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Introduction Dubai International Academy Model United Nations 2020| 12th Annual Session Forum: United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development Issue: Developing a framework to ensure equality in the exploration of outer space Student Officer: Jai Mansukhani Position: Deputy Chair Introduction The United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development (UNCSTD) is a subsidiary body of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Space law is a newly introduced branch of international law initially elaborated under the auspices of the United Nations since the 1960s. Space law revolves around the development of space technology and human space activity; therefore, it is still young and bound to undergo constant evolution. To ensure International cooperation between nations present, an outer space law needed to be established. The current space law consists of five international treaties. It is also complemented by relevant UN GA resolutions, regional or bilateral treaties and customary international law, as well as legislations and practices of States and intergovernmental organizations as subsidiary means for the determination of rules of space law. The five treaties deal with issues revolving non appropriation of outer space by any one country, control of arms, the freedom of exploration, liability in regard to any damage caused by space objects, safety or rescue of astronauts, and the prevention of harmful space activities. Each of these treaties emphasize on the regulation of harmful weapons being used in outer space as they damage the environment around them. The activities carried out in outer space and whatever benefits might be accrued from outer space should be devoted to enhancing the well-being of all countries and humankind. Strict laws governing the use of weapons of mass destruction are highlighted by the space law, as it states that the use of any of these weapons are strictly prohibited. This treaty also mentions that no celestial body [including the moon] can be owned or declared as territory of any nation and can only be used for peaceful purposes. This means that national appropriation is not in order for any celestial body and nations can use celestial bodies only for peaceful purposes. Violations of this could range from using planets as a military base or harvesting the moon for resources to make weapons. Research Report | Page 1 of 12 Dubai International Academy Model United Nations 2020| 12th Annual Session There is considerable cooperation between different countries involved in space exploration. An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the ISS. The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. As of now 104 nations have become parties to the Outer Space treaty since it was signed and enacted in 1967. Definition of Key Terms Anti-satellite weapons (ASAT) Space deployed ASAT’s are the types of weaponry that are not allowed to be tested or proliferated according to the PAROS treaty. These weapons are deployed in outer space and have anti-satellite capabilities. COPUOS The United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space was established in 1959 to govern the exploration and use of space for the benefit of all humanity: for peace, security and development. International Space Station (ISS) The International Space Station is a space station that orbits lower parts of the earths atmosphere. The ISS serves as a space environment research laboratory in which members can conduct experiments in biology, physics, astronomy, meteorology, and other fields. The program known as the ISS program is a joint project between 5 space agencies: NASA, Roscosmos, JAXA, ESA, and CSA. Liability convention The liability convention elaborates on article 7 of the Outer Space Treaty. This article further specifies that a launching state will be liable to pay compensation for damage caused by its space objects on the surface of the earth or to aircraft, and liable for damage due any faults in space. Moon agreement The agreement elaborates on many provisions of the Outer Space Treaty as applied to the moon and other celestial bodies, providing that those bodies should be used exclusively for peaceful purposes. It is of great importance that the United Nations is aware of the location and purpose of any station established on those bodies. In addition, the Agreement provides that the Moon and its natural resources are the common heritage of mankind and that an international regime should be established to govern the exploitation of such resources when such exploitation is about to become feasible. Research Report | Page 2 of 12 Dubai International Academy Model United Nations 2020| 12th Annual Session Outer space treaty The Outer Space Treaty represents the basic framework of the international space law. The main objective of the Outer Space Treaty was to eradicate the stationing of weapons of mass destruction in outer space. The treaty also covered legally binding rules governing the peaceful exploration and use of space. PAROS Preventing an Arms Race in Outer Space. A UN resolution that prohibits the weaponization of outer space. Rescue agreement The agreement elaborates on articles 5 and 8 of the Outer Space Treaty, starting that all states shall take all possible steps necessary to rescue and assist astronauts in distress and promptly returning them to the launching state. Space law Space law is the law constructed to govern any space related activities, encompassing both international and domestic agreements, rules, and principles. Space law covers key areas involving space exploration, weapons use, rescue efforts, new technologies, and environmental preservation. Space law is composed of several fields of law such as: administrative law, intellectual property law, arms control law, insurance law, environmental law, criminal law, and commercial law. Weapons of mass destruction (WMD) A weapon of mass destruction is any weapon with the capacity to inflict massive scale damage to humans and their surroundings. Modern weapons of mass destruction are either nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons—frequently referred to collectively as NBC weapons. As stated in the outer space treaty the use of WMDs in space are strictly prohibited in order to keep in compliance with the environmental preservation law. The law also prohibits the testing of any weapons on the moon or celestial bodies. Key Issues Lack of Legislation Because the upper atmosphere and outer space fall outside of the geographic boundaries of nations, there is a lack of legislation governing the actions of individuals and corporations in these regions. As newly established entrepreneurial companies seek to privatize outer space and exploit new resources and new planets, some worry that existing structures of class and racial inequality will be repeated or even intensified with space colonization. Research Report | Page 3 of 12 Dubai International Academy Model United Nations 2020| 12th Annual Session Many private firms and companies such as SpaceX and Virgin Galactic have enough funds to explore space without government support. In the absence of concrete legislation, this means that these companies are independent of any nation, so they do not have to abide by the Outer Space Treaty or the PAROS resolution. This would allow the unchecked exploitation of resources discovered in space and could exacerbate economic inequality. Furthermore, nations cannot take sizeable legal action since there is no legislation governing the actions of private citizens and corporations in outer space. Thus, the lack of a legislative body for outer space is a significant obstacle to ensuring Technical Challenges Problems with space mining include the high cost of spaceflight, unreliable identification of asteroids suitable for mining, and ore extraction challenges. Thus, terrestrial mining remains the only means of raw mineral acquisition used today. If funding for space programs by ,either public or private corporations for dramatically increases, this situation may change as resources available to use on earth are becoming increasingly scarce in comparison to the total demand of the population. compared to demand and the full potentials of asteroid mining—and space exploration in general—are researched in greater detail. Astronauts need to go through intensive training courses to prepare them for asteroid mining, this is due to the reason that asteroids have vanishingly small gravitational fields. Caution must be taken when surrounded by asteroids as the force of an explosion could conceivably cause a catastrophic fragmentation of the entire body. As of now there are 500,000 pieces of space debris are currently in orbit going at speeds up to 17,500 miles per hour or 28163.52 kilometres per hour. At this speed a tiny piece of dry paint can create a quarter inch crack in the window of the ISS These pieces of space debris can cause serious issues to spacecrafts and satellites on impact and can even destroy them completely, claiming lives. Radiation levels Exposure to high levels of radiation during space exploration is extremely dangerous, increasing cancer risk as well as damaging the central nervous system. The space station sits on the brim of the earths magnetic field, allowing astronauts to experience lower levels or radiation in comparisons to those levels experienced in deep space. To mitigate this hazard, deep space vehicles will have significant protective shielding,
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