War in Space The Royal United Services Institute

Does a state's power on Earth translates into influence in orbit – and vice versa? Dr Jana Robinson, Managing Director of the Prague Security Studies Institute, presents her research on what she calls the ‘ground-based space race’, where authoritarian states fund parts of the space economy in third countries to gain influence and shape their voting decisions. This is especially important as norms and values are still being discussed within the UN. We discuss these economic and financial threats and how they further shape values and norms in space. Finally, we talk about the soft power element of space: what does the future for international space cooperation hold given that the International Space Stationis being decommissioned after 2030?

Multilateral efforts to prevent an arms race in outer space have been going on for decades. The most recent efforts include a UN resolution that intended to solve existing gridlocks by getting states to discuss what responsible behaviours in space look like. The problem of dual use – using space assets for military purposes or as a weapon – will continue to make verification of the nature of assets difficult. However, responsible behaviours that promote transparency on how these assets are used can help reduce the risk of miscalculation in space. The UN resolution on responsible behaviours was put forward by the UK in 2020 and discussed in the forum of Open-Ended Working Groups (OEWG) until 2023. Dr Jessica West, Senior Researcher at the Canadian peace research institute Project Ploughshares, shares observations from the discussions at the OEWG and her assessment of what future efforts might look like. Tune in to find out why UN diplomats are the unsung heroes of peace and security, and what Geneva's food prices have to do with it all!

There is a persistent perception that space is a lawless place. Professor Steven Freeland, Emeritus Professor of International Law at Western Sydney University and Professorial Fellow at Bond University, joins us to explain why that is not the case. We discuss the current multilateral rules that govern orbits, as well as where additions may come in in the future, why they might be necessary and what obstacles are currently preventing us from reaching multilateral consensus. As well as this, we talk about the involvement of commercial actors in space and what benefit national space laws bring.

Orbits are getting busier, frequencies are taken up, collisions are becoming likelier and the resulting space debris is endangering satellites ... are we really running out of space in space?
John Janka, Chief Officer, Global Government Affairs and Regulatory at Viasat, discusses with us the various factors that make up space sustainability, including frequencies, physical space and effects on the atmosphere. We discuss what measures can be taken to avoid an overcrowding of the orbits and how methods such as fragmentation analysis can help predict the impact of a potential collision.

How do concepts of warfare apply to space? Is there such a thing as irregular warfare, asymmetric tactics or hybrid warfare in space? Dr John 'Patsy' Klein, Senior Fellow and Strategist at Falcon Research, Inc. and Adjunct Professor at the George Washington University Space Policy Institute and Georgetown University's Strategic Studies Programme, helps us unravel these terms, discussing how they apply to space and why strategies on war do not need to be rewritten for the ‘final frontier’.

The Skynet Satellite Communications Programme is the UK's biggest space project; having started in the 1960s, it is currently in its sixth generation. Dr Richard Davis, Programme Director of Skynet 6 at UK Strategic Command, joins us to discuss what makes the current generation different from its predecessors, what the future of the programme may look like, and the organisational structures it falls under.