Is the Risk of Space Race Conflicts Increasing as More Players Enter?

CGTN Europe

Aarti Holla-Maini, Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), spoke to CGTN Europe. She emphasized the importance of space exploration for the benefit of all, noting that space technology has become integral to daily life. The UN’s goal is to ensure equitable access to space for developing countries and to help reduce the digital divide in satellite data access. Looking ahead to 2045, the aim is to provide universal access to satellite imagery and data, while maintaining space as a peaceful province for humankind.

Transcript

00:00The risk of space race conflicts increasing as more players enter the arena.

00:05The United Nations has five treaties geared at preventing such scenarios.

00:11Our correspondent Jen Cokeslake spoke to the director of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs, Space Exploration,

00:18about space exploration that benefits all.

00:21Principles of the UN Charter are fundamental to our work.

00:24Space is embedded in our daily lives in a way that most people don't understand.

00:31We cannot go from A to B without using our phones and our satellite navigation systems.

00:36We turn on the news, we watch the weather, we want to see, you know, decide what to wear today based on the weather.

00:43We want to see what's going on around the world.

00:45And all of these things are enabled by satellite and space technologies.

00:48Given that space is so embedded into our daily lives and will increasingly be so in the future,

00:55all the more reason for us to maintain space as a peaceful province for mankind.

01:02In 1945, 50 nations, including China, came together to lay the groundwork for the post-war international order.

01:09What lessons from that era are most relevant to us today?

01:12Back in 1945, you know, it was a very volatile period, and yet we were able to establish the United Nations.

01:21If we think of COPUS, the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space,

01:25that was established more than 10 years after the founding of the UN.

01:30And again, it was the beginning of the space race, as we call it.

01:34There were only two countries which were really going to space.

01:37They were adversaries, and yet they managed to agree on the creation of this committee.

01:43They managed to agree on the Outer Space Treaty and so on.

01:46When the UN was formed, there was only 50 countries who were members.

01:50It has grown.

01:51And why has it grown?

01:53I think it's because we've come to realize that there are global challenges that affect all countries,

01:58and all countries should firstly have a voice.

02:01But also big challenges require multiple partners and different solutions.

02:04What kind of programs are in place to make sure there's equitable access for countries in the developing world to access space?

02:11We partner with space agencies from Japan, from China.

02:15The China Manned Space Agency facilitates competitions whereby teams can bid to run experiments on the Chinese space station Tiangong.

02:24We have something called SPIDER, which is Space-Based Information for Disaster and Emergency Response.

02:29And we have actually three offices, one in Beijing, in China, which is supported by the Ministry of Emergency Management in China.

02:36And through this office, we facilitate access to satellite imagery and satellite data.

02:41And we train users across the AIPAC region on how to use it.

02:44So looking ahead 20 years to the centenary of the UN Charter in 2045,

02:49how do you ensure that space will remain open to all humanity?

02:53It is my hope that by 2045, we will be ensuring that there is no more digital divide,

03:01we will be ensuring that there is no more data divide,

03:04and that all the communities who need access to satellite imagery and data have access to it.

03:11Ardi Halamani, Director of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs, thank you so much for your time today.

03:16Thank you for having me.

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