Ethical and Moral dimension of possible military conflicts in the Outer Space

Abstract

The use of outer space, name employed in this work although it is also frequent extra-terrestrial space, was born and developed under military interests of the two involved superpowers, and has always been present from the star of the Spatial Age. In the last decades the militarization of space has increased notably, threatening its pacific use which was the main interest of its international regulation. In parallel, it has enormously increased many civilian services and applications, in a fast and vast way due to the new technological developments, not foreseen when the Outer Space Treaty was signed. These activities have expanded up to a grade in which humanity rely on many applications based in outer space and many are dual-use, civil and military, which support and hold up essential economic global activities. The risk of using force in or from outer space cannot be avoided and the reflection from the military ethics is required to keep away that a global commons of humanity become a scene for conflicts and wars.