Delegates in the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today voiced broad support for preserving outer space as a peaceful, secure and accessible domain for all countries, but differed on the best path to prevent its weaponization, with some favouring legally binding agreements and others prioritizing voluntary measures.
During today’s thematic debate on outer space, speakers highlighted a range of challenges facing space governance, including the growing militarization of space, the development of anti-satellite weapons and increasing geopolitical rivalry among major space Powers. Delegates also raised concerns about space debris, cyber threats, signal interference, the security implications of artificial intelligence (AI) and commercial space activities, and congestion caused by large satellite constellations.
Against this backdrop, several speakers, including those from Viet Nam, Indonesia, Thailand, Cuba, Brazil and Saudi Arabia, underscored the primacy of legally binding agreements, calling for a “universal, legally binding and multilaterally verifiable instrument” to prevent an arms race in outer space.
“The intentional creation of space debris through the deliberate destruction of space systems remains a major concern for Ghana, due to its ramifications on the future exploration and use of outer space,” underscored the country’s delegate. He supported substantive negotiations in the Conference on Disarmament on a legally binding, multilaterally verifiable instrument to prevent an arms race in outer space in all its aspects. “Transparency and confidence-building measures remain valuable complements to this objective but cannot substitute for legally binding obligations,” he said.
Several others, including Japan and the Republic of Korea, said advancing norms, rules and principles is the essential starting point for reducing space risks and offers a timelier approach. Several European countries, including Spain and Austria, supported responsible behaviour and practical measures as immediate priorities while not excluding future legally binding commitments.
The representative of the United Kingdom argued that a ban on the placement of weapons in outer space “cannot offer an effective solution", citing the difficulty of verification. Space objects are “distant”, travel at “high velocity” and can conceal payloads within their structures, he said, making it difficult to determine whether States are complying with their obligations. Countries could secretly deploy prohibited capabilities while others adhere to the rules, creating “asymmetric risks”. Therefore, he advocated non-legally binding norms, guidelines and confidence-building measures that can enhance transparency and predictability while reducing the likelihood of misunderstanding and unintended escalation.
Mutual Accusations among Major, Emerging Space Powers
The debate also featured mutual accusations among major and emerging space Powers, with several delegations exchanging criticism over military space activities, anti-satellite capabilities and responsibility for the growing weaponization of outer space.
The representative of the United States said that discussions should begin from the reality that “space has long been weaponized”, alleging that the Russian Federation and China have been “developing, testing and operationalizing weapons for years”.
“Just last weekend, Russia’s Ministry of Defense satellite COSMOS 2612 exhibited threatening behavior by intentionally maneuvering dangerously close to a commercial satellite,” he said, adding that these actions appear consistent with an on-orbit weapons operation and calling on Moscow to be transparent about the satellite’s activities. The proposals in some annual resolutions for legally binding instruments, supported by Moscow and Beijing, are unverifiable and hypocritical, he stressed, calling for their rejection. [Yesterday, the Russian Federation accused the United States over its “Golden Dome” project and preparations for military operations in space, while China criticized Washington, D.C., for treating space as a “war-fighting domain”, seeking “hegemony in outer space” and deploying “space control weapons”.]
Israel’s delegate alleged that Iran uses its “purportedly civilian space programme as a cover to advance military ambitions and develop its ballistic missile capabilities”, pointing to launches by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps using the Qaem-100 launch vehicle, which it said employs technology “essential for long-range ballistic missiles”.
The speaker for Iran, condemning the United States and the Israeli regime for their destructive policies and activities against his country, said they undermine the principles and objectives of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, threaten international peace and security and accelerate an arms race in outer space. He added that the Russian Federation-China draft treaty on the Prevention of the Placement of Weapons in Outer Space, the Threat or Use of Force against Outer Space Objects provides an important basis for negotiations.
Greece’s delegate reaffirmed that the five UN treaties on outer space, particularly the Outer Space Treaty, as well as relevant General Assembly principles, constitute the cornerstone of international space law. “Peace cannot be achieved without preventing an arms race in outer space,” he said, calling for a combination of legally binding and non-legally binding tools based on capabilities and behaviours. He also recalled that 38 Member States, including his, have committed themselves not to conduct destructive direct-ascent anti-satellite missile tests and encouraged all States to make the same commitment.
Beyond these exchanges, the Committee heard national experiences highlighting the benefits of peaceful space activities and contributions to the peaceful uses of outer space.
The representative of Armenia said his country plans to establish a distributed network of ground stations that could serve national needs while supporting international space missions and growing global demand for satellite data and services. “In 2022, Armenia launched its first satellite, developed with European technology and launched into orbit by SpaceX,” he noted, adding that, one year later, the first Armenian satellite was fully assembled and tested by Armenian specialists. “We support the peaceful use of outer space and firmly believe that it must remain a domain of peace, cooperation and scientific progress,” he stated.
Delegations Conducted Four Clusters of Discussion in Working Group
At the outset of today’s meeting, Carlos Mario Foradori (Argentina), Chair of the Open-Ended Working Group on the prevention of an arms race in outer space in all its aspects, struck a cautiously optimistic note, observing: “At a time when suspicion is often easier than understanding and confrontation is sometimes louder than reason, the willingness to remain at the same table is itself a precious achievement.”
He reported that the Working Group organized its discussions around four themes: preventing damage to space systems and the threat or use of force in outer space; protecting critical civilian and humanitarian space-based services and related infrastructure; preventing the placement of weapons in outer space while examining operational and technological self-restraint measures; and promoting the safe operation of space objects, including rendezvous and proximity operations and unauthorized interference.
While acknowledging persistent differences among States, he stressed that “the absence of immediate agreement” should not be confused “with the absence of progress”, pointing to the Working Group’s efforts to identify practical measures that could strengthen trust, security and stability in outer space.