PL | EN

A future space war, the law in space, and the new rogue planet

The scientists postulate an international agreement to prevent or limit a space war that may occur in the future. With the U.S. creating its Space Force last year and more and more countries growing the capabilities of launching satellites, the danger of tensions in the orbit is on the rise. The U.S. officials feel that their country is threatened since more than one-third of the functioning satellites belong to it. The early-missile-warning system relies on only ten satellites and military command and control on six satellites. The officials fear a “space Pearl Harbor” as there aren’t real means of defending them. Until now, countries failed to form a universal, binding set of rules for the way they act in space.

While Elon Musk revealed the plan of creating a self-sustaining city on Mars, his company SpaceX will not abide by international law while there. The terms of use of the Starlink – a set of satellites revolving around Earth to be used for providing the internet on Mars as well – state: “(…)the parties recognize Mars as a free planet and that no Earth-based government has authority or sovereignty over Martian activities”. It offers to settle disputes in good faith and via “self-governing principles” instead.

Astronomers have spotted a “rogue” planet floating in our galaxy. Having mass roughly between Earth and Mars it is the smallest of such lone planets found to date. Scientists believe that the so-called rogue planets were ejected from their planetary systems through gravitational interactions and they could be a great source of knowledge about the history of planet systems. The new planet was found thanks to “gravitational microlensing” that comes as a result of bending the light of more distant stars. This kind of observation is extremely rare.

Read also
Green energy in the USA and a way to recycle wind turbine blades
In the Texas region, the cradle of the world’s oil and gas industry, Entergy is building its state-of-the-art power plant. A $1.5 billion project will produce electricity by burning gas and hydrogen. In the latter case, no greenhouse gases are produced due to combustion. Recent US regulations and the stance of the Environmental Protection Agency […]
The latest cancer treatment therapies and the use of medical marijuana
CAR-T therapy is one of the latest hopes for a successful treatment for patients suffering from multiple myeloma, an aggressive form of bone marrow cancer. The therapy uses genetically modified immune cells to treat cancer – manipulating the genes allows the immune cells to better detect and destroy malignant cells in the patient’s blood, bone […]
The future of the Internet and the South China Sea rivalry
Dr Maurizio Geri, a former NATO analyst, said the future of the Internet depends on the outcome of the China-US rivalry in the South China Sea. That sea is not only a key world trade route, as a popular submarine cable route is hidden under its surface. Controlling the flow of data and information is […]
Attacks on human rights activists and the state of press freedom in the world
According to a report by the British Business & Human Rights Resource Center, in 2022, Brazil topped the list of the most dangerous countries for human rights and trade union activists. Sixty-three attacks on activists were recorded there. Then there are India and Mexico, with 54 and 44 attacks, respectively. Cambodia, the Philippines, Honduras, Belarus, […]
A “tattoo” for your heart made from graphene and “cyborg cells” in medicine
Researchers at Northwestern University have developed a graphene “tattoo” that can treat an abnormally low heart rate. It was proved by experiments on rats when such an electronic “tattoo” was glued to their central organ of the circulatory system. The device acts as a pacemaker, delivering electrical signals that keep the heart working properly. Combining […]
Previous issues
By clicking "Subscribe", I consent to the sending of the Outriders newsletter by Outriders Sp. not-for-profit Sp. z o.o. and I accept the terms .
Sign up