Policy and Law

As part of the partnership between SpaceWatch.Global and Project Plougshares, we have been granted permission to publish selected articles and texts. This is Part 1 of “Did Russia Test a Weapon in Space? What the question and the answer tell us about the security of outer space”, originally published 30 July 2020 in Ploughshares Spotlight, July 2020.

The Austrian Space Forum (OeWF) announced the postponement of its international Mars analog mission “AMADEE-20”. The simulation of a crewed mission to the Red Planet was originally scheduled to take place later this year in October in Israel.

SpaceWatch.Global is pleased to present the 8th episode in our podcast series The Space Cafe Podcast: Michelle Hanlon, The legal loophole to remove the American flags on the Moon

A project office of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, UNOOSA, to be opened in Abu Dhabi later this year, will develop a database of space-based solutions to help achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, according to a top official.

Specialists in space security constantly call for more robust norms of behaviour in outer space. As the number of users and uses of space grows, the calls get louder and more urgent. Meanwhile, many states claim to want the same thing. Canada’s national defence policy, “Strong, Secure, Engaged,” for example, aims to “provide leadership in shaping international norms f

by Kiran Mohan Vazhapully Artist’s impression of the Gateway and Orion. The Gateway is the next structure to be launched by the partners of the International Space Station. Image courtesy of NASA.Last month, based on a Reuters report, Chris Borgen wrote in Opinio Juris about the White House chalking out details of a United States (US) sponsored international framework dubbed “Artemis Accords”,  to facilitate commercial mining on the Moon. They are conceived as inter-agency bilateral agreements similar to the International Space Station Intergovernmental Agreement (ISS-IGA).

The first ever launch into space from British soil is one step closer today (29 July 2020) as Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announces a public consultation on the regulations for the UK’s spaceflight programme.

This Association Agreement between ESA and the Government of the Republic of Latvia, builds on the successful results achieved under the previous frameworks of cooperation and enters into force for a duration of seven years. Comprising 18 Articles and two Annexes, it orchestrates the strengthening of Latvia’s relations with ESA.

Working in technology, it is easy to forget the importance of power. Electricity is like water, in that we are so awash in it we don’t realize its core value as a primary need. People from places where water is scarce often marvel at city sidewalks being washed down with a hose. Just like water, the scope of a project is also often determined by its availability.

The US National Space Council published a new document on 23rd July 2020 titled ‘'A New Era for Space Exploration and Development’. This is a particularly interesting document as it is not legally binding, a clear policy statement, nor one of the periodical space ‘strategy’ or review documents, yet it may be one of the more useful and revealing statements about a modern American vision for outer space in recent years.