Space Traffic Management

The long-term sustainability of outer space activities has become more relevant than ever due to the ongoing transformation of the space sector. The Legal Subcommittee (LSC) of the United Nations (UN) Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) introduced in 2016 "Space Traffic Management" (STM) as a regular agenda item, thereby providing the opportunity for multilateral, equitable and inclusive deliberations and negotiations. This chapter presents the evolution and current status of STM by emphasizing the principle of international cooperation as a foundation for maintaining stability and ensuring the peaceful uses of outer space. It provides an overview of STM's national perspectives. This overview explains the underlying challenges for establishing STM and focuses on the effect of the emerging civil–military paradigm. Further, the chapter elaborates on how civil–military cooperation is treated on comparable traffic regimes: air traffic, maritime traffic and frequency spectrum.