Our Objectives
- Engage with other civil society organizations to encourage the Canadian government to support policies that prevent the weaponization of space.
- Raise awareness of the challenges facing outer space security.
- Build support for a multilateral space security treaty or policy instrument as the basis of an effective regime for space activities.
Space Security Index
The Institute of Air and Space Law at McGill University, with support from the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University to develop and promote the Space Security Index—the annual, comprehensive and systematic assessment of international developments that have an impact on the security of outer space.
The objective of the Space Security Index is to facilitate dialogue on space security challenges and potential responses by providing a common knowledge base through its in order to support the development of national and international policies that contribute to the security and sustainability of outer space. The information provided by the Space Security Index can and has been used by its partner organizations for planning purposes in their efforts to establish space governance protocols, treaties and conventions that provide for the secure and peaceful use of space.
The hypotheses guiding the research are:
- The security of outer space is vital to both national and international security;
- Space security is best defined as the secure and sustainable access to and use of space, and freedom from space-based threats;
- The strategic space environment is rapidly changing and there are multiple threats to sustainable use and access for all;
- The different indicators of space security are interrelated. Protecting and advancing the security of this operational environment requires a comprehensive and integrated approach;
- There are competing visions of how to achieve space security that can only be bridged through informed dialogue based on a common understanding of space security and the availability of comprehensive data.
- Project Ploughshares staff will present the main findings of Space Security 2015 at various diplomatic missions, multilateral forums, academic institutions and international conferences.
Recent Posts on Space Security
At the breaking point: New report reveals weaknesses in outer space security
November 11, 2019Space activity is flourishing. In 2018, 71 countries owned satellites. Seventy-two national space agencies spent a combined $70 billion. Eleven new agencies were created or announced. Some of the 2,062 active satellites saved 2,700 lives. The satellite industry earned $277 billion, while startups secured $3 billion in private investment Key events included: The first launch of demonstration satellites for mega ...
Event: Conflicts in Space: Preventable or Unavoidable?
With input from a geographically diverse panel of distinguished experts, this roundtable aims to foster dialogue on this critical question for our time.
Looking ahead: Trends shaping space security in 2019
January 23, 2019The world has entered a Second Space Age, marked by an intensification of our interactions and reach into outer space. A core part of the international Space Security Index project, managed by Project Ploughshares, is to look holistically at how states, companies, and people around the world access and make use of this domain. Looking to the year ahead, five ...