The U.S. and International Cooperation on Space

The United States has a long tradition of cooperating with the international community on matters related to outer space. The most obvious cases are those involving high-profile space missions, like the U.S.-Soviet Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) of 1975 or the on-going International Space Sta­tion (ISS). With the bipolar superpower world ending in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the proliferation of key space related technologies worldwide, and an ever-growing list of global space powers and users, the situation has become much more complex for the U.S.

Global Space Policy-Making

  • The United States has been involved with global space policy-making since 1964 when U.S.-based-company COMSAT was instrumental in the es­tablishment of the International Telecommunications Satellite Consortium (INTELSAT), now a private entity.
  • The United States, along with the Soviet Union, was also a major author of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty and subse­quent treaties, which set the foundation for current international space law.

New Era for International Cooperation-New ApproachesUN Assembly

  • The era of entering outer space is coming to a close, and a new era char­acterized by a more sophisticated utilization of outer space is emerging.
  • This means working at the international level on developing effective and efficient systems of governance that would address mitigation and removal of orbital debris, filling the need for international civil SSA, and the preven­tion of a space arms race that could lead to destructive activities in orbit.
  • Given nearly six decades of practical experience in space technology and policy, the United States will continue to play a key role in this new era of space utilization.
  • It can pursue, however, a stronger leadership stance by highlighting the need for cooperative space governance among inter­national partners and by welcoming all to the table. Failure to cooperate internationally on matters related to space sustainability can lead to uncer­tainty, misunderstandings, and even conflict.
  • A broad-based cooperative approach, informed by better intelligence, can be pursued in an effort to defuse troubling trends that could ultimately prevent everyone from using space in a safe, secure and sustainable man­ner.
  • Effective space governance, including voluntary protocols and/or a code of conduct, is in everyone's best interest.