Military use of space and the Space Law

Abstract

The use of space for military purposes is not a new phenomenon, but its scope has expanded nowadays. The USA, Russia and China have military and civilian units and institutions specialized in space research. Extreme caution is taken to prevent the competition between these states from spilling over into space, but it is clear that if the balance between the countries is disrupted, space will become an area of military competition between the parties. In this context, these three countries and other states involved in the space race are developing their space research capacities, including space weapons. This issue is important as the world becomes increasingly dependent on satellite-centric services and technologies in areas such as communications, transportation, weather detection and navigation in general. However, since Space Law is a new and developing branch of law, there are deficiencies in the existing legal infrastructure. The legal text that draws the general framework for Space Law is the Outer Space Treaty (OST), which came into force in 1967. The existing legal gaps arise from the structure of this agreement. Therefore, there is a need for new agreements and texts that will support cooperation between states and strengthen the legal framework.

Keywords

• Space
• Space Race
• Space Law
• Outer Space Treaty
• Anti-Satellite Weapons (ASAT)

Uzayın askeri amaçlı kullanımı ve Uzay Hukuku

Abstract

Uzayın askeri amaçlı kullanımı yeni bir olgu değildir, ancak günümüzde kapsamı daha genişlemiştir. ABD, Rusya ve Çin’in uzay araştırmaları konusunda uzmanlaşmış askeri ve sivil birimleri ile kurumları bulunmaktadır. Bu sayılan devletler arasındaki rekabetin uzaya sıçramaması için dikkat edilmektedir ancak ülkeler arasındaki dengelerin bozulması halinde uzayın taraflar arasında askeri rekabet alanı haline geleceği açıktır. Bu kapsamda bu üç ülke ve uzay yarışına dâhil olan diğer devletler, uzay silahları da dâhil, uzay araştırma kapasitelerini geliştirmektedir. Dünya, genel olarak iletişim, ulaşım, hava durumu tespiti ve navigasyon gibi alanlarda artan bir şekilde uydu merkezli hizmetler ve teknolojilere bağımlı hale geldiği için bu konu önem arz etmektedir. Ancak Uzay Hukuku yeni ve gelişmekte olan bir hukuk dalı olması sebebiyle mevcut uluslararası hukukta eksikler bulunmaktadır. Zira bu alan kuruluş aşamasındadır. Uzay Hukuk konusunda genel çerçeveyi çizen ve yasal altyapının da oluşturulmasında hareket noktası olarak kabul edilen uluslararası metin, Soğuk Savaş döneminde, 1967 yılında yürürlüğe giren Dış Uzay Antlaşması-Outer Space Treaty (OST) olmuştur. Mevcutta uluslararası hukuktaki boşluklar da bu antlaşmanın yapısından kaynaklanmaktadır. Uzayın silahlandırılması ve askerileştirilmesi mevcut gerilimlere yenilerin de eklenmesine sebep olmuştur. Bu yüzden devletler arasındaki işbirliğini destekleyecek ve yasal çerçeveyi güçlendirecek yeni antlaşma ve metinlere ihtiyaç duyulmaktadır. Çalışma bu konuya dikkat çekmeyi amaçlamıştır.

Keywords

• Uzay
• Uzay Yarışı
• Uzay Hukuku
• Dış Uzay Antlaşması
• Uydusavar Silahları (ASAT)

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