Closing the pacing gap: How emerging space nations are influencing sustainability norms
As space becomes more crowded and commercially active, the rules and institutions that govern it are struggling to keep pace. Dr. Minoo Rathnasabapathy (Human Systems Lab) looks at how newer spacefaring countries are helping turn broad international principles into practical approaches for sharing orbital resources, reducing risks, and making space activities more sustainable.
Author: Minoo Rathnasabapathy
Citation: MIT Science Policy Review, Volume 7 (2026)
Abstract:
Space debris and congestion are growing across Earth’s critical orbits, driving increased collision and interference risks for satellite operators. This paper uses the term “pacing gap” to describe the mismatch between the speed of technological and commercial change and the slower, incremental pace of policy development, coordination, and implementation in the space industry. It argues that the pacing gap is increasingly shaped not only by time, but by alignment between evolving operational realities and the institutions that allocate access, define responsibilities, and structure risk.
Focusing on emerging space nations, the paper examines how sustainability norms are being co-produced across three key institutional settings: the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN COPUOS), including the voluntary Long-term Sustainability (LTS) Guidelines; the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) system for spectrum and orbit coordination; and the Artemis Accords as a faster-moving set of political commitments for future exploration. Across these governance arenas, emerging space nations are moving from general alignment toward implementation-focused engagement. This includes voluntary reporting, engaging in regional benchmarking mechanisms, coordination practices, and operational commitments. Rather than accelerating consensus-based diplomacy, these efforts narrow the translation distance between agreed principles and practice, and shape how sustainability expectations are interpreted, adopted, and operationalized in an increasingly congested orbital environment.
