Suchergebnisse

Space policy is about the plans and activities of political actors in Outer Space, their motives and strategies. Political actors are nation states, but also international organizations like the United Nations (UN) and the European Space Agency (ESA). The review of UN Space Law has shown that the framework is challenged by plans to start exploitation and settlements of celestial bodies, in particular Moon and Mars. An overview on space activities, where unmanned satellite and research probes are standard, is followed by a summary of policies and strategies of the leading actors (US, Europe, China, Russia, India and Japan) and a review of military and security issues in Outer Space: Anti-Satellite Weapons, Laser Weapons and Satellite Hacking were identified as key challenges. Environmental problems also exist in Space, in particular space debris and protection of lunar and Martian water reserves. A key problem are the long space travels. Nuclear space engines may appear in the 2020ies to solve these problems. Recent research has shown that the hurdles for microbial life in Outer Space and other planets may be lower than expected. There is a risk that human missions inadvertently create extraterrestrial microbe variants instead of discovering new life and may contaminate lunar and Martian water reserves. Low or no gravity (microgravity) was identified as largest biologic hurdle for long-term settlements and space travels.

"This paper aims to contribute both to the establishment of theoretical tools for describing and explaining the evolution of national space policy as well as to the empirical analysis of changing national and multinational security space capabilities in Europe. The theoretical framework proposed below rests on a differentiation of five ideal-type levels of state disposal of technology, indicating a state's position in the order of space powers. These levels of control are utilisation, participation, cooperation, autonomy, and monopoly. The relevance of these levels of control lies in the corresponding distribution of distinct costs (political, socioeconomic and symbolic) and their domestic and/or international repercussions. Variations in national investment and activity across military and dual-use space technologies are caused by three types of variables: 1) the availability and attractiveness of utilisation, participation and cooperation options, 2) the amount of political, socioeconomic, and symbolic costs and 3) the specific validation of these costs on behalf of political decision-makers, reflecting the specific cost sensitivity of a state. Based on this theoretical framework, it is possible to empirically answer a number of questions relating to increasing capacities of European space-faring nations, independent from external, particularly American sources." (author's abstract)

The Yearbook is a unique source of information on the year in space and an in-depth study of the main events and relevant trends in the various fields related to space policy. For that purpose, ten prominent researchers contribute articles to specific topics of particular relevance. In addition to those external contributions, the European Space Policy Institute provides a comprehensive analysis of the space sector and a unique compilation of important facts and figures, including a chronology, a review of the space activities in selected countries and a bibliography. All those elements make E