Outer Space Treaty inadequate in regulation of number of satellites, says India's Permanent Representative to Conference on Disarmament

ANI April 12, 2025 202 views

India's Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament, Anupam Ray, has raised critical concerns about the outdated Outer Space Treaty. The 1967 agreement, originally designed for military space applications, now struggles to manage the explosive growth of civilian satellite technologies. Ray highlighted the dramatic increase in space objects from 400 to 30,000, emphasizing the urgent need for a comprehensive regulatory framework. The treaty's limitations are increasingly evident as space technology becomes more accessible and complex.

"The cost of space launch has come down by 90%. Satellites today are small satellites, and you have constellations" - Anupam Ray
New Delhi, April 12: Anupam Ray, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to the Conference on Disarmament while speaking at the 9th Carnegie Global Tech Summit on the theme, 'Guardians of Galaxy: Space Security Norms and Partnerships', said that the Outer Space Treaty (OST) is a peculiar one.

Key Points

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India critiques 1967 Outer Space Treaty's obsolescence

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Space objects increased from 400 to 30,000 since treaty's inception

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Regulatory framework struggles with civilian space use

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Military origins limit current treaty's effectiveness

Ray explained that today, after the civilian use of space emerged, the OST faces challenges in the regulatory domain.

"The cost of space launch has come down by 90%. Satellites today are small satellites, and you have constellations," he said.

"It creates a regulatory challenge that the OST is inadequate to tackle. Since the origins of the space stations, even the Indian one, are essentially military in nature. So, the OST is a peculiar treaty. When it came up in 1967, 14 of its provisions of its 17 articles are more or less drawn from the Antarctica Treaty. And rest of them have some WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) obligations," he added.

He said that the regulatory conversation on space is an old one, but it was limited to military use of space only. Today, the OST has been inefficient in controlling space debris as the number of satellites in space has increased.

"The regulatory conversation on space at the international level is an old one. At the current moment, the only regulatory framework is a cluster of treaties and understandings built around something called the outer space treaty, which was negotiated in 1967," he said.

Ray added that in 1967, when the OST was conceived, there were about 400 objects in space, and today, that number has sharply risen to 30,000.

"In 1967, there were 400 objects in space. This was about 7-8 years after Sputnik, and the entire use of space was for military purposes. Civilian use of space only came later. Today, we have 30,000 objects in space. Any number of space junk, lots of debris, the number of space launches is at an unprecedented high," he said.

Reader Comments

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Priya K.
This is such an important discussion! With SpaceX and others launching thousands of satellites, we really need updated space regulations. The 1967 treaty wasn't designed for today's commercial space race. 🚀
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Rahul S.
Interesting perspective from the Indian ambassador. I didn't realize the Outer Space Treaty was based so heavily on the Antarctica Treaty. Makes sense why it's struggling with modern space challenges.
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Amit P.
While I agree the treaty needs updating, I think Ambassador Ray overstates the military origins angle. Many space stations today have purely scientific purposes. The debris issue is the real problem we should focus on.
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Sunita M.
From 400 objects to 30,000 in just a few decades! 😳 We're turning space into a junkyard. Countries and companies need to take responsibility for their space debris before it's too late.
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Vikram J.
Great to see India taking leadership on this issue. As a space-faring nation, we have valuable experience to contribute to these international discussions.
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Neha R.
The comparison between 1967 and today really puts things in perspective. We need new rules that balance innovation with responsibility. Maybe we should look at how we regulate oceans and airspace for inspiration?

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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Tags:
Outer Space Treaty Space Regulation Anupam Ray India Diplomacy Satellite Technology UN Conference on Disarmament
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