New partnerships in space projects: the legal and policy implications of public and private partners regarding the ISS
- Paper number
IAC-11,E7,7.-B3.8,3,x11179
- Author
Prof. Lesley Jane Smith, Leuphana University of Lüneburg/Weber-Steinhaus & Smith, Germany
- Coauthor
Dr. Vasilis Zervos, International Space University (ISU), France
- Coauthor
Ms. Carla Sharpe, Foundation for Space Development South Africa, South Africa
- Year
2011
- Abstract
This paper examines the introduction of new partners to international projects such as the International Space Station (ISS) from an economic and policy standpoint. Firstly, this requires an examination of both public and private partnerships. Partnerships such as these can be formed on the basis of synergies/complementarities, whereby each partner contributes with respect to its comparative advantage or, alternatively, on a non-complementary basis. The latter approach to international projects implies a lack of synergetic benefits owed to partners that contribute assets that are substitutes. This in turn allows strategic benefits that can take the form of monopolization, containment, or avoidance of duplication, depending on the strategic environment. In the case of introducing new partners, for example China, this requires a re-examination of the existing framework and the future of the ISS. This allows an investigation as to whether China can contribute to the next ‘phase’ of the ISS in a synergetic manner, or whether such cooperation is based on different strategic benefits for the partners. The analysis compares alternative scenarios and outcomes with respect to the future development of ISS and relevant programs towards examining this dilemma.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
(absent)