In order to assure prosperity in space, space security specialists believe long-term strategies are needed.
Security and prosperity in space are too important to life on Earth, and too sensitive to long-term trends, to address with short-term strategies. The security of assets in space will have a defining impact on future terrestrial conflicts. Economic prosperity on Earth also increasingly depends on data transmitted through space.
Many space security advocates believe it’s time to replace the 1967 Outer Space Treaty with a new, foundational space treaty that addresses the security and commercial realities of space in the 21st century.
There’s a call for a new coalition of the willing to push back on recent destabilizing Russian and Chinese activities in space. New alliances—and existing ones—need to step up their commitments to security in outer space.
Unquestionably, an attack in outer space could have devastating consequences on Earth, and no ally should be left without support because existing treaties do not yet fully recognize the consequences of space attacks.
Additionally, space security professionals believe that the legal, security, and physical architectures that the United States develops over the coming decades must explore opportunities for the commercial sector to plug in, or even take over, elements.
Not only will commercial firms be crucial to developing the technologies that will define space activity, but there will also, by 2050, be a range of profit-making activities in space that one can only begin to imagine today. The United States can develop plans for space now in a way that enables it to benefit later.
The need for a long-term space security policy is further emphasized by the fact that the edge of humanity’s routine activity in space is moving beyond GEO to encompass cislunar space, the sphere formed by the Earth-Moon radius.
This opens new opportunities and risks that any future strategy must come to grips with.
Want to know more? Tonex offers Certified Space Security Specialist Professional (CSSSP) training, a 5-day course that is ideal for space and security practitioners, analysts, engineers, managers and executives interested in proving their knowledge across space security practices and principles.
Our Space Operations and Cybersecurity courses also include:
Fundamentals of Positioning, Navigation and Timing | PNT Training (2 days)
Space Mission Systems Engineering Training (2 days)
Space Systems Engineering Fundamentals (2 days)
For more information, questions, comments, contact us.