In aviation, countries control their airspace and direct air traffic, but they also adhere to shared protocols that allow thousands of planes to traverse international airways without colliding. Something analogous is needed in space.
In the comment article “Space diplomacy: bridging the operating gaps between myriad missions,” which was recently published in Nature, SFI External Professor France Córdova, lead author Gioia Rau, and other co-authors propose that governments, scientific institutions, and commercial enterprises are in urgent need of a shared framework to coordinate operations in space. Satellites and space debris are cluttering up low Earth orbit, and the lack of communication among actors with conflicting interests has resulted in confusion and a heightened risk of collisions.
Because spacecraft can’t be modified once launched, the authors argue that coordination requirements must be embedded into licensing and system design from the outset. But, to enforce this standard and others, the researchers lay out five areas of focus: the need for a neutral group to measure progress and keep track of the adoption of standards, the protection of dark and quiet skies, the necessity of collaboration between research organizations and policymakers, the key role of philanthropy as a catalyst for pre-competitive coordination infrastructure, and the importance of effective communication about the cost, risk, and public value of missions to space. As more actors enter orbit, the authors argue, space diplomacy will be essential not only for avoiding collisions, but for preserving dark skies and curating space as a shared scientific, commercial, and public resource.
Read the comment article "Space diplomacy: bridging the operating gaps between myriad missions" in Nature (April 28, 2026).