Space governance in the new space era

Abstract

This paper presents a broad, holistic overview of our current space governance system, from the best practices and self-regulation developed by spacecraft operators and relevant industry associations, to the four core treaties of the United Nations, the consensus guidelines of the IADC and UN, the majority approved international standards of ISO and CCSDS, and finally national policy and regulatory governance. Descriptions and examples are provided of the relevant documents issued by each of these categories. The “virtuous cycle” nature of this overall inter-connected governance system is discussed.A relative comparison is provided for all the primary attributes codified in each of the above space governance documents, as pertaining to spacecraft safety of flight, space traffic coordination and management. The recent AIAA Space Traffic Management (STM) Task 3, capturing of global best practices relevant to safety of flight, is described and summarized. Within this context, the evolving United States regulatory framework is discussed.