Open Collections

Hook, Charlotte

University of British Columbia

Before 2020, 9,115 satellites had been launched into space. It is estimated that by 2030 the number of satellites will surpass 100,000. This surge is largely the responsibility of one US commercial space company which has launched a mega-constellation of thousands of satellites, and more mega-constellations are planned. Satellite mega-constellations have severe environmental impacts: in-orbit debris, casualty risks, light pollution, and chemical alterations of the atmosphere. No international body exists to regulate these environmental impacts of satellites and hence this responsibility lies with national regulatory agencies. This situation gives these regulatory agencies considerable leverage to influence the conduct of space activities through their licensing regimes. This thesis examines the US regulatory agency for commercial satellites, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and argues that it has failed to appropriately regulate the environmental impacts of satellite mega-constellations. Using securitisation theory – which posits that actions asserted and perceived as security threats legitimise and rationalise countermeasures outside the normal bounds of political procedures in order to neutralise threats – this thesis argues that outer space is a securitised domain. This thesis explains how the FCC has maintained a Cold War, traditional security lens towards outer space whilst the broader discourse has evolved to a modern, human security lens. This traditional security lens prioritises the protection of the state and emphasises military readiness and economic prosperity, often at the expense of public welfare and the environment. In contrast, the modern security lens emphasises individual well-being and disputes the claim that the environment and public welfare should be sacrificed for national security objectives. This thesis demonstrates that the FCC has maintained the traditional security lens through analysis of the FCC’s decision to not conduct environmental assessments of satellites – a decision made in 1986 that has not been revisited since – and compares this with other environmental issues (ozone depletion, nuclear energy accidents, and climate change) that have incorporated the human security lens. As a result, the FCC has created a regulatory hole that will result in the tragedy of the commons in Earth’s orbit unless change is implemented.

Text

2024-09-05

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/89180

Political Science

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/