Space cooperation is now in the balance

Even before the historic flight of Yuri Gagarin and Sputnik, space was an area of cooperation, as well as competition or conflict. This was so during the Cold War, and is also the case today.

Space has become a central issue of war and peace, international law, justice and international development, and cooperation between the world's leading states. It is home for hundreds of satellites, which ensure the functioning of critical Earth systems — such as telecommunications, television and the internet, GPS navigation and weather forecasts, climate change observation, military applications, and many more.

However, the conflict in Ukraine has shifted a number of trends, suggesting that the nature of cooperation in space is moving in a direction that could pose serious international security threats.