Orbiting Battlefields: The Transition from Peaceful Exploration to Armed Conflict in Space

The 21st century is remarkable for discoveries, inventions, and exploration beyond the Earth. Outer space is an emerging field for research and exploration for new inventions and discoveries. It is the province of all humanity and a global joint beyond the exclusive jurisdiction of any sovereign state for peaceful purposes. Now, outer space is recognized as an operational warfare domain that has gone from peaceful use to weaponizing and harboring new battlefields. Major space players have possessed antisatellite weapons and are investing in advanced technology to maintain their dominance over outer space. North Atlantic Treaty Organization recently launched a comprehensive space policy and formally acknowledged outer space as an operational domain. The United States has established the U.S. Space Force. This article initially emphasizes providing a concise overview of the historical context surrounding issues related to outer space. Second, they discussed the issue of sovereignty and outer space. Third, analysis of the peaceful use of outer space. Fourth, it discussed the most challenging problems of militarization and weaponization of outer space, along with their differences. Fifth, it examined the legal framework for regulating activities in outer space and the difficulties in its regulation. It finally concluded with remarks and suggestions for adequately regulating the outer space regime.