Space - workplace or battlefield

Space is an extreme and unique environment. Since the dawn of the space age in the late 1950's until today, space and the use of space systems have become an increasingly integral part of our everyday lives. Today we are dependent on space services, for both civilian and military purposes. The most imminent and serious threat today to the long term use of space is the accumulation of space debris. Space debris is created as a result of daily activities in space as well as a result of the use of weapons against objects in space. Hence, for that reason international regulation of weapons in space is highly desirable. Space weapons were developed by the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Today we are facing a situation where China has successfully tested an anti-satellite weapon and India is expressing ambitions to develop similar capabilities. At the same time the negotiations on preventing an arms race in space at the Conference on Disarmament in the UN are at a standstill. The international agreements that regulate space activities are essentially the five outer space conventions. In addition there are a few bilateral agreements between the U.S. and the Soviet Union concerning space issues, all from the 1960's and 70's. Against this backdrop, the EU's draft code of conduct for outer space activities, adopted by the Council in September 2010, is seen as an important instrument for promoting security in space. This report briefly outlines the benefits of using space followed by a detailed description of the threats to space systems, including space debris, space weapon technology and potential conflicts which may induce the use of space weapons. Finally it is described how these threats are addressed in order to improve the safe and sustainable use of space.