Advancing Space Partnerships

Lt. Stephen Schroeder/U.S. Navy, U.S. Space Command Joint Integrated Space Team Pacific 

The United States and its Allies and Partners are at the forefront of an emerging era of opportunity. Space’s critical role in the global commons has gained considerable attention in recent years, and the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DOD) guidance has never been clearer: “Space is now a distinct warfighting domain, demanding enterprise-wide changes to policies, strategies, operations, investments, capabilities, and expertise for a new strategic environment,” according to its Defense Space Strategy Summary of June 2020. 

Allies also identify space’s role in potential conflict, with the Australian government stating in its 2020 Force Structure plan, “Defence will need capabilities that directly contribute to warfighting outcomes in the space domain using terrestrial and/or space-based systems.”  Proclaiming space — which includes orbital and terrestrial assets — as a potential area of conflict is unprecedented and calls for new and innovative ways to ensure space is a safe, sustainable and stable international environment for civil, commercial and military use. 

“We are in the midst of great changes in the Space Age,” said Col. Toshihide Ajiki, Japan Air Self-Defense Force liaison to the U.S. Space Command (USSPACECOM). “The international community urgently needs to establish new standards in the space domain before serious accidents or conflicts occur in outer space. I believe that the true partnership begins with shared needs and building trust.”

The international community, however, lacks an officially agreed-upon set of operating norms — standard practices and actions — for the space domain. Cooperation is central to fostering a safe and prosperous environment. Particularly in the Indo-Pacific, this will require initiating and building partnerships with nations that may not have domestic space capabilities.

International cooperation arguably always has been central to the space enterprise, beginning with the Outer Space Treaty (OST) of 1967. With 105 ratifications and 25 signatories among United Nations members, it is the broadest set of space-related principles observed by the international community. Those principles include freedom to access and explore space, space as a common domain free of claims to sovereignty, and the use of outer space being reserved for peaceful purposes.

Although the principles tied to the OST mainly focused on the dominant spacefaring nations of the time — the U.S. and the Soviet Union — the treaty provided a critical foundation for the burgeoning sector. Follow-on agreements addressed issues such as space object liability (for example, satellites or vehicles), object registration and extending traditional international law to space. However, most norms in the space enterprise emerged due to physical, technological and financial constraints of respective nations’ space capabilities. In other words, largely informal norms grew out of necessity and a shared interest to maximize the potential benefits of space capabilities. Space was limited by a nation’s resources and ability to fund, build, launch and maintain assets in orbit. 

Much has changed since 1967, and space is more accessible than ever before. Through commercial, academic and civil innovation, the benefits of space capabilities are within reach of anyone who can afford it. Commercial companies offer space tourism, lease bandwidth on their systems, and allow for launch services of civil and academic projects. The world communicates and navigates via satellite transmissions, and there are options with global reach including the U.S.’s GPS, the European Union’s Galileo, Russia’s Global Navigation Satellite System, known as GLONASS, and the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) BeiDou. 

Military capabilities have greatly benefited from space capabilities in fields such as satellite communications, environmental monitoring, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, missile warning, and position, navigation and timing. Such advances have expanded the scope of operations and the ability to predict and respond to global crises. With the increased application of space capabilities, establishing norms is the critical next step in ensuring space remains a safe and sustainable domain. This is especially true for military activities in space, and partnerships are the key pathway to determining those norms.

Several recent efforts address the issue. NASA’s Artemis Accords, unveiled in October 2020, aim to establish a framework “designed to guide civil space exploration and use in the 21st century.” With 39 signatories as of April 2024 — including Australia, India, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea — it’s a promising set of guidelines. Russia and the PRC, however, are not signatories. The Artemis principles are centered on issues such as the peaceful use of space, transparency, interoperability, emergency assistance, object registration and deconfliction of activities. While focused on the civil sector, the principles can guide commercial and military space activities as well.

The U.N. also highlighted the need for an internationally recognized standard. A U.N. resolution adopted in December 2020 identifies “the need for all States to work together to reduce threats to space systems through the further development and implementation of norms, rules and principles of responsible behaviours.” A July 2021 report on the resolution by the U.N. secretary-general cataloged myriad potential threats and security risks in space, as well as “actions and activities that could be considered responsible, irresponsible or threatening and their potential impact on international security.” The report also affirmed the applicability of international law in outer space and provided a comprehensive blueprint for the norms and behaviors on which partnerships can be built. 

In February 2023, USSPACECOM established tenets of responsible space behavior regarding DOD operations. The tenets “are an important addition to non-legally binding guidelines and best practices that the U.S. Government voluntarily follows,” U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said. The principles generally call for implementing professional operating standards, limiting debris, avoiding harmful interference, ensuring safe separation and trajectory, and providing notifications that enhance safety and stability in orbit. With a substantial foundation set, bringing partners into the fold will be key to cementing these initiatives. 

While there are many proposals and nonbinding frameworks, no global norms have been finalized. This presents an opportunity for aspiring and established spacefaring nations alike. Countries with a space presence and domestic capabilities seek to establish norms to enhance safety and security. Aspiring spacefaring nations, meanwhile, are aware of the opportunities space provides, and partnerships with established spacefaring nations provide for mutually beneficial relationships. 

For example, the U.S., which has significant capabilities across its space enterprise, will benefit from fostering a strong network of global partners. Through such partnerships, the U.S. may be granted geographic access for launches, while partner nations benefit from U.S. expertise, enhancing their space-related efforts and fostering interoperability. 

USSPACECOM offers several options for initiating partnerships. Space Situational Awareness Data Sharing Agreements are tailored to each partner country’s capabilities and needs. Education and training are available to partners through institutions such as the Hawaii-based Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies and the U.S. Space Force’s National Security Space Institute in Colorado. Space-related operations also are being incorporated into integrated all-domain rehearsals such as Balikatan in the Philippines, Cobra Gold in Thailand and Garuda Shield in Indonesia, allowing forces to work together, share lessons and implement best practices. Additionally, USSPACECOM’s large-scale space surveillance modeling and simulation engagement, Global Sentinel, marked its 10th year in 2024 with more than 20 partner nations participating. 

Space is an emerging domain with a likely role in future conflict. International norms can help ensure space is a predictable, safe and sustainable environment in which all nations can benefit. Partnership and cooperation are central to establishing such norms across the international community, with aspiring and established spacefaring nations poised to reap the rewards. Through mutually beneficial relationships based on trust and established reliable standards, space can be a frontier that provides prosperity for years to come.