https://spacewatch.global/tag/outer-space-treaty/ AN INDEPENDENT PERSPECTIVE ON SPACE Thu, 08 Oct 2026 06:44:34 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.4 https://spacewatch.global/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/SpaceWatchGlobal-Sign-90x90.png https://spacewatch.global/tag/outer-space-treaty/ 32 32 https://spacewatch.global/2026/10/spacewatchgl-opinion-who-is-accountable-when-space-ai-acts-before-earth-can-respond/ Tue, 13 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=78660
Written by Dr. Michael T. Neely
As spacecraft gain the autonomy to act before Earth can respond, accountability cannot depend on real-time human control. Michael T. Neely argues that responsibility must instead be designed into the rules, limits and evidence governing autonomous systems.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/spacewatchgl-analysis-peaceful-provided-nobody-looks-too-closely-what-does-peace-mean-in-space/ Wed, 17 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74929
Written by Raoul Cardellini Leipertz
How an old compromise still shapes the future of outer space. Because the Outer Space Treaty did not settle the meaning of peace. It gave the world a word broad enough to hold several disagreements at once, and sturdy enough, for a time, to hold up the sky. ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/ila-2026-day-1-who-is-allowed-to-see-the-earth-the-hidden-law-of-watching-the-planet/ Mon, 15 Jun 2026 14:30:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74885 At ILA 2026, ESA's Prof. Kai-Uwe Schrogl joins SpaceWatch.Global's Torsten Kriening to answer a deceptively simple question — who is allowed to see the Earth? — unpacking the Outer Space Treaty, shutter control, dual use and the future of Earth observation law.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/spacewatchgl-analysis-solar-farms-in-orbit-the-legal-framework-for-addressing-a-new-risk-to-the-kessler-syndrome/ Fri, 12 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74759
Written by Dr. Anna Hurova
Outer space shall be free for exploration and use. This citation on the Outer Space Treaty (OST) became a pretext of the ambitious projects of constellations promising to shift the quality for the human society, energy efficiency and connectivity on the new higher level. This analysis is an attempt to show broader context of evaluation of such type of projects from the perspective of the common concept for environmental and space law, due regard, and pose the question about the initiation of enforcement of legal requirements for the harmful interference.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/spacewatchgl-opinion-space-power-and-the-architecture-of-the-new-world-order/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74340
Written by K.-P. Ludwig
Europe increasingly understands the strategic importance of space, yet implementation continues to lag behind ambition. As geopolitical competition accelerates, the gap between policy objectives and operational capability is becoming harder to ignore.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/05/spacewatchgl-opinion-planetary-defense-joins-the-supremacy-stack/ Thu, 14 May 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=73899
Written by Torsten Kriening
At the 41st Space Symposium, a planetary defense luncheon I expected to be apolitical turned into something else. When a former NASA Administrator proposed extending the Artemis Accords to cover asteroid defense, it became clear: the last genuinely multilateral domain in space is being quietly absorbed into the American supremacy stack.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/05/spacewatchgl-opinion-what-the-allied-space-commanders-did-not-say-in-colorado-springs/ Mon, 04 May 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=73509 The "Burden Sharing & Shifting in Space" panel at Colorado Springs gathered five military space leaders from France, Germany, Norway, the UK and the US for a candid, professional conversation – about everything except the topic dominating every other room of the Broadmoor. No one said "Moon". No one said "Article II". No one mentioned EO 14369. SpaceWatch.Global Publisher Torsten Kriening on what the allied commanders said, what they did not, and why the framing was the political act.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/05/spacewatchgl-analysis-brussels-brought-a-regulation-to-a-supremacy-summit/ Fri, 01 May 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=73478
Written by Torsten Kriening
At the 41st Space Symposium, four people who do not normally agree on much converged on the same diagnosis: the EU Space Act in its current form is in serious trouble. Four days later, Commissioner Kubilius told the European Parliament that more work is needed. SpaceWatch.Global publisher Torsten Kriening on what Brussels should be sitting with as it walks into the May Working Party sessions.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/04/space-cafe-radio-with-dr-daniel-baker/ Wed, 29 Apr 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=73426 Torsten Kriening sits down with Dr. Daniel Baker, Director of the Space Policy Center at CU Boulder, recorded just hours before Artemis 2's splashdown. Discover why engineers need policy thinking, how Colorado became a unique hub for space governance, and why the Outer Space Treaty alone isn't enough for the commercial space era.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/04/spacewatchgl-opinion-colorado-springs-2026-american-supremacy-the-moon-and-the-future-of-the-outer-space-treaty/ Thu, 23 Apr 2026 09:30:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=73274
Written by Torsten Kriening
When the Chief of Space Operations told the Broadmoor press corps that the U.S. Space Force will follow national interests to the Moon, he did more than describe a strategy. He stress-tested Article II of the Outer Space Treaty. A publisher's reading of the 41st Space Symposium and what it means for Europe. ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/04/spacewatchgl-opinion-how-much-is-the-moon-worth/ Wed, 22 Apr 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=73212
Written by Renã Luiz Guarda
From Trillions to Governance: The Legal Vacuum in Lunar Resource Extraction]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/04/space-symposium-2026-space-traffic-treaty-erosion-nuclear-reactors-on-the-moon/ Mon, 20 Apr 2026 04:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=73108 At Space Symposium 2026, Torsten Kriening spoke with Peter Martinez of the Secure World Foundation about the growing challenges of space traffic coordination, evolving legal frameworks, and the implications of expanding activity beyond Earth orbit.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/04/space-symposium-2026-wherever-american-interest-goes-space-force-will-be-there/ Fri, 17 Apr 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=73093 At Space Symposium 2026, Laura Todd and Torsten Kriening wrapped up an intense second day marked by candid discussions and shifting narratives across the space sector.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/04/spacewatchgl-opinion-the-legal-frontier-of-space-based-data-centres-jurisdictional-challenges-in-the-orbital-economy-part-1/ Thu, 09 Apr 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=72781
Written by Pankaj Mehta
The convergence of artificial intelligence and space infrastructure has catalysed an unexpected development: major technology companies are racing to establish data centres in orbit.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/08/spacewatchgl-opinion-global-space-governance-under-pressure-from-u-s-deregulation/ Wed, 20 Aug 2025 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=67165 On 13 August 2025, the White House issued an Executive Order titled “Enabling Competition in the Commercial Space Industry.” From where I sit as a space journalist, this marks one of the boldest—and riskiest—moves in U.S. space policy I’ve seen in years]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/08/spacewatchgl-opinion-moonshot-power-why-the-us-wants-a-nuclear-reactor-in-space-and-why-europe-cares/ Tue, 12 Aug 2025 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=66980
Written by Torsten Kriening
Eighty years ago this week -on 6th and 9th August 1945 - the world entered the nuclear age in the most traumatic way imaginable. Hiroshima and Nagasaki are not just history; they are emotional markers that still shape public memory and political reflexes across Europe. In Germany, the association of “nuclear” with danger was reinforced by the radioactive cloud from Chernobyl in 1986 and by the cascading failures at Fukushima in 2011, which led Berlin to decide on a complete nuclear phase-out, completed in 2023.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/08/the-space-cafe-podcast-137-with-dr-bhavya-lal/ Tue, 12 Aug 2025 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=67037 Nuclear power’s bad Earthly reputation hides its potential as a lifeline beyond our planet. Space is already radioactive—and if we want to stay and build on the Moon, Mars, or Europa, nuclear offers “power abundance” solar can’t match. Dr. Lal explains why, covering tech, safety, law, history, and why the next space era may finally embrace it.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/07/spacewatchgl-opinion-one-moon-many-interests-can-we-make-space-for-all/ Wed, 23 Jul 2025 13:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=66441
Written by Mr. Samuel Jardine and Dr. Antonino Salmeri
A new wave of lunar activity is underway. More missions reached the Moon in 2024 than in any year since 1969. Scientific instruments are being deployed, landing zones mapped, and infrastructure already operated and more proposed to support long-term operations. With each new announcement, it becomes clearer that we are entering a new era, not of lunar ambition, but of lunar presence. ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2024/11/spacewatchgl-opinion-space4earth-the-billionaire-asteroid-a-golden-opportunity-or-a-legal-and-environmental-challenge/ Fri, 22 Nov 2024 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=62380 Written by Shrawani Shagun

The recent discovery of an asteroid containing a high concentration of precious metals has sparked renewed discussions about the future of space exploration. This finding has generated much interest among investors and space-faring nations, positioning space mining as the next frontier for economic growth. The potential is undeniable: vast, untapped resources beyond our planet could revolutionize global economies, creating new industries and unprecedented wealth.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2024/10/spacewatchgl-opinion-space4earth-the-growing-threat-of-space-debris-lessons-from-the-long-march-6a-breakup/ Fri, 04 Oct 2024 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=61283 Written by Shrawani Shagun

As we expand our reach into the final frontier, outer space, the choices we make today about space debris could have lasting implications for generations to come.]]>