United Nations

Indiahas said outer space should remain a realm for cooperation, not conflict, calling for a legally binding international instrument to prevent an arms race in space.

"India is a major space-faring nation. Our space programme has both developmental and security dimensions," Member of Parliament Sudha Murty said here on Tuesday, while delivering India's statement on outer space at the UN General Assembly First Committee.

“India believes that outer space belongs to all of us. We are one Earth, one family with one future. It is our view that outer space should remain a realm for cooperation, not conflict,” she said.

Noting the emergence of new actors in the outer space domain, Murty said dual-use space technologies and assets had become a reality.

"A difference of opinion continues on approaches to preventing an arms race in outer space and on which approach should take priority,” she said.

India reiterated its preferences for a legally binding instrument on the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS) that is universally acceptable, verifiable and negotiated multilaterally at the Conference on Disarmament. Murty said India is also open to universal and non-discriminatory, non-binding norms and transparency and confidence-building measures, but stressed that these could complement, not substitute, a legally binding instrument.

India also emphasised that threats to the safety, security and sustainability of outer space, the risk of misunderstanding and miscalculation, and the threshold for what constitutes the use of force in space must be considered together.

“A selective focus on some threats or others would be counterproductive. Verifying space behaviour, including access to relevant information and data, also poses real challenges. Mandates of various fora focusing on space security, safety, and sustainability must be respected,” Murty said.

She added that overlaps and the creation of multiple standards on the same set of issues should be avoided.