Federal Republic of Germany

Committee on the Peaceful Use of Space

COPOUS

Represented by Audrey Fahlberg

Langley High School
Mclean, VA

Background Information:
 Germany is Europe’s second most populous nation and largest economy, as well a key
player in Europe’s political, economical, and defense organizations. Due to power struggles in
Europe, Germany was caught in two devastating World Wars, leaving it occupied by Allied
powers which included US, UK, France, and the Soviet Union in 1945. Two German states were
formed in 1949 due to the Cold War; the western Federal Republic of Germany and the eastern
German Democratic Republic. During the Cold War, the Federal Republic of Germany was
democratic and created ties with the EU and NATO, while the Communist German Democratic
Republic was strong supporters of the Soviet Union’s Warsaw Pact. Germany was finally
unified in 1990 after the decline of the USSR and the end of the Cold War. Now, Germany has
made efforts to increase Eastern productivity and wages to Western standards. Germany has also
come together with ten other European Union nations in introducing the euro.
Germany’s economy, the fifth largest economy in the world, is a leading exporter of
vehicles, machinery, household equipment, and chemicals. Despite the benefits that the country
receives from its highly skilled workforce, Germany has consistently faced serious demographic
issues that continue to challenge the economy's growth to this day. Decreased net immigration
and low fertility rates enforce direct pressure on the country’s welfare system. Chancellor
Gerhard Schroeder implemented numerous reforms to address high unemployment and low
average growth of Germany, which proved beneficial, as the country was found to have a higher
employment rates and an increase in average growth in 2006-2007. However, the country faced
its deepest recession since World War II in 2008, causing unemployment to increase again.
Although Germany had a GDP rate of 5.1% in 2009, gradually increasing each year, the
country’s GDP rate dipped to 07% in 2012. This drop in GDP was due to both a decrease in
demand for German exports from recession-stricken countries and low investment spending due
to crisis-induced uncertainty. Although Germany initially depended on nuclear energy, after the
Fukushima nuclear disaster that occurred in 2011, Chancellor Angela Merkel proclaimed that
eight of Germany’s seventeen nuclear reactors would be shut down at once and that the
remaining nine would be shut down before a deadline of 2022. Before the plants were shut down,
the country relied on nuclear energy for 46% of its base-load electricity production and 23% of
its electricity generating capacity. However, Germany has begun to look to the future by striving
to rely on renewable, sources of energy- alternatives that will lead to a safer, less destructive
global community.

Topic 1: Space Debris

Today, hundreds of satellites orbit the Earth and are essential for scientific research,
commerce, finance, navigation, weather forecasting, telecommunication, intelligence collecting
and military operations. Over 130 member nations of the UN are currently operating space
programs and over 60 are operating satellites. Ensuring the safety and protection of these
satellites is of the utmost importance and has become a central concern by the international
community over the past few decades. China and the United States conducted Anti-Satellite
(ASAT) tests in 2007 and 2008 which raised the concern of weapons and their transformation of
outer space into a literal “battlefield” of debris. These ASAT weapons that were tested (missiles
that destroy satellites) generated space debris that is dangerous to other satellites. Pieces of
debris are currently orbiting the Earth at tremendous speeds and pose a danger to not only
satellites but also manned spacecraft. An Iridium communications satellite collided with a
Russian satellite in 2009, generating vast amounts of debris that could either damage other
satellites or completely destroy them and create even more debris, ultimately creating a
cascading effect. The European Space Agency (ESA) should work in conjunction with other
space agencies such as NASA to locate large pieces of debris, which can be tracked through the
use of technologies including radar, optical telescopes, electronic signals sensors, infrared
sensors, or other spacecraft. Countries must be encouraged to increase their funding towards the
development of these technologies.
Codes of Conduct must be implemented on an international basis in order to ensure the
safety of all spacecrafts and satellites and decrease the amount of debris in outer space. Such
legislation could easily be enforced under COPOUS and could help spacefaring nations limit any
activities in outer space that generate debris. This legislation, if enacted appropriately, should
reduce the debris generated by space launches that could pose harm to or could interfere with the
operation of any nation’s satellites. These codes of conduct should be similar to the “Code of
Conduct for Outer Space Activities” that was proposed by the European Union. Bilateral
partnerships can be made in order to make changes to the “Code of Conduct for Outer Space
Activities” if countries feel that the legislation is inadequate.
Earlier this year, the European Space Agency signed an agreement with the US to
increase data exchange in regards to the location of space debris. Debris is often monitored by
tracking systems that locate and analyze its orbital in space. The International Space Station has
a tracking system that serves this exact purpose. Though many pieces of space debris are
relatively large, the majority of debris is smaller than 5 centimeters in diameter. Although it is
not difficult to track large pieces of space junk through these tracking systems, it is often
extremely difficult to track pieces of space junk that are less than 5 centimeters in diameter if its
orbital is too far away from the international space station. A piece of space junk the size of a
grain of salt is capable of destroying an entire satellite if its travelling at a fast enough pace,
meaning it is crucial for space agencies to develop technology that can monitor as much space
debris as possible regardless of its location and orbital in space. While many space agencies have
the technology to monitor space debris, not all countries have the infrastructure to develop such
programs. It is essential that space agencies collaborate together in order to create partnerships
that prevent the collision of space debris and state-sponsored satellites. If at all possible, tracking
devices should be installed in satellites in order to ensure the safety of all space faring
technology and prevent disaster.
It is imperative that all space agencies invest in technology that actually serves to clean
up space debris. Recently, research has been conducted to support the idea that harpoons can be
useful in solving the problem. Through this technology, harpoons can be launched from chaser
spacecrafts, latching onto space debris and either propelling it into new atmospheric orbitals
away from current satellites or collecting it and bringing it back to earth to prevent it from future
collisions. In addition, research has also been conducted to create a laser technology that
provides a path-shifting push that does not damage the object but rather pushes it into a new
orbital. Another kind of laser​ is used to vaporize a small portion of the space debris- the resulting vapor
then creates a drag that is able to slow down the intended target, causing it to fall into the Earth’s
atmosphere and then burn up. ​The CleanSpace One is another type of technology that can be used
to clean up space junk. Through this technology, a small ion engine will propel the device once it
is in orbit to its intended target. Once it meets the debris, small tendrils will be released from the
device and will grab onto the parameters of its intended target through the help of pressure
sensors and artificial muscles. The next step is for the device to carry the debris into the Earth’s
atmosphere where they will both burn up together. While new technologies are being developed,
it is hoped that the device will soon be able to collect more than one piece of debris at a time. ​At
a cost of $11 million, this device is much cheaper than most technologies, meaning it can be
implemented on an international scale. However, this device is essentially a one-shot deal in that
the device burns up in the Earth’s atmosphere once it has captured its intended target. Because it
burns up after one usage, it should be modified so that it can somehow become reusable or cheap
enough to be implemented on a larger scale.
Another form of technology is the Space Debris Elimination system, which has not been
fully developed yet. This technology creates strong air blasts that cause an object to de-orbit and
move away from other satellites. The air clouds fall back into the atmosphere, meaning that the
mechanism leaves no debris behind. However, this system may not be sufficient in moving large
pieces of space junk.
The ElectroDynamic Debris Eliminator (EDDE) is a technology that captures space junk
in a giant net the size of a house. A distinctive characteristic of EDDE is that its lifespan is not
limited by fuel shortages (the size of its fuel tank). The reason for this is because the system is
not powered by liquid fuel, but rather by a conducting wire that is charged and powered by the
Earth’s magnetic fields. This technology, if produced on an international scale, could be
monumental because its operation system means it could operate indefinitely. The system could
target pieces of space junk in its net, bring it into the Earth’s atmosphere, and repeat the process
over and over again. In addition, this system can move up to 36 objects per year and costs about
$5-$10 million to produce.

Topic 2: United Nations Space Agency

Over the past few years, much debate has arisen in regards to the establishment of a new
UN Space Agency. Under the UNSA, countries that do not currently have the adequate
infrastructure in place to establish a state-sponsored space program could partner with the UN to
promote space exploration and research for their own nation.
However, this agency would be extremely impractical because it would hinder individual
growth of developing nations through their own means. Rather than encouraging individual
nations to develop their own space agencies, all exploration would occur under one space agency
established by the United Nations. Though certain regulations would have to be put in place in
order to outline how the funding for certain exploration should be enacted, many countries would
delay in providing funding for the program and there would be many difficulties in regarding to
actually being able to pay for the program. It is more practical for economically sustainable
nations to develop their own space agencies once they have allocated enough funding for the
cause.
If the United Nations were, however to establish an overarching Space Agency, it should
operate similarly to the European Space Agency. The European Space Agency is an agency that
has twenty member states that collaborate in order to provide a means for European nations to
promote the exploration of space in a peaceful manner. Through this body, the European Space
Agency can promote research that can expand far beyond the scope of one single space-faring
nation. Under the ESA, member nations are required to make the commitment of allocating
federal funding to space missions. While countries must meet a certain commitment of funding,
there is no cap on the amount of funding a specific country can allocate to the agency, meaning
some countries allocate more than others.
Before the creation of a new UN Space Agency were to take place however, it would be
most practical for developing nations to reach out to ESA as a means of gaining new information
in regards to space exploration. Countries should be offered to ‘buy into’ ESA, meaning they
offer a certain amount of capital to ESA in return for access to ESA’s new research and
technologies. If these countries agreed to pay ESA, ESA’s officials could train one astronaut
from that specific nation, as a means of jumpstarting that nation’s space program.
New partnerships could also be established between ESA and developing nations to
promote space explorations in countries with unstable infrastructure. Developing nations could
pay ESA to send students to top universities within ESA’s member nations. Through this, a
larger number of aerospace engineers from developing nations could be trained in that specific
field. Once more individuals are educated in this realm of studies, developing nations will
become even more inclined to allocate funding toward the establishment of a new space agency
within their own country rather than build a new space agency regulated by the UN.

Topic 3: The Future of the Outer Space Treaty

​The United Nations Outer Space Treaty was first proposed and considered by the Legal
committee in 1966- an agreement was reached in the same year by the General Assembly. The
Outer Space Treaty was mainly based on the ​Declaration of Legal Principles Governing the
Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space,​ and was enacted in October 1967.
This treaty provides the basic framework for space law, including but not limited to the
following principles: the exploration and use of outer space shall be carried out for the benefit
and in the interests of all countries and shall be the province of all mankind, outer space shall be
free for exploration and use by all States, outer space is not subject to national appropriation by
claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means, and that States shall
not place nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction in orbit or on celestial bodies or
station them in outer space in any other manner. In addition, this treaty also states that the Moon
and other celestial bodies shall be used exclusively for peaceful purposes and that states shall be
responsible for national space activities whether carried out by governmental or
nongovernmental entities. Although the majority of the principles in this treaty discuss the
exploration of space for peaceful purposes, the treaty also calls upon nations to avoid the harmful
contamination of space and celestial bodies.
The delegation of Germany proposes that a regulatory committee be established
under COPOUS. Under this subcommittee, new laws and regulations that directly monitor and/or
limit the dangers associated with the private sector entering outer space can be avoided. The
establishment of this subcommittee will ensure the safety of the international community by
certifying that the satellites launched by every country and private company meet international
standards. This International Regulatory Committee will perform regular checkups on space
agencies in the international community, both state-sponsored and private enterprise. These
checkups will provide transparency regarding the activities of space agencies that are developing
new technologies and are sending satellites into space. If a satellite or other military spacecraft is
deemed unsafe by this committee, requests can be made to the United Nations Security Council
for the respected satellite/spacecraft to be dismantled. Criteria for the dismantling of
satellites/spacecrafts will be established by UNOOSA.
Another issue lies in the failure of countries to communicate with each other and the
United Nations. Biannual conferences should be held at the United Nations headquarters because
progress cannot be made without international cooperation and collaboration. Meetings will
allow for nations to share ideas regarding the best ways to rid outer space of debris, new satellite
technologies, etc.

While there are currently hundreds of space agencies that are operating worldwide,
funding is often hard to come by in many nations. Private German companies such as Bosche,
Tengelmann, and Aldi should be encouraged to invest in outer space technologies so that all
nations are able to establish their own space agencies. The safety of military satellites is another
issue at hand- investing in research towards the development of new technologies that will allow
for the safety of the construction of regular/military satellites should become a top priority for
the international community. This research can be achieved through partnership with the United
Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). In addition to promoting research,
UNITAR can provide training to space agency officials in developing countries where the
workforce is limited or unqualified. Partnership with this organization can also increase
awareness regarding the benefits of space exploration.

In order to encourage the private sector to delve into space exploration, tax breaks could
be provided by federal governments of the respected nations from which the private companies
originate. However, this solution would be relatively impractical seeing as there is no real need
to promote new agencies as there are more than enough agencies in concurrence today.

However, there is one major issue associated with allowing any private entity to enter
space for exploration: the lack of legal accountability. While it is extremely difficult to monitor
space exploration through state-sponsored programs, an international governing body could be
established to regulate satellites and technologies being launched into space. Under this body,
regular biannual checks would be performed by COPOUS officials to ensure that no illegal
weapons or satellites are being launched into space. If illegal material is found, the private space
agency could be shut down and banned from future space exploration. Failure to abide by
legislation established by this governing body could then involve the UN Security Council.