ROOM is an open forum for comment and opinion - and actively encourages contributions. To promote debate, discussion and inspiration we regularly publish commentaries and opinions by space leaders and those involved directly or indirectly in aerospace and space exploration. With governing law, regulatory aspects and policy hardly keeping pace with the constant innovation and development of space science, Tomas Hrozensky urges the international space community to actively participate in the ongoing process related to UNISPACE+50.
International mechanisms and institutions governing space activities have not been evolving and adjusting as quickly as the actors and their activities conducted in the global space sector. Although the current legal regime and related system of space governance has so far tackled issues emerging as a result of new developments sufficiently well, this may become more and more difficult in coming years.
Global space governance finds itself at a crossroads with multiple different ways to proceed. The international space community needs to adjust mechanisms and policies to more adequately reflect the rise of private space activities, ambitious visions in space exploration, current trends in space security or new types and growing numbers of actors dealing with space, both in national policies and in international arena.
Fortunately, forthcoming years are providing the international space community with symbolic anniversaries that raise both public and expert awareness of issues related to the governance of space activities and thus could create momentum for new or improved incentives for more suited ways of governing space activities.
Read more of Tomas Hrozensky's appeal to the international space community in the full version of the article, available now to our subscribers.
