Living in Space: The UN celebrates innovation, cooperation and the final frontier

By R Anil Kumar

Vienna, Austria, October 3, 2025. Humanity is looking up – and beyond. This Saturday, 4 October, World Space Week lifts off, inviting the world to imagine what life might look like beyond planet Earth.

With the 2025 theme “Living in Space,” the celebration highlights how scientific innovation, international law, and collaboration are shaping the future of a potential new chapter in human history among the stars – and the technologies that are already changing life at home.

Established by the UN in 1999, the annual commemoration runs from 4 to 10 October, book-ended by two historic milestones: the 1957 launch of Sputnik 1, the world’s first artificial satellite, and the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, the foundation of international space law.

Today, more than 90 countries launch satellites, and the global space economy is projected to surpass $730 billion by 2030.

“Space is not a distant dream. It’s already a shared reality,” said Aarti Holla-Maini, Director of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA). “If we work together, it can help us solve Earth’s most pressing challenges.”

UN space agency: ‘space is not a distant dream’

The UN’s space agency works to promote international cooperation in the peaceful use and exploration of space.

At a time of geopolitical tensions, ensuring space is used for peaceful purposes and that it benefits all humanity is no easy task, but for over 60 years it has been the mission of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA).

As we mark World Space Week (4–10 October), UNOOSA Director Aarti Holla-Maini underlines there is still a “shared commitment to peaceful and sustainable space,” and that her office is working to ensure the benefits of space reach everyone, everywhere.

Competition and congestion in space

Humanity’s interest in exploring and understanding space, and mining its resources, is increasing day by day. Space is becoming more congested, with satellites launched by over 90 countries.

Despite being a zone of competition, space has so far avoided becoming an area of direct conflict. But with several actors in the playing field, coordination and space governance has become a lot more complex.

“Everybody knows there’s so many things being launched into space. People think it’s the Wild West. Our office has a mandate to get a handle on it,” says Holla-Maini, who has led the UN’s space office since 2023.

Maintaining peace and sustainability in space

UNOOSA plays a vital role in space traffic coordination and promoting sustainability. It supports, for example, countries in understanding the fundamentals of space law.

With over 100 lunar missions planned from now until 2030, UNOOSA’s initiative, ‘One Moon for All’, helps strengthen global coordination.

Lunar missions range from scientific research to commercial ventures, such as mining and establishing human settlements. These missions need to coordinate to ensure they are not going to the same spot at the same time.

“While these activities of course present immense opportunities for advancing our knowledge and understanding, and even fostering economic growth, they still present significant challenges in terms of governance, safety, sustainability,” says Holla-Maini.

Satellite debris landing on Earth is also a key area for the UN space office. Although rare, these events can occur and are increasing in frequency.

“Our office has been contacted five times this year already,” says Holla-Maini, who references a UN framework which sets outs the rights and obligations of states should this happen.

UNOOSA also coordinates planetary defence against asteroids. Asteroid 2024 YR4 recently made the headlines when UNOOSA sounded the alarm that its probability of impacting Earth in 2032 rose as high as 3%. An Earth impact has now been ruled out, but UNOOSA coordinated with governments and agencies who were able to monitor the asteroid.

“Our role is always as a capacity builder. Many countries around the world do not have the capacity to do this kind of work,” details Holla-Maini.

Space technologies in everyday life

Space can bring many benefits to life on Earth, and this year’s World Space Week focuses on the theme ‘Living in Space’.

“It invites us to imagine what daily life might look like beyond Earth. But it also challenges us to consider how space innovations are already shaping life on Earth,” explains Holla-Maini.

Many familiar products, from memory foam mattresses, to solar panels and water recycling systems, were originally developed for the space industry.

“We’re already living in space because every time we use the maps on our phones or in our cars, every time we check the weather forecast, every time we make a digital payment, we are relying on satellites.”

Enhancing climate resilience

Data from satellites can also be used to monitor climate trends and signs of extreme weather.

Whilst high-resolution data is often managed by commercial entities, making it expensive, or used for military purposes, meaning it’s inaccessible, space agencies and private actors provide UNOOSA with free imagery in support of missions that achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

“It can be deployed to help with climate disaster resilience, connectivity, health, education, and bridging the digital and data divide,” details Holla-Maini.

Carbon emissions can be tracked, sea levels monitored, heat maps crafted, and the scale of damage can be assessed when disasters strike. It can even be used to monitor illegal fishing, pollution and environmental crime.

In Brazil, for example, the high-resolution technology has helped crack down on illegal deforestation.

“You can literally see from space when criminal actors are clearing just a small road to drive in their equipment. That enables the enforcers to go in and crack down before the illegal deforestation has occurred,” says Holla-Maini. In one year in Brazil, this helped prevent 40 illegal raids.

Space is the province of all humankind

As part of its mission to ensure space benefits all humanity, UNOOSA helps developing countries in particular use space technology effectively. It has assisted, for example, countries such as Guatemala, Mauritius, Kenya, Nepal construct their very first satellites.

“There is an assumption that space is only for those who have satellites and space agencies, which means a critical mass of member states do not participate in space governance. And that is a problem. We need the voice of everybody.”

Every single UN member state, whether spacefaring or not, is represented by the UN’s Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).

“We need the UN Space Office more than ever to keep Member States together around the same table, discussing and working together on space governance. We cannot afford to let current geopolitics divide Member States and let them all go off in their own direction.”

The agency is also working to increase the representation of women in the space sector. Its Space4Women programme provides mentorship, training and visibility to women in the sector, and UNOOSA provides a toolkit to help institutions design more gender inclusive policies and programs.

“Space is not a distant dream. It’s already a shared reality. And if we work together, it can help us solve Earth’s most pressing challenges,” concludes Holla-Maini.

Innovation and everyday life

This year’s theme invites the public to imagine life beyond Earth, from lunar bases to long-term orbital missions. But many of the technologies enabling life off planet already underpin everyday life on Earth.

From solar panels to water purification systems, innovations born of space research have transformed industries and households. Satellite-based GPS, weather monitoring, and telecommunications have become indispensable.

However, space is becoming increasingly crowded.

As of 2024, more than 45,000 human-made objects orbit Earth, from active satellites to defunct spacecraft and parts. Thousands more are planned in the coming years, raising the risk of collisions and a surge in space junk.

UNOOSA helps countries set standards for sustainability, including debris mitigation and “space traffic management.” It maintains the UN registry of orbiting objects and supports national laws aligned with international treaties, ensuring safe and equitable access.

Beyond Earth: One Moon for all

Lunar exploration is another growing frontier.

More than 100 missions are planned by 2030, ranging from scientific research to commercial ventures. UNOOSA’s “One Moon for All” initiative coordinates these efforts to keep exploration safe, peaceful, and inclusive.

Space for development

Space is increasingly a tool for development, not just for wealthy nations.

The UN has assisted countries including Kenya, Nepal, and Guatemala in building their first satellites and supports governments in using space data for disaster response, climate monitoring and food security.

Satellite imagery is also helping protect the environment, enabling nations to combat illegal fishing, monitor forest fires and prevent deforestation.

Safeguarding the future

Multilateral cooperation is critical to keeping space conflict-free and accessible to all, especially as private companies and geopolitical tensions grow. Every UN Member State, spacefaring or not, must have a voice in governance.That spirit of cooperation has already been tested in orbit.

Former NASA astronaut and UN Champion for Space Scott Kelly, recalling his 520 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS), described it as the ultimate demonstration of what humanity can achieve together.

“We built this space station … while flying around the Earth at 17,500 miles an hour, in a vacuum, in temperature ranges of plus or minus 270 degrees,” he said, noting that its modules – “some of which had never touched each other before on Earth” – were joined in orbit by astronauts and cosmonauts “working in these very, very difficult conditions.”

“This space station is the hardest thing we have ever done … if we can do this, we can do anything,” Mr. Kelly added, underscoring that global cooperation makes even the most extraordinary human endeavours possible.