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International Code of Conduct for Outer Space Activities

Space security has become an increasingly important issue, with the international community witnessing a number of debris-generating events in low earth orbit. More actors in space, as exciting as it is, translate into more potential threats. In 2010 the European Union put forward a draft proposal for the International Code of Conduct for Outer space Activities. It aims to establish voluntary “rules of the road" for the increasingly important space domain, which is intended for peaceful use and accessible to all nations. Space systems and activities are vital to national and international security and underpin daily activities necessary for our economies to function. These essential services are threatened by the growth of orbital debris, crowding in critical orbits and the radiofrequency spectrum, and lack of agreement about the elements of responsible behavior in space. This paper will examine a rationale behind adopting a code of conduct as well as it will analyze elements a code of conduct should have in order to be effective. SPACE ACTIVITIES – WHERE ARE WE NOW? For a long time it has been assumed that only the reach and developed countries such as the United States, Soviet Union/Russia, and to some extent Europe could have access to space and benefit from it. However, in the recent years space activities have rapidly increased with government and private space operators having assets in space. Today, not only the developed world is participating in space activates. There are nine launching states and more than fifty countries and international organizations own or operate satellites of various sizes. In addition private companies, universities, and institutions own and launch small/cube/nano satellites, which to a certain respect makes them space actors as well. Space programs and other related technologies are now becoming part of national strategies and policies of many emerging space states, which strive to strengthen their international status, security, and economic benefits. Currently it is estimated that there are about 994 operational satellites in orbit, 21 000 objects larger than 10cm (40% are satellites that are no longer operational and 55% are fragments of other objects). More than that, there are around 45000 objects between 1-10cm and estimated several million of pieces below 1cm. Space environment is very fragile and since more actors are using space for an increasing variety of socioeconomic, security, and commercial benefits, space environment is becoming more crowded. Many of the activities utilize similar regions of Earth orbit, leading to potential problems such us signal interference or potential collisions. Unsafe or irresponsible actions by one actor can have long-term consequences for all. It is becoming more event that some sort of rules of the road need to be developed by the international community in order to keep the space environment safe and sustainable not to prevent beneficial use of space, but rather to ensure that it is done in such a way as to preserve the utility of Earth orbit for the long term. Fostering international cooperation, strengthening stability, and promoting responsible actions to help prevent mishaps, misperceptions, and mistrust are all key elements of space sustainability. However, the growing importance of establishing some sort of best practices in space differs from the perception of the general public when it comes to the importance of space in today’s society. After the launch of Sputnik, the ISS, Moon landings, various human and robotic space missions relatively few people are aware of the benefits of space technology today. During the Cold War space was somewhat a “hot topic” with glamorous achievements of putting the first satellite and a first man in space, landing on the Moon, preventing Star Wars, etc. The space sector of today has a different focus more on science and technology which has greatly enhanced human life but which hasn’t produced much of news worthy excitement. Although space benefits are very much integrated into our daily life, most people do not give it a second