AI—A Possible Solution to the Threats Against Human Lives Arising from Space Objects?

With the 1957 launch of the satellite Sputnik I, the frst space object reached outer space. Many more followed, and today space objects are considered an invaluable part of our everyday lives. Satellites and the data they provide are used for monitoring the environment through Earth observation, climate regulation, and natural disaster management, as well as economic activities, for example, agriculture, transportation, communication, and several others. Despite these numerous benefts, however, space objects pose threats to human lives in outer space, in airspace, and on Earth. Te technological advancement of the 21st century, especially the increased use of artifcial intelligence, brought hope that these threats would be minimised, mitigated, or even completely resolved. In this paper, I am going to evaluate whether such hope is reasonable and justifed. To do this, I will, frst, identify some examples of the threats to human lives arising from space objects and provide examples when such threats already materialised in reality. Second, I will present the applicable legal framework and then, third, evaluate it and show that it falls short in addressing those threats. Fourth, I will demonstrate how AI is planned to be used in mitigating these threats. Fifth, I will outline some of the new legal challenges such use of AI would bring and, against this background, fnally assess whether such AI threat mitigation is going to be as efective as currently predicted.