Gridlocks in the Cosmic Vacuum: Collective Action Quandaries in the Lower Earth Orbit Space Race

Abstract

If independent, competitive operations with limited regulatory oversight in outer space continue, space will likely become another tragedy of the global commons, barring future generations from the stars. Such a fate is expedited with the current race to space, and these collective action problems must be confronted in advance rather than retrospectively. This thesis examines ruling space policy paradigms, emerging hazards in space use, and the geopolitical tensions leading to strategic coordination gridlocks. The discussion also evaluates how proposed policy response paradigms, from corporate and domestic-centered approaches to selective international coalition blocs, each feature particular vulnerabilities and conflicts in practice. As a result, modern space currently faces a regulatory vacuum, growing more precarious as space use exponentially increases. Synthesizing both risks and responses, the thesis argues in favor of a coordinated stewardship approach to space operations predicated on multilateral collaboration through the United Nations.