United Nations A/76/77 General Assembly Distr.: General 13 July 2021 Original: English Seventy-sixth session Item 99 (d) of the preliminary list* Prevention of an arms race in outer space Reducing space threats through norms, rules and principles of responsible behaviours Report of the Secretary-General Summary The present report provides a consolidated summary of elements from the submissions received from Member States pursuant to resolution 75/36, without prejudice to their individual positions. It presents existing and potential threats and security risks to space systems, including those arising from actions, activities or systems in outer space or on Earth; a characterization of actions and activities that could be considered responsible, irresponsible or threatening and their potential impact on international security; and ideas on the further development and implementation of norms, rules and principles of responsible behaviours and on the reduction of the risks of misunderstanding and miscalculations with respect to outer space. * A/76/50. 21-06344 (E) 210721 *2106344* A/76/77 Contents Page I. Introduction .................................................................. 4 II. Background .................................................................. 4 III. Existing and potential threats and security risks to space systems, including those arising from actions, activities or systems in outer space or on Earth .......................... 5 IV. Characterization of actions and activities that could be considered responsible, irresponsible or threatening and their potential impact on international security ....................... 8 V. Ideas on the further development and implementation of norms, rules and principles of responsible behaviours and on the reduction of the risks of misunderstanding and miscalculations with respect to outer space ......................................... 10 VI. Observations and conclusions of the Secretary-General ............................... 17 Annex Replies received .............................................................. 19 A. Governments ............................................................. 19 Australia ................................................................ 19 Brazil ................................................................... 20 Canada .................................................................. 24 China ................................................................... 28 Egypt ................................................................... 34 Finland .................................................................. 36 France .................................................................. 38 Germany ................................................................ 43 India .................................................................... 51 Iran (Islamic Republic of)................................................... 52 Ireland .................................................................. 53 Italy .................................................................... 55 Japan ................................................................... 55 Jordan .................................................................. 58 Luxembourg ............................................................. 60 Mexico .................................................................. 64 Netherlands .............................................................. 68 Norway ................................................................. 74 Republic of Korea ......................................................... 75 Russian Federation ........................................................ 78 Slovenia ................................................................. 83 Sweden ................................................................. 86 Switzerland .............................................................. 89 2/105 21-06344 A/76/77 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ........................... 92 United States of America ................................................... 95 B. European Union .......................................................... 102 21-06344 3/105 A/76/77 I. Introduction 1. In paragraph 5 of its resolution 75/36 on reducing space threats through norms, rules and principles of responsible behaviours, the General Assembly encouraged Member States to study existing and potential threats and security risks to space systems, including those arising from actions, activities or systems in outer space or on Earth, characterize actions and activities that could be considered responsible, irresponsible or threatening and their potential impact on international security, and share their ideas on the further development and implementation of norms, rules and principles of responsible behaviours and on the reduction of the risks of misunderstanding and miscalculations with respect to outer space. In paragraph 6 of the resolution, the Assembly requested the Secretary-General, within existing resources, to seek the views of Member States on the issues referred to in the foregoing paragraph and to submit a substantive report, with an annex containing those views, to the Assembly at its seventy-sixth session, for further discussion by Member States. The present report is submitted pursuant to that request. 2. On 5 January 2021, the Office for Disarmament Affairs sent a note verbale to all Member States drawing their attention to paragraphs 5 and 6 of the resolution and seeking their views on the matter. The views received by 3 May 2021 are reproduced in the annex to the present report. Views received after 3 May have been posted on the website of the Office in the original language received. Replies received from other entities and non-governmental organizations have also been posted on the website. 3. The Office for Disarmament Affairs and the Office for Outer Space Affairs convened a series of webinars on 17, 19 and 21 May 2021 to facilitate multilateral and multi-stakeholder dialogue on the issues identified in resolution 75/36. 4. Sections II to V of the present report provide a consolidated summary of elements from the submissions received from Member States, without prejudice to their individual positions. Section VI sets out the observations and conclusions of the Secretary-General. II. Background 5. Many States regard outer space as becoming increasingly congested, contested and competitive. Outer space is seen as becoming a new frontier of competition among major military powers. The space sector is also becoming increasingly commercialized, resulting in a rapid increase in the number and diversity of actors operating in outer space and the number of objects in orbit. It has been noted that, as more space objects are launched, the number of operational satellites and debris will grow, increasing the risk of a collision in space. Many space objects are regarded as potentially of dual use, raising new concerns for ensuring the security of space systems and efforts to prevent an arms race in outer space. 6. Space-based capabilities are seen as increasingly essential for the welfare of humankind. The benefits of these capabilities are applicable to all States. These benefits include achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, supporting agriculture and fisheries as well as environmental monitoring and disaster response, providing services in the areas of positioning, navigation and timing and in telecommunications, and supporting science and access to education. Accordingly, many States regard outer space as a global commons. Loss of access to these services would therefore have a serious impact on critical infrastructure. 4/105 21-06344 A/76/77 7. Many States emphasize the essential importance of outer space for national and international security. They note in particular that armed forces are increasingly reliant on space systems. These systems support many activities, functions and operations, such as intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, communications, command and control, maritime surveillance, border monitoring, search and rescue, disaster relief, early warning of missile launches and verification of arms control agreements. Particular emphasis is placed on the connection between space systems and nuclear weapons, including as elaborated further in the present report. It is observed that the growing military dependence is increasing the potential that a future armed conflict could extend into or be initiated in outer space. A distinction is made between the use of outer space to support military activities, functions and operations generally and the weaponization of outer space. III. Existing and potential threats and security risks to space systems, including those arising from actions, activities or systems in outer space or on Earth 8. A number of States define space systems as comprising three components: (a) the space segment, including satellites and launch vehicles; (b) the ground segment, including space monitoring systems and command and control, as well as data storage, processing and distribution; and (c) data links between the two, including uplinks and downlinks, as well as services provided to end users. The complexity of such systems was emphasized. 9. With respect to existing and potential threats and security risks, a distinction is drawn between natural hazards and human-origin threats and security risks. Natural hazards, which include solar storms and related