Space Policy最新文献

Sustainability theory building through European space policy – the analysis of sustainable development in the European space sector leading to the concept of political sustainability 通过欧洲空间政策建立可持续性理论-分析欧洲空间部门的可持续发展，从而产生政治可持续性概念

IF 1.9 4区社会学

Space Policy Pub Date : 2026-02-01 Epub Date: 2025-10-06 DOI: 10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101721

Thomas Hoerber

引用次数: 0

Planetary defense in the 21st century: Revitalizing policy and international collaboration 21世纪的地球防御：振兴政策和国际合作

IF 1.9 4区社会学

Space Policy Pub Date : 2026-02-01 Epub Date: 2025-10-11 DOI: 10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101726

Adam P. Wilmer , Robert A. Bettinger , Marcus J. Holzinger

{"title":"Planetary defense in the 21st century: Revitalizing policy and international collaboration","authors":"Adam P. Wilmer , Robert A. Bettinger , Marcus J. Holzinger","doi":"10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101726","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101726","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mounting awareness of the catastrophic potential of Near-Earth Object (NEO) impacts has intensified the call for a unified, internationally recognized planetary defense framework to protect both Earth and the future of human space activity. This study first provides a mapping of current international and national planetary defense agencies and doctrine. The focus is then placed in examining these existing international laws, policies, and governance related to planetary defense operations, specifically with respect to NEO detection and tracking (NEO D&T) and NEO mitigation. The discussion pays particular attention to the ambiguities in the law, the limitations of current behavioral norms, and the tense geopolitical situations that can complicate the global effectiveness of planetary defense. Overall, this study emphasizes the underdevelopment and ambiguities in current space law and policy with respect to planetary defense, highlighting the need for further development and clarification of existing norms. The complexities and multi-national scope of accomplishing effective planetary defense are explained in detail to suggest and ultimately conclude that international collaboration is required to effectively perform planetary defense. This study contributes to the limited research on planetary defense policy by offering recommendations for legal frameworks and approaches to enhancing collaboration among space actors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45924,"journal":{"name":"Space Policy","volume":"75 ","pages":"Article 101726"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147417806","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Space policy and industrial development in middle powers: Malaysia and Turkey in comparative perspective 中等强国的空间政策与工业发展：比较视角下的马来西亚与土耳其

IF 1.9 4区社会学

Space Policy Pub Date : 2026-02-01 Epub Date: 2025-09-30 DOI: 10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101723

Fulya Apaydin

{"title":"Space policy and industrial development in middle powers: Malaysia and Turkey in comparative perspective","authors":"Fulya Apaydin","doi":"10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101723","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101723","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In recent years, several countries from Argentina to Turkey to Malaysia have significantly increased their investments in national space agencies as part of their industrial development program. Smaller and more efficient satellite designs, coupled with the availability of commercial off-the-shelf components, have reduced the barriers to entry for countries with limited resources and empowered new players to embark on space missions that were once deemed prohibitively expensive. This shift represents a critical change in space exploration and utilization, as space technology has become integral to communication, scientific research, and national security. At the same time, the motivations that inform policymaking vary depending on the political priorities of the governments across these regions. Building on the divergent experiences of two middle powers classified in the upper-middle income group—Turkey and Malaysia—this paper problematizes how the political landscape influences the priorities assigned to space programs in countries that are integrated into critical markets controlled by a global hegemon on unequal terms. In these contexts, the official policy to expand the informational capacity of the state beyond the national borders was shaped by two distinct dynamics. In Turkey, frequent economic crises and security concerns have influenced the direction of the country's space program with a greater focus on military applications rather than neo-developmental goals. By contrast, in Malaysia, the establishment of the Malaysian Space Agency (MYSA) in 2002 emerged out of a concern for utilizing space technology for socio-economic development around Malaysian industrial policy that prioritized high-value-added exports for growth.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45924,"journal":{"name":"Space Policy","volume":"75 ","pages":"Article 101723"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147418407","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Towards a generalized framework for planetary communication 建立一个通用的行星通信框架

IF 1.9 4区社会学

Space Policy Pub Date : 2026-02-01 Epub Date: 2025-07-26 DOI: 10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101711

Anamaria Berea , Karen S. Lewis , Bettina Beinhoff , Arik Kershenbaum , Eng Sengsavang , Nick Searra

引用次数: 0

Governing space traffic: bureaucracy, politics, and orbital debris 管理太空交通：官僚主义、政治和轨道碎片

IF 1.9 4区社会学

Space Policy Pub Date : 2026-02-01 Epub Date: 2025-10-18 DOI: 10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101725

W. Henry Lambright

{"title":"Governing space traffic: bureaucracy, politics, and orbital debris","authors":"W. Henry Lambright","doi":"10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101725","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101725","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>It has become increasingly apparent that the United States and the world have moved into a second space age with far more countries and industries active in Earth orbit. The result has been a growing problem of space traffic management and orbital debris (STM/OD), a leading edge of space sustainability. The governmental response has been slow and uneven, creating a gap between problem and solutions. To the extent there has been any significant policy response in the U.S., it has been at the bureaucratic (i.e., agency) level of government. Certain agencies have extended their existing missions to cope with an issue of STM/OD new to them. This article examines the responses of NASA, the Department of Defense, Federal Communications Commission, Federal Aviation Administration, and Department of Commerce. The result has been some progress in various aspects of policy, such as research, warning, active debris removal, and regulation, but also continuing uncertainty over who does what, why, and how to cope with this worsening problem. The history of this bureaucratic response is traced and analyzed to explain how policy with respect to STM/OD has gotten to its present point, what factors have shaped it, and possible decision-making improvements.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45924,"journal":{"name":"Space Policy","volume":"75 ","pages":"Article 101725"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147417803","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Who speaks for extraterrestrial ecosystems?: Why ET should have standing 谁为外星生态系统说话？为什么外星人应该有地位

IF 1.9 4区社会学

Space Policy Pub Date : 2026-02-01 Epub Date: 2025-09-19 DOI: 10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101722

Emma Johanna Puranen , John Donovan , Marjan Ajevski

{"title":"Who speaks for extraterrestrial ecosystems?: Why ET should have standing","authors":"Emma Johanna Puranen , John Donovan , Marjan Ajevski","doi":"10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101722","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101722","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Christopher Stone's pioneering 1972 paper “Should Trees Have Standing?” proposed legal rights and standing for the environment under a guardianship model. In the decades since, the growing Rights of Nature movement has demonstrated the prescience of Stone's ideas. As humanity ventures into a new era of growing astrobiological research, and with increasing interest in commercial space development, the time is right to reimagine legal frameworks to acknowledge and safeguard the rights of extraterrestrial ecosystems. Building on Stone's argument, we propose that the legal system should recognise the interests of extraterrestrial life and its environments in line with his guardianship model. Several ways in which current law can be made to accommodate such recognition are suggested, for example through existing doctrines of international environmental law, including the ecosystems approach used in the Convention on Biodiversity. We examine the efficacy of the Rights of Nature movement and its role in promoting legal guardianship models to protect nature's interests, and call for engagement of environmental groups with key space governance bodies such as the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS) or the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR). We conclude that shifting the focus of current law and governance from an anthropocentric to an ecocentric perspective will allow non-human interests to gain voice in decision making, expanding Stone's circle of rights beyond Earth.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45924,"journal":{"name":"Space Policy","volume":"75 ","pages":"Article 101722"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147417808","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

The “Space Industry Strategic Plan 2030” and the future of Malaysia’s space sector: A review essay “2030年空间工业战略计划”与马来西亚空间部门的未来：一篇评论文章

IF 1.9 4区社会学

Space Policy Pub Date : 2026-02-01 Epub Date: 2025-09-19 DOI: 10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101714

Lai Leng Woo, Shahrizal Ide Moslin

{"title":"The “Space Industry Strategic Plan 2030” and the future of Malaysia’s space sector: A review essay","authors":"Lai Leng Woo, Shahrizal Ide Moslin","doi":"10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101714","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101714","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Malaysia’s space industry stands at a pivotal juncture as the nation seeks to reassert its role in the global space economy. This paper examines the evolution of Malaysia’s space sector, beginning with the launch of MEASAT-1 in 1996, and analyses its current performance, institutional landscape, and industry ecosystem. Despite the country making early progress with the launch of MEASAT-1 in 1996, development in the space sector has since slowed, especially in the upstream segment. This study adopts a qualitative methodology that incorporates stakeholder analysis, policy review, comparative benchmarking, and SWOT analysis to identify challenges, risks, and opportunities for Malaysia to develop an ecosystem that fosters technology innovation and entrepreneurship. Key limitations include the absence of continuity in space programs, a clear strategic roadmap, mechanisms for technology transfer, budgetary constraints, and insufficient skilled talent. To address these gaps, the Space Industry Strategic Plan 2030 (SISP2030) has been developed to guide the sector’s revitalisation. Anchored on four core pillars — Technology, Funding & Investment, Human Capital Development and Governance & Institutional Framework — SISP2030 presents a comprehensive roadmap for building a robust, competitive, and sustainable space industry. Some challenges in implementing the policy, such as the urgent need for strategic investment, strong political will, and sustained collaboration between government, academia, and industry, were also discussed. The paper concludes with a recommendation to establish strong policy implementation mechanisms to ensure the success of the strategy, which will position Malaysia as a significant player in the space domain by 2030.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45924,"journal":{"name":"Space Policy","volume":"75 ","pages":"Article 101714"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147418408","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Space science & the space economy 空间科学和空间经济

IF 1.9 4区社会学

Space Policy Pub Date : 2026-02-01 Epub Date: 2025-08-18 DOI: 10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101713

Fabrizio Fiore , Martin Elvis

{"title":"Space science & the space economy","authors":"Fabrizio Fiore , Martin Elvis","doi":"10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101713","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101713","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Will it be possible in the future to realize large, complex space missions dedicated to basic science like HST, Chandra and JWST? Or will their cost be too great? Today’s space scene is completely different from that of even five years ago, and certainly from that of the time when HST, Chandra and JWST were conceived and built. Space-related investments have grown exponentially in recent years, with a monetary investment exceeding half a trillion dollars per year since 2023. This boom is greatly aided by the rise of the so-called ‘new space’ economy driven by private commercial funding, which for the first time last year surpassed public investments in space. The establishment of a market logic to space activities results in more competition and a resulting dramatic cost and schedule reduction. Can space science take advantage of the benefits of the new space economy to reduce cost and development time and at the same time succeed in producing powerful missions in basic science? The prospects for Europe and the United States are considered here. We argue that this goal would be achievable if the scientific community could take advantage of the three pillars underlying the innovation of the new space economy: (1) technology innovation proceeding through both incremental innovation and disruptive innovation, (2) business innovation, through vertical integration, scale production, and service-oriented business model, and (3) cultural innovation, through openness to risk and iterative development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45924,"journal":{"name":"Space Policy","volume":"75 ","pages":"Article 101713"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147417804","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Israel’s public policy on space debris management: Between technological capacity and political will 以色列空间碎片管理公共政策：在技术能力和政治意愿之间

IF 1.9 4区社会学

Space Policy Pub Date : 2026-02-01 Epub Date: 2025-10-22 DOI: 10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101729

Erez Cohen

{"title":"Israel’s public policy on space debris management: Between technological capacity and political will","authors":"Erez Cohen","doi":"10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101729","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101729","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Environmental awareness has grown in recent decades, focusing on green energy, waste reduction, and pollution control. Yet, environmental policy must also extend to outer space, where space debris including defunct satellites, rocket parts, and fragments - poses a serious threat to satellites, space missions, and orbital sustainability. Addressing this growing challenge requires coordinated international policy efforts. Israel, despite being a small country, has developed a highly advanced space program that contributes to orbital debris through frequent satellite launches. Originally rooted in national security needs, Israel's space program has expanded into commercial and academic sectors, fostering international cooperation. However, each launch leaves debris behind. Israel's unique westward launch trajectory, designed for regional security, results in longer orbital persistence of debris. The absence of deorbiting systems on many satellites, coupled with occasional malfunctions, further contributes to the problem. This study examines Israel's public policy on space debris management and compares it to international practices in countries such as the United States, Japan, and the European Union. Relying on official documents from space agencies including NASA, the UN, and the Israel Space Agency, the analysis identifies a gap between Israel's technological capabilities and its limited regulatory approach. The findings suggest that while Israel excels technologically, it lacks a comprehensive regulatory framework for debris mitigation. The study recommends adopting stricter national regulations, advancing cleanup technologies, and enhancing international collaboration efforts crucial to ensuring the long-term sustainability of Israel's space activities and its contribution to global space governance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45924,"journal":{"name":"Space Policy","volume":"75 ","pages":"Article 101729"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147417809","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Addressing gaps in cislunar orbital debris mitigation governance frameworks via norms of behavior 通过制定行为准则，解决减缓地月轨道碎片治理框架中的差距

IF 1.9 4区社会学

Space Policy Pub Date : 2026-02-01 Epub Date: 2025-10-01 DOI: 10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101724

Arjun Chhabra , Amlan Sinha , Brian Weeden , Ryne Beeson

{"title":"Addressing gaps in cislunar orbital debris mitigation governance frameworks via norms of behavior","authors":"Arjun Chhabra , Amlan Sinha , Brian Weeden , Ryne Beeson","doi":"10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101724","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spacepol.2025.101724","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>With an expected increase in cislunar space activity over the coming years, the sustainable growth and maintenance of the cislunar orbital environment will require a coordinated focus towards orbital debris mitigation. However, the additional complexities of debris behavior and spacecraft operations under cislunar dynamics are not reflected in the existing space governance landscape. This paper analyzes the applicability of key international treaties and United States national policies towards the mitigation of orbital debris in the cislunar domain, and proposes leveraging the culture of implicit best practices in the space sector to address major governance gaps.</div><div>Our work delineates key gaps in coverage of the existing space governance framework, including the necessity of more specific technical standards for cislunar missions, changes to mission authorization regimes, and post-launch supervisory mechanisms. We find that flexible policy structures which can be quickly implemented and adapted to the changing cislunar environment are likely to be well-suited to addressing these gaps. We propose the use of norms of behavior, which are a form of self-governance that exist in many different industries and sectors, to begin addressing policy gaps implicitly before a surge of cislunar growth, with formal codification to follow. The role of debris risk considerations during the mission design process is highlighted, and the risks from more complex activities such as proximity operations are discussed. Pathways to minimize deviance from normalized behavior via incentive and deterrence strategies are additionally explored.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45924,"journal":{"name":"Space Policy","volume":"75 ","pages":"Article 101724"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147417807","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0