Space traffic management is defined by the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) as "the set of technical and regulatory provisions for promoting safe access into outer space, operations in outer space and return from outer space to Earth free from physical or radio-frequency interference." [1]
Space traffic includes launch vehicles, as well as orbiting objects such as satellites of all sizes and the International Space Station. Space debris risk mitigation is major concern, due to the fact that collision with space debris can destroy vehicles and other space assets. [2]
Policy making can be performed on a different scales on a national level and on an international level, to establish international cooperation that will coordinate the activities of all nations to avoid collision, space debris, and the loss of space assets and services. The United Nations bureau most concerned with space traffic management is the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA).
In 2007 the resolution A/RES/62/101 about the Recommendations on enhancing the practice of States and international intergovernmental organizations in registering space objects [3] was released by United Nations. Furthermore resources and reference Material was released for States & Organizations to register space objects [4] provided the initial results of discussions and raise international awareness about an international cooperation for space traffic management. Space traffic management can be regarded as part of international space law. [5]
In the United States, President Donald Trump signed Space Policy Directive-3 on 18 June 2018, which defined Space Traffic Management (STM) as "the planning, coordination, and on-orbit synchronization of activities to enhance the safety, stability, and sustainability of operations in the space environment. [6]
Bringing objects into outer space and provide a specific service for earth observation, communication or any other scientific, commercial or military application is not only about technical and domain specific problem solving. Space Diplomacy is involved if specific international negotiations are involved to represent national interests in an international Space Traffic Management. E.g the Global Positioning System (GPS) as a satellite-based infrastructure developed by the U.S. Department of Defense provides the globally available signal for navigation for civilian users and additional encrypted services of U.S. and allied military forces. The European Union (EU) decided to provide an alternative to GPS by building "Galileo" as an independent European satellite navigation system. Space diplomacy is relevant to deal with conflicting national interest and identify international regulations that assure security, efficiency and cooperation for space activities in a sustainable way.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) is a private university focused on aviation and aerospace programs. Founded at Lunken Field in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1926, its main campuses are located in Daytona Beach, Florida, and Prescott, Arizona. It is the largest accredited university system specializing in aviation and aerospace. It has numerous online programs and academic programs offered at satellite locations.
Space law is the body of law governing space-related activities, encompassing both international and domestic agreements, rules, and principles. Parameters of space law include space exploration, liability for damage, weapons use, rescue efforts, environmental preservation, information sharing, new technologies, and ethics. Other fields of law, such as administrative law, intellectual property law, arms control law, insurance law, environmental law, criminal law, and commercial law, are also integrated within space law.
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) is an office of the U.N. Secretariat that promotes and facilitates peaceful international cooperation in outer space. It works to establish or strengthen the legal and regulatory frameworks for space activities, and assists developing countries in using space science and technology for sustainable socioeconomic development.
The Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), in support of the United Nations Program on Space Applications, is a non-governmental organization and professional network, whose goal is to convey the perspectives of students and young space professionals to the United Nations (UN), space industry, space agencies, and academia.
The United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) is a United Nations committee whose main task is to review and foster international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space, as well as to consider legal issues arising from the exploration of outer space.
The International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) is a Paris-based non-government association for the field of astronautics. It was founded in Stockholm, Sweden) on August 16, 1960, by Dr. Theodore von Kármán. It was recognised by the United Nations in 1996.
Space advertising is the practice of advertising in space. This is usually done with product placements during crewed space missions.
The International Designator, also known as COSPAR ID, is an international identifier assigned to artificial objects in space. It consists of the launch year, a three-digit incrementing launch number of that year and up to a three-letter code representing the sequential identifier of a piece in a launch. In TLE format the first two digits of the year and the dash are dropped.
The Romanian Space Agency is a public institution that coordinates Romania's national space technology. ROSA, established in 1991, is subordinate to the Romanian Ministry of Education.
The Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects, also known as the Space Liability Convention, is a treaty from 1972 that expands on the liability rules created in the Outer Space Treaty of 1967. In 1978, the crash of the nuclear-powered Soviet satellite Kosmos 954 in Canadian territory led to the only claim filed under the convention.
Space policy is the political decision-making process for, and application of, public policy of a state regarding spaceflight and uses of outer space, both for civilian and military purposes. International treaties, such as the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, attempt to maximize the peaceful uses of space and restrict the militarization of space.
The Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1974 and went into force in 1976. As of February 2022, it has been ratified by 72 states.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott is a residential campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona. The university offers bachelor of science degrees in applied science, aviation, business, computers & technology, engineering, security, intelligence & safety, and space. The Prescott campus also offers master's degrees in Safety Science, Security & Intelligence, and Cyber Intelligence & Security.
UN-SPIDER is a platform which facilitates the use of space-based technologies for disaster management and emergency response. It is a programme under the auspices of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA).
The space policy of the United States includes both the making of space policy through the legislative process, and the implementation of that policy in the United States' civilian and military space programs through regulatory agencies. The early history of United States space policy is linked to the US–Soviet Space Race of the 1960s, which gave way to the Space Shuttle program. At the moment, the US space policy is aimed at the exploration of the Moon and the subsequent colonization of Mars.
Simonetta Di Pippo is an Italian astrophysicist and former Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA). She holds a Master’s Degree in Astrophysics and Space Physics from University "La Sapienza", and an Honoris Causa Degree in Environmental Studies, and an Honoris Causa Degree of Doctor in International Affairs. In 2008, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) named asteroid 21887 "dipippo" in honour of her contribution to space activities and in 2006, she was knighted by the President of the Italian Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.
The space policy of the Donald Trump administration, as of December 2020, comprises six Space Policy Directives and an announced "National Space Strategy", representing a directional shift from the policy priorities and goals of his predecessor, Barack Obama. A National Space Policy was issued on December 9, 2020.
Moriba Kemessia Jah CorrFRSE is an American space scientist and aerospace engineer who describes himself as a "space environmentalist". He specializes in orbit determination and prediction, especially as related to space situational awareness and space traffic monitoring. He is currently a full professor of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at the University of Texas at Austin, a position he attained in 2024, and a National Geographic Explorer. Jah has co-founded Privateer Space x Orbital Insight, GaiaVerse, and Moriba Jah Universal. His work now broadly focuses on decision intelligence to improve the stewardship of the planet and beyond.
Space sustainability aims to maintain the safety and health of the space environment, as well as planetary environments.
Space diplomacy refers to the integration of the collaboration of the knowledge, technology, and legislation involved in science diplomacy as applied to the expanded exploration of space. As diplomatic relationships are integral to the mitigation of various health, scientific, natural or technological issues across nations, space diplomacy is a growing field in which various nations can come to a consensus on what is fair when it comes to the exploration and commercialization of space travel.