Security in space: Should space traffic management also concern payloads management?

Significant initiatives on space traffic management have been recently taken, essentially by developing principles of outer space transparency and confidence building measures (TCBM) beneficial to a safer conduct of space activities. The need for improved practices in space traffic management is a consequence of the increasing number of space-faring nations allowing for more types of missions, growing number of space debris, new private entrants, and rising space content in running critical national infrastructures, to name a few. These expanding space activities underscore the society's dependency on space systems and its vulnerability, calling for an improved long-term sustainability of outer space activities. But the lack of information on the nature of some space payloads and their associated missions introduce a persistent flaw in succeeding to achieve a long thought stable and safer space environment. Indeed this noticeable weakness in the mentioned initiatives is not taken into account at this stage. To overcome this difficulty, a space situational awareness system (SSAS) based on a multinational organization, or under the purview of a UN steered agency, is proposed. It could be implemented promptly, provided there is a shared political will and a recognized urgent need to do so by major space-faring nations gauging their long-term interest while there is still time. The space deterrence postures by dominant space powers that have been identified during the past ten years, or so, argues in favour of broadening as soon as possible the scope of the current TCBM. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.