Some, in particular the United States, consider the meaning to be “nonaggressive” rather than “nonmilitary.” In addition, there are divergent views of the meaning of peaceful use. These present great difficulty in arriving at a workable definition of a space weapon in the formulation of a generally acceptable treaty. There is also a growing population of dual-use satellites with military as well as civilian applications. Given their orbital velocity, any object in space could be a weapon with capability to destroy a satellite or other space object. In considering the laws affecting space weapons a fundamental question that arises is what constitutes a weapon and does its placement in space breach the requirement that outer space be used exclusively for peaceful purposes? As an example, does a satellite used to control and direct an armed drone breach the peaceful use provision of the OST? There may be risks that without international norms governments and substate groups may acquire and use armed drones in ways that threaten regional stability, laws of war, and the role of domestic rule of law in decisions to use force. Notable among these are Prevention of an Arms Race in Space Draft Treaty and the Prevention of the Placement of Weapons in Space Draft Treaty. The absence of such prohibition is not due to many attempts over the years to prevent an arms race in space. In addition there are a number of disarmament treaties and agreements emanating from the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs and the Conference on Disarmament that are relevant to weapons in space.Īlthough the disarmament provisions and international humanitarian laws place some restrictions on the use or manner of use of space weapons, none prohibit space weaponization. More generally the OST forbids the placement of nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction in outer space.
In particular it provides that “the Moon and other celestial bodies shall be used exclusively for peaceful purposes” and prohibits the testing of any types of weapons on such bodies. The OST establishes a number of principles affecting the placement of weapons in outer space. Missile Technology Control Regime and the Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and TechnologiesĪlthough legal principles to govern space were discussed as early as the mid-1950s, they were not formalized until the Outer Space Treaty (OST) 1967 was adopted and came into force.
#Space warfare weapons secure world report code#
International Code of Conduct for Outer Space Activities.International Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation.Draft Guidelines for Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space.Transparency and Confidence Building Measures.
Prevention of Placement of Weapons in Outer Space.Interpretation of the Terms “Peaceful Use” and “Weapon”.Lex Specialis-Law Specific to Outer Space.
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