New Means of Warfare against Orbital Targets, a thin line between Compliance and Violation of the International Conflict Law

In the context of the new attention given by the states to the three strategic "oceans", the air and space domain embodies duality. On the air side, the rule of law is already quite clear. The real issue revolves around the space side of the subject. Given the growing need for space facilities to ensure a coherent military strategy, force projection, surveillance, intelligence, etc. It is necessary to address the legality of conducting an attack in orbital space against such installations.

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New and Old Issues in Space Security: from Space Debris Removal to Italy’s Call for Satellite Protection

Following the recognition by Italy of space as a domain for military operations, the country must increase the robustness and the protection of its satellites. This decision aligns with international and transnational organisations of which Italy is a member, such as the European Space Agency (ESA) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). The problem to be tackled is active attacks in space and the always present issue of space and orbital debris.

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The issue of the dependence of European commercial and institutional space projects on foreign technologies : Is it time to be autonomous in terms of commercially competitive launchers?

Space control is becoming increasingly important. What until now has been one of the most peaceful areas of international collaboration, despite the fierce competition for technological progress, is beginning to become an area of conflict. The consequences of the events in Ukraine, and the sanctions imposed in response to them, are also having repercussions in this field.

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COSMO-SkyMed: Second Generation satellite launched

On 1 February 2022, the second satellite of the COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation (CSG) constellation was successfully launched at 00.11 CET from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida (USA), with a SpaceX Falcon 9 carrier. COSMO-SkyMed (COnstellation of small Satellites for Mediterranean basin Observation) is the first dual system civil and military, of terrestrial observation radar satellites. It is the Italian component of an Italian-French system resulting from the Turin agreement, a bilateral intergovernmental agreement signed in 2001. In its final configuration, the bilateral system ORFEO has 4 Italian X-band radar satellites, COSMO-SkyMed, and 2 French optical satellites, Pleiades, thus increasing overall capacities.

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A bold new frontier: the EU’s venture in space security

The security of outer space has proven to be quite a complex and rapidly evolving policy field, requiring a similarly prompt response from nations around the globe. In the European Union, the problem is compounded by the vertical separation of power between the EU and its Member States, including the principle of conferral, which hinders the creation of a unified policy.

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