The Overlooked Impact of Space Weaponization and Exploration on Privacy, Security, and the Environment

• By Izzat Fatima
• 26 May 2025

Space has long captured the human imagination as a domain of scientific marvel and hope. Yet, as technology advances, this final frontier is rapidly becoming a theater of unchecked surveillance, militarization, and environmental degradation. Despite international treaties declaring space the “province of all mankind,” emerging space activities increasingly bypass human rights safeguards.

This article explores how modern space policies especially those of dominant actors like the United States fail to account for fundamental rights. It highlights threats to privacy, life, and security, and calls for legal frameworks that place human dignity and planetary welfare at the core of space governance.
Militarization of Space: A Threat to Global Security
The growing presence of anti-satellite weapons, dual-use satellites, and military doctrines like the U.S. Space Force’s pursuit of “space dominance” have turned low Earth orbit into a strategic war zone. While the Outer Space Treaty (1967) bans nuclear arms in space, it is silent on conventional weapons. Efforts to adopt a binding Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS) treaty remain stalled.
Without legal boundaries or accountability, this militarization risks triggering conflict in a domain crucial for civilian infrastructure communications, navigation, and weather forecasting—posing a serious threat to global peace and the right to security.
Satellite Surveillance and the Erosion of Privacy
Commercial satellites operated by companies like Maxar, Planet Labs, and BlackSky offer near real-time, high-resolution imagery. These technologies are widely used by governments, militaries, and corporations, yet lack comprehensive legal oversight.
In the U.S., while the Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable governmental searches, it does little to address commercial satellite surveillance. Agencies like NOAA license remote sensing under 15 C.F.R. § 960, but impose minimal privacy restrictions. There is currently no federal law requiring transparency, consent, or redress in how satellite data is collected or shared by private actors.
This unchecked surveillance capability extends across borders, endangering individual rights globally without meaningful recourse.

Private Space Companies and the Human Rights Void
Private players like SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Amazon’s Project Kuiper have launched thousands of satellites, reshaping the power dynamics of space. These mega-constellations are marketed as tools for digital inclusion but introduce critical ethical issues.
Starlink terminals, for example, have been deployed in conflict zones and authoritarian regimes without clear oversight or consent, raising concerns around data jurisdiction and geopolitical influence. Furthermore, licensing bodies like the FCC, FAA, and NOAA primarily operate domestically and lack international enforcement power over private companies’ actions.
These developments call for robust, cross-border human rights protections in space, particularly concerning surveillance, data ownership, and freedom of expression.
Space Pollution and the Right to Life
Earth’s orbit is becoming dangerously congested. Over 30,000 trackable pieces of debris and millions of smaller fragments threaten satellites and astronauts alike. This escalating debris crisis, known as Kessler Syndrome, may render parts of space unusable for generations.
Incidents like the uncontrolled reentry of a Chinese Long March rocket highlight how orbital debris also endangers life on Earth. The U.S. mandates risk assessments for satellite reentry, but internationally, there is no binding law holding states or corporations accountable for damages caused by falling debris or toxic emissions released during launch.
Additionally, pollutants like black carbon and alumina from rocket launches could harm atmospheric conditions and accelerate climate change, linking space activities directly to environmental and public health concerns.
Ethical Colonization and the Right to Self-Determination
As nations and companies’ eye permanent settlements on the Moon and Mars, new questions arise: Who governs these colonies? What rights will space-born individuals have? Will extraterrestrial settlements be subject to democratic governance or corporate control?
These issues touch on the right to self-determination and fair access to shared resources, as enshrined in Article I of the Outer Space Treaty. Given historical experiences with colonialism, the future of space governance must prioritize consent, equality, and participatory rule.

Legal Reform: A Human Rights-Based Space Framework
To ensure that humanity's reach for the stars does not eclipse fundamental rights, urgent reforms are needed:
Establish a Human Rights Framework for Space under the United Nations, embedding protections for privacy, environmental integrity, and security.
Prohibit Weapons in Space through a binding international agreement modeled on the Antarctic Treaty or PAROS.
Regulate Satellite Surveillance with mandatory consent, transparency, and accountability standards.
Require Environmental Impact Assessments for all large-scale satellite deployments, launch activities, and potential reentry hazards.
Strengthen Domestic Review Authorities like the FCC and NOAA to include human rights and environmental considerations.
Global standards should also draw on existing frameworks like the EU's GDPR for data protection and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights for corporate accountability, ensuring both state and private actors uphold rights beyond Earth.
Conclusion
Space exploration holds immense promise but also peril. Without legal safeguards, it risks becoming a realm of militarization, surveillance, and irreversible environmental harm. The challenge before us is clear: to ensure space serves humanity as a whole, not just the powerful few.
By embedding human rights into the core of space law and policy, we can create a future where space is not only accessible, but just, peaceful, and sustainable for all.