Military-space Cooperation of the BRICS Countries and the Militarization of Outer Space

The purpose of the study. The article presents a comprehensive analysis of the military and political aspects of space cooperation between the BRICS countries in the context of the increasing militarization of near-Earth space and the crisis of universal international legal regimes. The study aims to identify the specifics and dynamics of interaction between key emerging and traditional space powers within the framework of the association, as well as to assess their combined potential in contrast to the dominance of traditional space superpowers. Within the framework of this goal, tasks are being solved to study the evolution of the legal regime of outer space, to compare the military space potentials of the participating countries, to assess the effectiveness of existing coordination mechanisms (such as a Working Group and a Consortium of Space Agencies) and to formulate specific promising areas for strengthening strategic partnership in the field of security. Results. As a result of the conducted research, the author concluded that cooperation within the framework of BRICS has a unique and significant potential for the formation of a balanced, stable and multipolar space security architecture, an alternative to models dominated by one superpower. Despite the continuing organizational, legal and financial challenges associated with the harmonization of legislation, cost allocation and the creation of uniform standards, the association demonstrates a steady positive trend – the evolution from disparate initiatives and virtual structures to a full-fledged strategic partnership and institutionalization, for example, the creation of a Space Agency Forum. The key advantage is the integration of the competencies of the participants: the technological power of Russia and China, the growing opportunities of India, the niche potential of Brazil, South Africa and the new members of the association. This complementarity, supported by pragmatic civilian projects (the joint remote sensing grouping), creates the necessary foundation of trust for the transition to more complex forms of interaction in the military-political sphere, such as coordination in the field of space control, the development of confidence-building measures and joint standards of responsible behavior. Thus, BRICS represents an emerging competitive center of power capable of ensuring the technological sovereignty of its members, strengthening their negotiating positions on the global stage and becoming a real stabilizing factor making a practical contribution to preventing an arms race and ensuring the long-term sustainability of space activities. Further consolidation of efforts in this direction seems not only promising, but also necessary to maintain strategic parity in the new geopolitical space.