Currently, the Chinese space station has entered the formal operational phase. Scientific research in the areas of Earth, the space between Earth and the sun, and biology has become a primary form of international cooperation in the aerospace field. Data in international cooperation on space stations serves as both a crucial bridge for collaborative exchange and a key element in the space competition among nations. However, the protection and rational utilization of space station data present new challenges to existing legal protection systems, such as triggering conflicts over data sovereignty, jurisdictional contradictions, and disputes over data ownership.
From an international perspective, the long-term competition between China and the United States will continue. China and Europe share broad common interests and similar strategic aspirations. Europe has established a system for the protection of space station data, including the establishment of the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) and the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA). Through negotiations and the signing of a series of agreements, Europe ensures comprehensive protection for space data during cross-border transmission. Leveraging the collaborative efforts of European countries in space station activities, Europe holds strong advantages in the development of space military alliances and space exploration technologies. In the realm of international space station data protection systems, Europe could provide China with certain reference points.
The purpose of this study is to analyze the institutional aspects and hope to identify the obstacles to cooperation between China and Europe in the field of space stations, while promoting multi-party cooperation on space data through such analysis.
