In 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik. Several months later, the U.S. sent Explorer I into space. With two small objects, the space race began.
As of March 2025, more than 11,000 satellites are orbiting Earth. According to some estimates, there could be as many as 60,000 by 2030.
“In the Space Age, space activity was overtly geopolitical, and that’s never really gone away,” said Mariel Borowitz, associate professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs and director of the recently launched Center for Space Policy and International Relations. “But the major shift now is the rapid rise of commercial activity and the number of actors in space.”
Space traffic is global by nature — satellites cross over myriad countries while orbiting. Thanks to the Outer Space Treaty, every country has the right to access space. More actors in space, though, mean more trash and more potential collisions.
Borowitz and her colleagues in the Nunn School analyze and help develop policies on protecting space so it remains safe and usable in the future. In other words, they’re doing everything they can to make sure things don’t blow up.
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