Space Diplomacy: from Apollo-Soyuz to nowdays
Diplomacy matters to outcomes in international relations and has always been carried out by States and for States in order to ensure a more peaceful scenario on Earth. However, international relations are affected by the influence of an ever-changing world dominated by new technologies and new spheres of human activity. Space is no exception to it.
The global space economy is now estimated to be nearly USD 450 billion in size and is projected to grow to over USD 1 trillion by the 2040s. This leads to the assumption that space diplomacy is vital to safeguard outer space through international collaboration and concrete frameworks. It brings together important players like the public sector, the private sector, experts and civil society and aims to create codes of conduct under the premise that space should be accessible and fair to all nations.
The most spectacular exercise of space diplomacy was the Apollo-Soyuz test program (Astp), the first collaboration between the USA and the Soviet Union, which brought, on July 17, 1975, the transfer of crews from one spacecraft to another. It showed the world that two enemy nations could also successfully collaborate on an extraordinary project.
Eighteen years had to pass for the beginning of a new collaboration, the Shuttle-Mir program, announced in 1993, prelude to the construction of the International Space Station (ISS), the first space project at the global level. Space diplomacy has recently taken on broader connotations than in the past, and has entered among the governmental strategies of the various countries. For the Italian government, for instance, space diplomacy is a priority, in order to ensure its active participation in the United Nations, ESA, the European Commission and joint programmes with NASA and other countries' space agencies.?
As of today, the most obvious manifestation of diplomacy in outer space activities is known as science space diplomacy, which, according to a 2010 Royal Society Report, occurs in three forms: diplomacy for science, where State actors coordinate to facilitate scientific endeavours; science in diplomacy, where States use scientists to inform foreign policy choices in war/peace; and science for diplomacy, where scientists facilitate relationship-building among States.
Scientific progress in space contributes to soft power, raising issues of technological innovation and commerce that secure the wealth of nations. Policies and outcomes often demonstrate a strong desire to tackle common challenges, such as building a new space station, creating a permanent presence on the Moon, taking humans to Mars, dealing with space debris, discovering medical breakthroughs. However, they can reflect concerns of national interest, such as building the capacity to protect and destroy satellites, guarding space intelligence and launching more powerful rockets.
A new UN law that is universally accepted and addresses global outer-space governance should be desirable. Space diplomacy, by nature, strengthens collaboration among nations and unites humans towards common goals. In other words, the future of human safety and success in space will depend on space diplomacy.