Throughout humanity's advancement, space has evolved from an unattainable frontier into a vital pillar sustaining modern society. As a new domain of human endeavor, it now underpins critical global infrastructure—powering communications, enabling precision navigation and facilitating climate monitoring, making its security indispensable to both national interests and societal progress.

With the exponential growth of space activities, the imperative of space security has come to the forefront, carrying profound implications for humanity's shared future. This issue transcends national boundaries, impacting not only the strategic interests of individual nations but also global peace and stability.

Peaceful use or arms race?

The militarization of space has become a major challenge in the current international security arena. The concept can be traced back as far as the Cold War period, when the U.S. and the Soviet Union escalated the space race, from satellite launches to manned spaceflight to the establishment of military communications networks and navigation systems, all in a bid for strategic dominance beyond Earth's atmosphere. To limit the weaponization of space and preserve its peaceful use, the international community established key arms control agreements during this period, most notably the Outer Space Treaty.

In recent years, nations have accelerated the development of military capabilities in space. In 2019, the U.S. took the lead by establishing its Space Force and announced plans to deploy the Meadowlands anti-satellite system. In 2021, Russia conducted an anti-satellite missile test and began developing space-based laser weapons. In October 2024, France and Germany officially joined the U.S.-led "Operation Olympic Defender," an initiative designed to enhance deterrence through shared space situational awareness data.

Global government spending on space reached a record $135 billion in 2024, marking a 10-percent year-on-year increase. However, the framing of space as the "fourth battlefield" has sparked widespread international concern. The militarization of space threatens the safety of civilian assets, risking catastrophic disruptions to global communications, navigation and weather monitoring systems. Worse still, this trend could fuel miscalculations, trigger conflicts and undermine strategic stability—potentially igniting a new arms race and heightening geopolitical tensions. The strategic value of space in modern warfare was starkly illustrated during the 2022 Russia-Ukraine conflict, where satellites emerged as indispensable military assets.

To address these challenges, the international community must urgently reaffirm the principle of peaceful space utilization. Experts widely agree that nations should work within the UN framework to establish a comprehensive set of space conduct norms and arms control agreements through multilateral negotiations.

China has consistently opposed the militarization and weaponization of space, steadfastly upholding principles of equality, mutual benefit and peaceful exploration. By actively promoting international collaboration, from joint scientific missions to technology sharing, China demonstrates its commitment to transforming space into a domain of shared prosperity rather than confrontation.

Space resources

The inherent scarcity and strategic value of space resources have positioned them as a focal point of international competition. At the heart of this contest lie two critical assets: geostationary orbital (GEO) slots and spectrum resource allocation. With only approximately 1,800 usable GEO slots available, current occupation rates suggest complete saturation within decades. This finite supply directly conflicts with nations' growing space ambitions, creating a pressing dilemma: The existing "first-come, first-served" allocation paradigm risks institutionalizing inequitable distribution.

The race to claim mineral rights on Moon and asteroids is gaining momentum, presenting both unprecedented opportunities and complex legal dilemmas. Lunar regolith contains helium-3, an ideal fuel for nuclear fusion. Meanwhile, certain asteroids hold concentrations of precious metals—including iridium, platinum and nickel—that dwarf terrestrial deposits by several orders of magnitude.

Major spacefaring nations like the U.S., Russia and China have already initiated lunar resource programs, while private enterprises are pouring billions into space mining research. However, the current legal framework, particularly regarding property rights for extracted resources, remains hotly contested. Without clear regulations, the scramble for off-world minerals risks descending into a modern "tragedy of the cosmic commons."

The exploitation of space resources demands massive investments and cutting-edge technological capabilities, making international collaboration the most viable and desirable path toward sustainable development. However, the specter of zero-sum competition looms large, as some nations pursue unilateral actions or exclusive partnerships to stake their claims. Such unilateral measures not only erode the spirit of international cooperation but also risk triggering uncontrolled resource extraction and irreversible depletion of celestial assets.

The exploration and utilization of space resources represent a shared undertaking for all humankind—one that demands coordinated international efforts. To address the challenges of resource competition, the global community must establish equitable and rational allocation mechanisms.

Space debris

Space debris has emerged as one of the most pressing threats to orbital safety in the space age. As human space activities continue to increase, the amount of space debris is growing rapidly. Current estimates reveal a staggering 128 million debris fragments larger than a centimeter in Earth's orbit, including approximately 34,000 hazardous objects exceeding 10 centimeters in diameter.

The consequences are increasingly dire: Satellites now experience about 1,000 close encounters with debris annually, with collision risks rising each year. Even centimeter-sized fragments carry enough kinetic energy to cripple spacecraft. Perhaps most alarmingly, debris collisions triggering the Kessler Syndrome—a cascading chain reaction of impacts that could render entire orbits completely unusable.

Current space debris removal technologies remain in experimental phases, primarily divided into two categories: active removal and passive mitigation. Active debris removal employs innovative methods such as robotic arm capture, laser ablation, and towed deorbiting, like the European Space Agency's "e.Deorbit" and Japan's "ELSA-d." Passive mitigation focuses on prevention, requiring satellites to perform end-of-life deorbiting maneuvers and promoting the use of biodegradable materials in spacecraft construction.

While these technological advances offer promising solutions, formidable challenges remain. The sheer volume of existing debris—combined with exorbitant cleanup costs and lengthy development cycles—makes current solutions inadequate against the escalating crisis. Debris removal technology could face challenges given the possible military applications. This dual-use nature of this technology may face controversy over potential weaponization, thus exacerbating the international space security game.

In the realm of space debris governance, the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee's Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines and the Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space provide technical and operational recommendations for nations to mitigate orbital debris. However, the current governance framework faces precarious obstacles: The non-binding nature of these guidelines, insufficient regulation of private entities, ambiguous allocation of cleanup responsibilities and the absence of a unified international coordination body.

The international community must team up to strengthen the legal framework for space debris governance, clarifying national responsibilities and establishing a unified space traffic management system.

Ensuring the safety and sustainability of space is not only humanity's collective duty but also a cornerstone for achieving global sustainable development. As a responsible major power, China remains steadfast in its commitment to the peaceful use of outer space and actively engages in international space governance.

From the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System to the Tiangong space station, from lunar exploration to Mars missions, China has consistently contributed to humanity's space endeavors through concrete actions.

Looking ahead, China will continue to work with other countries to guard this borderless common frontier, leaving behind a peaceful and prosperous sea of stars for future generations. BR

Xiao Junyong is executive director of the Center for Science, Technology and Human Rights at the Beijing Institute of Technology; Fu Xing is a research associate at the center

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon

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