UN recommends new treaty to ensure peace & security in outer space

The United Nations (UN) has recommended a new treaty for ensuring peace and security as well as preventing an arms race in outer space.

What is Outer Space?

Outer space, also simply called space, refers to the relatively empty regions of the universe outside the atmospheres of celestial bodies.
It is used to distinguish it from airspace (and terrestrial locations).
Outer space begins about 100 km above the Earth (Kármán line), where the shell of air around our planet disappears.

With no air to scatter sunlight and produce a blue sky, space appears as a black blanket dotted with stars.

Currently, there is no agreed international framework on space resource exploration, exploitation & utilisation.
The treaty has also recommended a combination of ‘binding and non-binding norms’ to address emerging risks to outer space security, safety and sustainability.
The recommendations come ahead of the UN Summit of the Future, which will be held on September 22-23, 2024, in New York.
Objective:
In the view of conflict which could arise if countries do not agree on international principles on activities in the exploration, exploitation and utilisation of space resources.
It could also lead to environmental degradation and cultural loss.

Key provisions of the treaty:

The UN recommended an effective framework for coordinating space situational awareness, space object manoeuvres and space objects and events.
They also urged member states to develop norms and principles for space debris removal that consider the legal and scientific aspects of space debris removal.
As for space resource activities, they propose an effective framework for sustainable exploration, exploitation and utilisation of the Moon and other celestial bodies.

Problems to be addressed:

Issues of Space debris:
- More than 24,000 objects which are 10 centimetres or larger, about one million smaller than 10 cm and likely more than 130 million smaller than one cm have been recorded.
Increase in Number of satellites:
- The number of satellite launches has shot up exponentially in the past decade after it stayed consistent from 1957-2012.
- In 2013, there were 210 new launches, which increased to 600 in 2019, and 1,200 in 2020 and 2,470 in 2022.
Increased involvement of countries:
- Due to the increased involvement of private sector in counties like the United States, China, India and Japan can develop a situation of conflict in future space.

Currently the space debris and any issue related to Space are addressed by national and regional bodies in coordination.

Existing treaties:

In 1959, the United Nations established the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space to review and enable international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space.
In 1963, countries agreed to prohibit testing nuclear weapons in outer space; in 1977, the prohibition of altering the space environment as a weapon was agreed upon.
More recently, member states have set up a series of guidelines, frameworks and recommendations on issues such as mitigation of space debris, nuclear power source safety, the long-term sustainability of outer space activities and transparency and confidence-building measures in outer space activities.