War, law and outer space: pathways to reduce the human cost of military space operations

ICRC Humanitarian Law and Policy Blog · Aug 15, 2023 · 19m

Despite the long-term desire of the international community to explore and use outer space for peaceful purposes, space systems have been employed for military purposes since the dawn of the space era. As the role of these systems in military operations during armed conflicts increases, so too does the likelihood of their being targeted, with significant risk of harm to civilians and civilian objects on earth and in space. This is because technology enabled by space systems permeates most aspects of civilian life, making the potential consequences of attacks on space systems a matter of…