Space for All: Ensuring Equitable and Responsible Access to Space Through Global Cooperation

The space environment is transforming rapidly with mega-constellations, autonomous spacecraft, and low-cost launches expanding access and innovation. Yet these advances bring urgent sustainability challenges: orbital congestion, space debris, interference with radio-quiet zones, and widening inequalities in access to space. This “space sustainability paradox” highlights the risk that using space to advance the Sustainable Development Goals could undermine the long-term viability of space itself. Addressing this requires stronger governance frameworks, fairer access to space-derived data, and sustained investment in foundational sciences such as space geodesy to ensure space remains a secure, equitable, and sustainable global commons.

The space environment is undergoing rapid transformation with the emergence of new commercial capabilities. These include increased satellite activity and novel developments such as satellite constellations, autonomous spacecraft, and commercial space destinations.

These activities have led to a proliferation of space debris and a sharp rise in space traffic, raising serious concerns about orbital congestion and the degradation of the dark and radio-quiet sky. At the same time, the growing volume of spacecraft production and launch operations is contributing to the environmental footprint of the sector.

In parallel, the increased use of radio frequencies for commercial and satellite services poses a growing threat to the radio-quiet environment, undermining the ability of radio astronomy and space geodesy to operate without interference and putting essential scientific and navigational infrastructure at risk.

There is no doubt that space is essential for advancing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Yet, paradoxically, the very use of space to support sustainable development may itself become unsustainable, from the perspective of both the Earth and the space environment. This emerging challenge, described by some as the ‘space sustainability paradox’ (Ross & Vasili, 2024), may also deepen existing inequalities by making access to space increasingly difficult for developing nations.

In this context, there is growing recognition of the need to strengthen international governance frameworks, including space traffic management, radio frequency protection, and the regulation of commercial activities. At the same time, space-derived data—especially from Earth observation, navigation systems, and AI-driven analytics—is becoming a critical public good. Equitable access, transparent governance, and ethical data sharing must be central to space sustainability. Recent developments, such as the European Commission’s proposed EU Space Act (2025), illustrate growing momentum toward establishing unified regulations on debris mitigation, cybersecurity, and environmental accountability for space actors.

Scientific perspectives are essential for understanding these challenges and informing effective policy responses. Science and technology must guide the adoption of sustainable practices while fostering global information sharing to ensure that the benefits of space are equitably distributed and serve the interests of all humankind.

Of particular importance is the rise of new space agencies across the globe—and especially in Africa—which underscores the geostrategic importance many nations place on space science and technology. These developments reflect growing efforts to improve national autonomy in resource management and to create enabling conditions for education, economic opportunity, and social development. They also call for deeper investment in capacity building, STEM education, and international scientific cooperation.

Finally, greater recognition must be given to foundational scientific domains—such as space geodesy—which underpin all space-based infrastructure and operations. From maintaining global reference frames and determining precise satellite orbits, to supporting deep-space navigation and space situational awareness, geodesy plays an essential—though often invisible—role in enabling and sustaining modern space activities.