"Since the early 2000s, space has become an increasingly crowded and contested environment. The expanding number of countries and companies involved and the failure of international management mechanisms (rules, laws, and treaties) to keep up with the pace of the spread of space technology has raised the risks of conflict and stressed existing space resources, creating difficult problems in space traffic management, debris mitigation, radio-spectrum crowding, space situational awareness, and military security. This second edition will examine the current status of international competition in space, as well as the prospects for cooperation. It asks a central question: if all countries share an interest in maintaining safe access to space, why are we failing to address critical emerging problems, and what might be done about them? The book also examines the roots of current space management mechanisms, how they are being challenged, and what paths might exist toward enhanced space security in the future"--
Space has become increasingly crowded since the turn of the century, as a growing number of countries, companies, and even private citizens have begun operating satellites and become spacefarers. Crowded Orbits offers readers a valuable primer on space policy from an international perspective, examining technology, diplomacy, commerce, science, and military applications. This second edition is thoroughly updated to cover events of the decade following the books original publication in 2014, when the pace of the competition to exploit space has accelerated dramatically.
James Clay Moltz examines the ongoing tension between competition and cooperation in space, tracing the geopolitical and policy consequences of key developments. Drawing on decades of experience, he considers possible avenues for collaboration among the growing number of actors as well as the forces driving potential space-related conflicts. Moltz examines the challenges to existing treaties and other governance mechanisms that have struggled to keep up with the spread of technology. He provides policy recommendations to enhance international collaboration, further scientific exploration, and restrain harmful military activities. This edition features analysis of a range of topics, including the ongoing commercialization of space by SpaceX, Planet, and other start-up companies; new capabilities to monitor Earth from space; renewed tensions between the United States and rivals China and Russia in military activities; and emerging multinational competition on the Moon.
Crowded Orbits offers readers a valuable primer on space policy from an international perspective. This second edition is thoroughly updated to cover events of the decade following the books original publication in 2014.
