El espacio ultraterrestre. Necesidad de una estrategia de defensa

The outer space. A need of a defence strategysm

Abstract

Space technology and its derivative products have become a fundamental element for our life and for the survival and prosperity of developed societies and have as well a growing impact in those that are developing. In addition, this dependency on space will become gradually stronger in the coming years. This reality, along with the risks and challenges associated with natural phenomena, unprovoked accidents, or intentional actions carried out by other actors in space, results in the need to protect our activities in space in order to guarantee a continued access; otherwise, we will face a very negative impact on our lives as well as on the planning and execution of military operations. In general, Spanish Armed Forces enjoy a very acceptable level of space capabilities to deal with today's operating environments. However, in the context of an increasingly congested and contested outer space they have not the same availability of capabilities needed to implement an effective space control to counter malicious activities of potential adversaries, area in which it is essential to move forward.