Center for Space Policy and International Relations (CSPIR)

Program Overview

Since the beginning of the space age, outer space has been a realm of both cooperation and competition. Individual countries must determine how to make strategic investments in space to advance science, exploration, national security, and economic objectives. They must also coordinate with other state and commercial actors as they operate in this shared environment to ensure the safety and long-term sustainability of the space environment. Recent increases in commercial space activity create new challenges and opportunities. Governments across the world, international organizations, and commercial actors must determine how best to encourage, regulate, and leverage new developments in this sector.

Faculty and researchers affiliated with the Center for Space Policy and International Relations study the processes by which countries develop civil, national security, and commercial space activities, and the ways in which nations engage with respect to the space domain. This research spans a range of thematic areas detailed below.

Research Themes

International Cooperation in Earth Observation and Remote Sensing

Satellites have a unique ability to monitor all areas of the globe, collecting information in a uniform way with no impact from political boundaries on the Earth. Satellites are able to collect comprehensive information about remote areas, including the oceans and the poles, that is difficult or impossible to collect using other methods. Remote sensing information is critical for the study of Earth’s environment. It has also proven to be critical for strategic and tactical national security purposes. The growing commercial remote sensing sector has demonstrated that this data has commercial value. Faculty study how countries impact the development of this technology through policy, regulation, and international cooperation.

Relevant projects and publications include:

Borowitz, Mariel. “Space-based Data and Human Security.” Oxford Handbook of Space Security. Saadia Pekkanan and PJ Blount. Oxford University Press. (2024)

Borowitz, Mariel, Janet Zhou, Krystal Azelton, and Isabelle-Yara Nassar. "Examining the value of satellite data in halting transmission of polio in Nigeria: A socioeconomic analysis." Data & Policy 5 (2023): e16.

Borowitz, Mariel. “Earth Observing Satellites and Open Data Sharing in China.” China Currents. 19.1 (2020).
Borowitz, Mariel. "Government data, commercial cloud: Will public access suffer?" Science 363.6427 (2019): 588-589.
Borowitz, Mariel. “Government Engagement with Commercial Remote Sensing Companies: A Framework for Evaluating Public Data Buys.” New Space, 7.3 (2019): 190-195.

Regional Space Developments

Due to declining launch costs and the proliferation of space technologies, a growing number of countries across the world are able to access the space domain. China, specifically, is increasing its capabilities in the space domain, narrowing the gap between itself and the United States, and even surpassing the United States in some areas. Multiple countries in the Middle East are rapidly increasing their space programs. How do these different space powers understand and approach space policy? What are their interests? How do different national identities or strategic cultures influence how these countries understand their interests? How do their domestic politics shape their approach to space policy? These questions have important implications for space security, diplomacy, governance, and sustainability. To avoid misperceptions and mirror-imaging, it is important to gain insights into countries outside the United States understand and approach space policy. To approach these questions, faculty draw upon regional and area expertise to make sense of space policy in other regions of the world. Relevant projects and publications include:

Rubin, Lawrence. "A Middle East space race? Motivations, trajectories, and regional politics." Space Policy (2024): 101608.

Hines, R. Lincoln. “China's Branding Problem: Image Management and the U.S.-China Space Relationship” Space Policy Vol.69, 2024.

Hines, R. Lincoln. “Heavenly Mandate: Public Opinion and China's Space Activities,” Space Policy Vol.60, 2022.

Hines, R. Lincoln. “Autocracies and Space Policy: New Directions for Research.” Book Chapter (2024, Routledge Handbook for Space Policy).

Hines, R. Lincoln. “The Future of Chinese Spacepower: Domestic and International Drivers of China's Space Ambitions” in Ed. Heather Pace Venable. The Future of Air and Spacepower: Intersections of Theory and Technology (Forthcoming, Air University Press).

Hines, R. Lincoln. China’s Space Activities: Drivers, Trends, and Progress,” Roundtable article for Asia Policy.

Space Diplomacy

How and why do countries engage in space diplomacy? How do countries and non-state actors come together to solve shared challenges in the space domain, such as the risk of space debris? How do countries leverage strengths of many nations to achieve technological feats, such as the development and operation of the International Space Station? How can international cooperation or competition in space be used to improve relations among nations and achieve broader geopolitical goals? Space Diplomacy explores these issues, looking at the ways and reasons that nations engage in international diplomacy related to space.

Relevant projects and publications include:

Borowitz, Mariel. “Let’s Just Talk About the Weather: Weather Satellites and Space Diplomacy.” The Hague Journal of Diplomacy 1.aop (2023): 1-28.

Johnson, Kaitlyn, Thomas G. Roberts, and Brian Weeden. “Mitigating Noncooperative RPOs in Geosynchronous Orbit.” Æther Journal of Strategic Airpower &

Spacepower 1.4 (2023): 79-94.

Space Exploration and Geopolitics

The Space Race was driven by the geopolitics of the Cold War era. The two superpowers of the era used developments in their human space programs to demonstrate the superiority of their technical and political systems. Today, space exploration – both human and robotic – continues to have important geopolitical implications, as new technological developments generate soft power and prestige, and changing patterns of international cooperation and competition on space exploration impact international relations. Current efforts by many countries and companies to explore the Moon are considered by many to be part of a second space race, with significant geopolitical implications.

Domotor, Alec, Mariel Borowitz, and Rebecca Palmer. "Cislunar Positioning, Navigation, and Timing: International Relations and Policy Implications." New Space 11.4 (2023): 251-261.

Borowitz, Mariel, Althea Noonan, and Reem El Ghazal. "US Strategic Interest in the Moon: An Assessment of Economic, National Security, and Geopolitical Drivers." Space Policy (2023): 101548.

Borowitz, Mariel. “An Interoperable Information Umbrella: Sharing Space Information Technology,” Strategic Studies Quarterly, 15.1 (2021): 115-132.

Borowitz, Mariel and Jonathan Battat. “Multidisciplinary Evaluation of Next Steps for Human Space Exploration: Technical and Strategic Analysis of Options,” Space Policy, 35 (2016): 33-42.

Borowitz, Mariel. “The Changing Role of Russia in Space.” NATO OPEN Publications. May 2023.

Space Governance

The Outer Space Treaty (1967) stated that space is free for exploration and use by all nations, and that space is not subject to national appropriation. This means that management of the space domain requires international cooperation. Faculty in the Center for Space Policy and International Relations examine existing international regimes for space and their evolution, as well as the potential for new regimes to address emerging challenges in the space domain.

Relevant projects and publications include:

“Understanding Multi-stakeholder Regime Formation: The Case of Cislunar Space.” Department of Defense. Minerva Research Initiative Defense Education and Civilian University Research (DECUR) Partnership. (2023-2025)

Roberts, Thomas G. “Using AI for Better Space Governance.” Centre for International Governance Innovation (2024).

Hines, R. Lincoln and Naomi Egel. Governing the Final Frontier: Risk Reduction in Outer Space, The Washington Quarterly, July 8, 45(4) (2022), 27-44.

Space Security

When the United States re-established the Space Command in 2020, it emphasized that space is a warfighting domain, similar to land, air, and sea. Indeed, space assets have become increasingly valuable for national security purposes, and the development and testing of anti-space weapons continues to advance. Faculty in the Center for Space Policy and International Relations examine strategic risks in the space domain, including whether and how a conflict may begin or extend into outer space. They also study how to deter such attacks and prevent conflict in this domain.

Relevant projects and publications include:

Roberts, Thomas G., Benjamin Staats, and Katherine Melbourne. “Exotic Space Warfare: Military Importance of Sustained Maneuver.” Center for Space Policy and Strategy, The Aerospace Corporation (2024).

“Deterrence in Space—Integrated or Entangled? A Wargaming Approach to Multidomain Strategy.” Department of Defense Minerva Research Initiative. (2023-2028)

Borowitz, Mariel. “Strategic Implications of the Proliferation of Space Situational Awareness Technology and Information: Lessons Learned from the Remote Sensing Sector.” Space Policy. 47 (2019): 18-27.

Borowitz, Mariel. “From Space Situational Awareness to Space Domain Awareness: Examining Rhetorical and Substantive Transitions in the U.S. Approach to Space Security.” The Militarization of Space in Europe. T. Hoerber and I. Oikonomou, Routledge. (2023)

Borowitz, Mariel, Lawrence Rubin, and Brian Stewart. "National Security Implications of Emerging Satellite Technologies." Orbis 64.4 (2020): 515-527.

Space Sustainability

The number of objects in space – both operational spacecraft and debris – has increased dramatically since the beginning of the space age, creating threats to safe operations in Earth’s orbit and the long-term sustainability of the space environment. However, because space is not owned by any one nation, addressing this challenge requires that nations coordinate and work together. Faculty in the Center for Space Policy and International Relations undertake research to better understand the challenges of space sustainability and identify approaches to address these challenges through international cooperation on Space Traffic Management (STC), space debris mitigation, and other issues.

Relevant projects and publications include:

Borowitz, Mariel. "Examining the Growth of the Global Space Situational Awareness Sector: A Network Analysis Approach." Space Policy (2022): 101444.

Borowitz, Mariel. “Legal Considerations and Future Options for Space Situational Awareness.” Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law. 48.3 (2020).

Roberts, Thomas G., and Carson Bullock. “A sustainable geostationary space environment requires new norms of behavior.” MIT Science Policy Review 1 (2020): 34-38.

Astrobiology and Geopolitics of Extraterrestrial Life

This project explores the geopolitical implications of the discovery microbial life beyond the Earth. Drawing lessons from past and present competitive and cooperative ventures, we establish an analytical framework that is then used to assess scenarios of different international political and governance responses to the discovery of extraterrestrial life. Our approach combines historical insights with scenario-based analysis, enabling a more comprehensive view of how these discoveries might influence global politics. By doing this, the project highlights the possible shifts in cooperation, conflict, and overall dynamics in the international sphere.

Policy Engagement

Our faculty are actively involved in the policy community, providing input and engagement with key decision-makers to help bridge the research to policy divide. Faculty affiliated with the Center for Space Policy and International Relations meet with government and industry space leaders. They have testified to Congress, completed temporary appointments in government offices including NASA, the Office of Space Commerce, and the Department of Defense, and developed reports with the National Academy of Sciences.

Courses and Certificate Programs

In addition to the research portfolio described above, faculty in the Center for Space Policy and International Relations teach courses that help to prepare students for a career in this field.

INTA 3043/ 8803 Space Policy

Survey of international space policy issues that includes examination of the origins, evolution and range of current challenges and debates in international space policy issues, including civil, military, and commercial activities.

INTA 4803/ 8803 Space Security

This course examines the challenges of sustainability and security in the space domain caused by the increasingly congested, contested, and competitive nature of space activity.

INTA 4803/ 8803 Space Sustainability

TBA

Certificate: Astrobiology

The Astrobiology Graduate Certificate forges innovative links between astrobiology research at Georgia Tech, mission technology, and science communication. INTA courses can be used to complete the requirements of the Astrobiology certificate program.

Certificate: Space Entrepreneurship

The Space Entrepreneurship Graduate Certificate Program expands opportunities for students in the field of ‘space entrepreneurship’ and to forge innovative links between different communities conducting space research at Georgia Tech, including space technology, space science, space policy and business entrepreneurship.