14. Space security governance

Outer space has been used for military purposes since the dawn of the space age. However, in the current geopolitical context, increased competition and heightened tensions related to space activities pose growing threats to space systems. In 2024, for example, several states continued to show interest in developing ‘counterspace’ capabilities with the potential to attack space systems. These new threats are deeply concerning, given the parallel growth in civilian space activities and overall societal dependence on space systems.

Space for military purposes

Numerous incidents of interference with space systems were reported in 2024 during ongoing wars in Europe and the Middle East. Such interference significantly affected civilian endusers, particularly through disruption of space-enabled navigation services that led to diversion of air traffic. The role of space for military purposes, including in contemporary warfare, has also become more prominent with SpaceX’s provision of Starlink communication satellites for civilian and military users in Ukraine, and Planet Lab’s satellite imagery portraying the extent of the destruction caused by Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. In addition, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has started to take steps to protect industry partners that provide space services to the alliance and has indicated that an official NATO commercial space strategy will be forthcoming in 2025.

Multilateral discussions on space security

Stronger regulation of outer space is needed to ensure stability, prevent inadvertent escalation and protect civilian users. In a positive step forward, the most recent United Nations space security process, a group of government experts (GGE) on further practical measures for the prevention of an arms race in outer space (PAROS), adopted a report by consensus. Two other UN processes proposed in 2023 that sought to establish simultaneous open-ended working groups (OEWGs) were successfully merged into one process through a decision at the UN General Assembly in 2024.

At the sessions of the new OEWG in 2025, states have the opportunity to elaborate on principles of space law and seek definitions for—or at least aim to arrive at common understandings on—terms in the space treaties. Exchanging views on the role of space systems in critical infrastructure could be the first step to discussing how to make such systems resilient to attacks or interference.