THE MILITARIZATION OF OUTER SPACE: LEGAL, ETHICAL AND STRATEGIC IMPLICATIONS OF COMMERCIAL INTERESTS

Harrison Mellor

As governments grow increasingly dependent on commercial space systems
for military advantage, private companies are thrust into an impossible bind:
either enable one side and risk being seen as a belligerent or deny access and
potentially alter the course of a war. This dilemma raises an important and
difficult question. When commercial assets become legitimate military targets, does attacking them constitute an act of war? Despite these pressing issues around commercial space assets, rules governing them are decades out of date. As private actors become operational gatekeepers in space warfare, a dangerous policy vacuum has emerged; no clear legal or institutional framework exists to guide their actions or assign responsibility. The line between commercial and military space has blurred.

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