launched Artemis II Mission to Moon and related ‘Space Race’ have reignited the debate around the Outer Space Governance.
Challenges in Outer Space Governance and Need for Multilateralism
- Limitations of Existing Frameworks: OST lacks detailed regulatory code for private sector (although they are responsibility of States); potentially weak enforcement mechanism.
- Space Resource Exploitation: E.g. The Artemis Accords propose "safety zones" to avoid "harmful interference" which may act as exclusion zones, letting early nations control lunar resources.
- Threat of Militarization: Use of dual-use technologies heightens strategic distrust.
- Geopolitical Fragmentation: Outer Space is seeing a transition from space exploration to sustained presence, which necessitates a rules-based order to prevent de facto sovereignty and conflict.
- E.g. US-led Artemis and China-led International Lunar Research Station (ILRS)
Present System of Outer Space Governance
