New
Delhi. Space is a realm currently used for scientific, commercial, and military
purposes. Satellites make weather reporting possible, allow people to call and
transmit data overseas instantaneously, and facilitate the fl ights of precision-guided
munitions (of the type used in the Gulf War and in Afghanistan) to their targets
with great accuracy.  There
are some 500 operating satellites of various types orbiting the Earth at present.
Most
communication (including broadcast) satellites are in remote, geostationary orbits
at 36,000kms above the Earth, where they remain virtually motionless over fixed
locations. Military satellites used for early warning of missile launches are
also located at this altitude. There are several satellites in low and medium
orbit, the most prominent being the International Space Station (ISS) at an average
height of 340 km. A research facility currently being assembled in space since
1998, it is being serviced with parts and supplies by both US Shuttles and Russian
spacecraft. The ISS is a joint project between the space agencies of the
United JAXA), Canada (CSA) and several European countries (ESA). The numerous
satellites are being used for the purposes of resource management, advance warning
etc. For a growing number of countries though, the use of satellites for
the enhancement of security and defence has become ubiquitous, and India is no
exception. As an emerging space power with wide-ranging strategic interests,
and with a military establishment undergoing extensive modernization in order
to meet the security challenges of the 21st century, India’s reliance on
space systems for its security and defence needs is gradually set to increase.
With burgeoning strategic and economic ties with Europe, Russia and the
United States, India is well placed to leverage international efforts in a number
of aspects of space security and defence in order to meet its own growing requirements,
as well as to establish long-term, mutually advantageous collaborative programmes
with its allies. The environment is ripe for international policy and industrial
collaboration – with India at the hub of all activity. Space-based
technologies play an increasingly critical role in the maintenance and development
of national and international infrastructures. With the benefits of the
widespread application of peaceful outer space technology, comes the urgent need
for the international community to understand, communicate and cooperatively regulate
activities in the outer space. Potential dangers such as the dissemination of
dual use technologies, the shift from the militarization of space to the weaponization
of space, and the growing problem of space debris are threatening to undermine
security in outer space as well as prospects for its peaceful use by humanity
as a whole. More than 130 States have interests at stake either as space-faring
nations or indirectly benefiting from the use of commercial satellites. There
is an international consensus on the general principle of “the importance
and urgency of preventing an arms race in outer space,” as shown by the
regular adoption by the UN General Assembly, without any negative vote, of a number
of resolutions since 1990. However, there has been a lack of political and
diplomatic action, whereas existing frameworks such as the 1967 Outer Space Treaty
and the 1979 Moon Agreement are insufficient for dealing with the challenges that
we now foresee. Today, the Space Issue has become an integral part of the
Global Security discourse. Almost every country is concerned about certain
developments that are taking place in this field as any kind of offensive technological
Development can make space security for every nation – or for most of them
– vulnerable.  Space
Security being a universal issue, it is necessary that there should be an international
understanding and cooperation. One can say that the use of Space has become almost
indispensable for the world community.
It has to be noted that in the civilian
arena, the space market is emerging as a big player with lots of scope for business.
That is something good for the world economy, the sole threat to it being weaponisation
of space. The Anti-Satellite Test (ASAT) by China on 11 January 2007 for
instance, in which it shot one of its own satellites to demonstrate its anti-satellite
capability. It was an act reminiscent of the 1960s James Bond’s films in
which disgruntled Chinese Generals destroy satellites by the US and Russia towards
world dominance. The facts are still far from that fiction but the ASAT
demonstration nonetheless sent shivers in various world capitals. The old
Chinese satellite was monitoring weather since 10 May 1999, and its destruction
created hundreds of shrapnel, of varying sizes, that are now also orbiting the
earth and posing tremendous dangers to satellites. That this kind of technology
has existed is known. But its demonstration has brought the issueof weaponization
of space to the forefront and has shown that what a country, with destructive
technological superiority, can do in Space. Can a country with ASAT technology
render the defence mechanisms of other countries almost helpless? Perhaps yes.
Can the consequences mean some kind of space war, with its debris literally falling
on earth? The answer to that also is perhaps yes. The Chinese test was unanimously
criticized as a threat to peace by all the participants, a clear indication of
the world community’s desire for peace in the space. Considering all
these aspects the need for a focused attention on the various aspects of the Space
Security is not far fetched. Appropriately, with these issues in the background,
the Centre for Defence and International Security Studies (CDISS), London and
Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), New Delhi, organized a twoday
Space Security Conference on November 13-14 to examine various issues of space
security. The participants were from the United States, Canada, France,
England, Japan and Israel, who represented major organizations like the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Pentagon, European Union Satellite
Center, European Space Agency (ESA), Henry L Stimson Center and Israel Space Agency.
The delegates in attendance were from Europe, China, South Africa, Canada, Japan
and Nigeria. The initiative was also supported by India Strategic. The
Conference was inaugurated by the former President of the country, Dr APJ Abdul
Kalam. It provided a platform where the people concerned about space issues
around the world could get together and discuss and debate them.  In
his inaugural speech, Dr Kalam said that there was a need for space faring nations
to put their efforts together to launch time-bound, financially-shared programmers
to take up societal missions on a large scale, pooling their capabilities in launch
vehicles, spacecraft and applications.
Such major cooperation itself will
act a great measure towards space security, benefiting all without exception.
Additionally, it would also help empower the most underprivileged, minimizing
communication gaps and reducing threats for conflicts. The idea found tremendous
support from the participants. Dr Kalam asserted that protection of space
comprehensively is in the common interest of humankind. The time has come for
political leadership of space faring nations to come together and adopt a world
space
Vision. Forums like the Space Security Conference would play
a major role in this effort, he observed. The Conference was an attempt
to look into nearly all the aspects of issues on space. Strategic importance of
Space, Cooperation in the field of Space industry, Space Navigation and Communication,
Remote sensing and Earth Observation, New Space Technologies as well as the arena
of Space Law were examined by the participating experts. One of the important
areas discussed was the Small Satellites and their Emerging role in International
Space and Security. The primary argument of the presentation was that the
use of commercial off-the-shelf technologies widely available from the industrial
and indeed leisure industries has enabled the development of a new class of space
assets which are low-cost, rapid response and yet highly capable small satellites. The
cost, nature of technology and scale of these small satellites brings access to
the high ground of space within the reach of virtually every nation. While
this can be perceived as a potential threat by some ‘super power’,
which may view this development as erosion of their historical dominance of space,
it can also be argued that increased situational awareness from space and the
opportunity for wider participation by developing nations in the exploration of
space and its applications should help in a decrease in international tensions. The
other important area of debate was the Near Space Technologies.  The
presenters argued that the recent trends and developments in commercial space
sector indicated significant growth prospects for this industry.
It was
insisted that the countries are increasingly looking at the commercial space sector
as a critical infrastructure for national security. The wider growth of
this industry is possible only with the adaptation of innovative but economical
technologies, for otherwise it would remain limited to the countries that have
the capability to invest in capital intensive projects. It was concluded
that the countries should invest in technologies like the Near Space technology
which can become an alternative to the many existing high cost space platforms.
It was observed that the industry needs to look into investments in technologies
like the nano technology and scramjet which can help reduce the cost of various
space projects. The issue of Space Law was an important section of discussion.
The basic question was that will the major players enact their role on
the world stage to ensure security of the outer space and of the Earth despite
geopolitical pressures? And also, can the minor players also play an increasingly
important part in the peace in the heavens? The main challenge of the 21st
century in the advancement of space law is to balance the competinget complementary
interests of the military, intelligence, civil and commercial space communities. Other
aspects considered were arms control in space and that of the Space Traffic Management
(STM) and measures needed to be supplemented by a certain code of conduct. Space
Security could be attained by the parallel efforts of space safety and arms control
and disarmament, particularly in the backdrop of the ASAT test by China. Certain
limitations on the testing and deployment of rockets towards destructive use were
called for.  The
international policy generally has been unable to keep up with emerging threats
to space security despite the fact that space is critical now to everyday life,
whether it is information, entertainment, disaster management or even simple,
law enforcement. Police networks in the US and Europe for instance, and steadily
and increasingly in other countries, are dependent on satellites.
It was
noted that it was clear that technological developments are outstripping the existing
legal and policy framework in outer space. These challenges will become
increasingly acute as states’ dependence on space for national security
grows. Indeed, the participants pointed out that 10 states have dedicated military
satellites with 19 new military assets launched by them in 2005 alone. The
Conference was successful in considering a wide range of ideas and viewpoints
of the participants who represented a large section of the International community.
It had a global look considering the countries the participants were from. This
also helped in getting an overall balanced view of the space issues. Considering
the importance of Space and its uses in our day to day life today, such and understanding
is critical for the space faring Nations, particularly for India which
as a developing country is trying to make the maximum use of available technologies
towards an increasing use of space. The experience of space powers, shared
with other countries, can greatly help other countries in peaceful uses of space. The
Conference highlighted the concerns that the intellectuals and space specialists
of various countries have regarding the protection and maintenance of space. The
effort by CDISS and IDSA will help in spreading awareness about the consequences
of weaponisation of space as opposed to its peaceful uses for the benefit of humankind. .
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