Publication

This paper reviews three major multilateral initiatives currently underway on governing the use of space and recommends ways to improve each one of them. The efforts include the EU Code of Conduct; the COPUOS Working Group on the Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities; and the UN's Group of Governmental Experts (GGE). The suggested improvements include 1) implementing GCE recommendations; 2) complying with the 1975 Convention on the Registration of Objects in Outer Space; 3) requiring national space operators to comply with the UN Debris Mitigation Guidelines; and 4) laying the foundations for a next-step space governance framework.