Defence Space Command Agency Australia.

 ~Preet.

Australia has announced the formation of a new Defence Space Command Agency to counter the rising influence of Russia and China in space. It will assist Australia in defining and lobbying for space-related goals within the government, business, friends, and even international partners. 

The agency will teach individuals to be space specialists, assist in strategic space planning, and be able to participate in any changes addressing the refining of space policy. With the agency in place, Australia will determine scientific and space goals while also aiming to create an efficient space infrastructure. All of the agency's activities – including design, building, and maintenance – will be subject to the Defence Ministry of Australia's requirements and constraints.

The notion of space weaponization emerged in the early 1980s as part of the United States' "Strategic Defense Initiative," commonly known as the "Star Wars" programme. The plan was to throw a huge number of satellites into orbit that would detect enemy missile launches and then strike them down.  Weaponization refers to the deployment of destructive space-based technologies in orbit. The use of space in support of land, sea, and air-based military operations is referred to as militarization of outer space.

Global commons under attack: The Global Commons for Outer Space is currently under threat. The increasing militarization of outer space has sparked a race to weaponize it. Anti-SAT missiles, for example, may destroy satellites in orbit. Anti-satellite missiles can destroy communication satellites, bringing the communication system to a halt. Satellite uplink and downlink jamming would likewise have a negative influence on communication. There has been a growth in the number of states interested in space, resulting in power rivalry and a failure to find common ground on space security in order to prevent militarization and weaponization. 

The subsequent arms race for the weaponization of outer space would generate a climate of ambiguity, distrust, miscalculations, competitiveness, and aggressive deployment among states, perhaps leading to war. Space conflicts have the potential to be so devastating that they will destroy our sole home in the known universe, Earth. In March 2019, India successfully executed an anti-satellite test. In terms of fielding a viable anti-satellite capability, the test put India in the company of China, Russia, and the United States. India also formed two new space bureaucracies in 2019, the Defense Space Research Organization (DSRO) and the Defense Space Agency (DSA) (DSA).

Some in India's defence establishment have advocated for more radical changes, such as the development of a military space service akin to the US Space Force. This would make it easier to defend India's expanding satellite network while also setting the framework for coercive measures against adversarial networks. The pact forbids countries from launching "any objects carrying nuclear weapons or other types of weapons of mass devastation" into orbit around the Earth. It also forbids the deployment of such weapons on celestial bodies such as the moon or in outer space. The moon and other celestial bodies shall be utilised only for peaceful purposes by all treaty parties. India has signed the Outer Space Treaty.

These accords, as well as other issues of space jurisdiction, are overseen by the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS). None of this, however, precludes other governments from conducting anti-satellite operations. The international community has been discussing the importance of implementing Transparency and Confidence-Building Measures in outer space activities (TCBMS). The European Union (EU) has also created a draught code of conduct in this respect (CoC). However, major nations have failed to reach an agreement on the concept of adopting a Code of Conduct. Another key notion proposed jointly by Russia and China is the Prevention of the Placement of Weapons in Outer Space (PPWT), which is opposed by the United States and the European Union.  It is critical that the concept of space as a global common is revived for the sake of humanity's overall well-being. A centralised governance framework that assures a responsible and secure ecology for space exploration as well as unrestricted access to a peaceful space for future generations is urgently needed.