Dangers in Outer Space: Security Governance and the Role of the Private Space Industry

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Human activity in outer space has developed more rapidly within the previous five years than at anyother point in history with the private sector now accounting for 75% of space sector funding.Simultaneously, humanity's ever-growing orbital presence has generated increased concern,particularly regarding the potential destruction of space-based confrontations. Accordingly, researchinto this essential topic must be undertaken, including the effects of ever-greater private sectorinvolvement and its relationship to space governance and security with the hope of providingfurther insights into space and other 'global commons'. Whilst there remains significant focus onstates within the literature, few thinkers have considered the private sector, and none have offeredan account of their direct impact on security and governance in space. In producing my master'sdissertation on outer space governance, this was an area of key concern and interest that becameapparent through research, however, due to the limited scale of a master's dissertation, this couldnot be explored further. Therefore, I seek to undertake this as a PhD project within which I answerthe topic's key questions - namely the questions of the private sector's role in space, the meaning ofsecurity governance in space and the establishment of the relationship between these two factors.In doing this I seek to utilise relevant case studies including other 'global commons', interviews withkey individuals within the space sector, and textual analysis throughout to ensure the depth ofresearch required to properly assess these questions and address this key absence in the literatureof the private sector's role in space governance.