Governments should use space more effectively to address society's needs, says OECD
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has published a report advising governments to use space technology more wisely in order to address civil needs. Space technology can be used in particular to tackle five major challenges, according to the report: environmental problems, including natural disasters; the use of natural resources; the increasing mobility of goods and people; growing security threats; and the development of the information society. And in order to make the most of this technology's potential, it is recommended that governments do three broad things: implement a sustainable space infrastructure; encourage public use and encourage private sector participation. According to the OECD, this report is unusual in two respects: it is written from the point of view of society and addresses governments rather than industry; and it focuses on the demand side rather than the supply side of space technology. 'Most past studies of the space sector have focused on the supply side: technological advances and the types of new capabilities that can be developed. They assume, often incorrectly, that development eventually follows such advances. This publication [Space 2030: Tackling Society's Challenges] explores instead how governments can get the most out of future public and private space investment,' states the OECD. A number of conditions must be met if governments are to reap the benefits of space. Primarily, barriers such as institutional arrangements and regulations must be addressed. The space sector usually involves three sets of actors: space agencies, public and private operators of space applications, and the upstream segment of the industry (spacecraft and launcher manufacturers and providers of launching services). Countries must clarify the role of each, and also define the relationships between the actors, according to the OECD. Different countries may adopt different solutions according to their priorities, and in some cases this may distort competition at international level, the report adds. Moving onto the legal framework affecting space technology, the report notes that a number of countries still do not have national space laws, and that this represents 'a source of uncertainty for space actors, especially private ones'. Also, because international space law is a public regime, it is not well suited to business transactions, and national laws that do exist are not always business-oriented as they were often developed with a view to security and strategic considerations rather than business. The regulatory framework, says the OECD, 'should ideally provide basic rules of the game' that ensure a stable and predictable environment for business, stimulate innovation and encourage entrepreneurship. 'This is far from the case,' states the report, citing the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) procedure for allocating frequencies and orbital slots, which 'raises a number of issues and is a source of uncertainties', according to the OECD. Space debris is another area that is inadequately addressed, while several standardisation questions remain open, the report claims. The OECD carried out a number of studies before writing this report, and is therefore confident of the accuracy of its warning that 'the potential of space will not be realised unless governments take decisive action to improve the framework conditions that govern space activities.' Another problem highlighted by the OECD is the lack of public awareness about space activities. General perceptions are distorted due to the media focus on exclusively sensational successes and failures, states the report. As a result, citizens have a poor understanding of the value of space-based services for their daily lives and thus do not fully support further investment in this technology. Prospects for the downstream segment of the sector - space applications - are looking far more promising than those for the upstream sector- space asset manufacturing and launch services, according to the OECD. The upstream segment suffers from 'a situation of chronic oversupply' owing largely to a desire of governments of space-faring nations to establish and maintain independent access to space for strategic and national sovereignty reasons. While the future looks bright for certain applications, not all should be pursued with the same intensity, the OECD believes. The report points to information-intensive applications such as satellite-based telecommunications, Earth observation and navigation as having huge potential, but casts doubt on the prospects for transport and manufacturing applications on account of the decreasing cost of access to space. Governments are advised to broaden their view of which policy areas are relevant to space. Research, economic, social and environmental polices all impact upon space activities, and decision-makers should be aware of this, advises the report. The report is intended by the OECD to provide recommendations for actions in the short and medium term while looking at space from a long-term policy point of view.