Reports

Below are reports written on subject critical to space governance. Separate pages are dedicated to reports specifically related to space situational awareness, space traffic management, mitigation of orbital debris, avoidance of a space arms race, near Earth objects, and cooperative Earth observation.

Jakhu, Ram. “The Case for Enhanced India-Canada Space Cooperation,” August 2008.

Kaufman, Richard, H. Hertzfeld and J. Lewis. Space, Security and the Economy, September 2008. Economists for Peace and Security, with support from the Arsenault Family Fund, released a report on the Bush Administration's outer space policy. The report warns that the present policy of space dominance could transform outer space into a military battleground. Official US policy asserts the right to deny any nation access to space if its actions are "perceived" to be hostile. This policy, together with other actions such as withdrawal from the ABM treaty and the ongoing development of weapons intended to attack objects in space could lead to the deployment of weapons in space. If the US stations weapons in space other nations are likely to do the same thing and we will be faced with an arms race in space. No one, the report, concludes, can prevail and all stand to lose in an arms race in space. Among other consequences would be negative effects on the economy and the growing scientific and commercial uses of space. In particular, private investors are unlikely to place additional resources at risk in a vulnerable area of potential military conflict. The report calls for changes in the policy of space dominance, greater transparency in military space spending, and detailed information about government and commercial space activities.

* * *

The Miller Center's National War Powers Commission, co-chaired by former Secretaries of State James A. Baker, III and Warren Christopher, has recommended that Congress repeal the War Powers Resolution of 1973 and substitute a new statute that would provide for more meaningful consultation between the president and Congress on matters of war. In a report released after 13 months of study, the Commission concluded that the War Powers Resolution of 1973 has failed to promote cooperation between the two branches of government and recommended that Congress pass a new statute – the War Powers Consultation Act of 2009 – that would establish a clear process on decisions to go to war. The Miller Center impaneled the National War Powers Commission in February 2007. This bipartisan commission met seven times, interviewing more than 40 witnesses about the respective war powers of the president and Congress.

* * *

The Space Report - The Guide to Global Space Activity: 2007 Update. Published by the Space Foundation, this useful tool takes a look at commercial revenue and government budgets. This report delves into the space industry, expanding the traditional three-sector model - civil, commercial, and national security space - into a more precise and comprehensive nine-sector model based on the end use of space products and services.

* * *

The Space Report 2007 contains global space industry budgets and revenue data for calendar year 2006, which along with the updated Space Foundation Index, reveals dramatic growth in the space economy. In 2006 the global space industry grew to nearly $220 billion in total revenues. This total includes both commercial space activities and government space budgets, an 18 percent increase from 2005. Satellite based products and services and U.S. government space expenditures comprise the two largest segments of the industry at 50 percent and 28 percent of total revenues, respectively. Nearly every sector of commercial space experienced growth in 2006.