Space Law
LAW 650 | 2 Hours
Space Law is comprised of two primary areas: (1) international law (treaties); and (2) U.S. Federal law (legislation and regulations – – mostly by the FAA). The international law governs how countries have agreed to utilize space and regard one another’s interests there, from governmental uses such as scientific exploration to commercial uses such as communications satellites. The international law developed rapidly after the launch of Sputnik in 1957 with the seminal treaty, The Outer Space Treaty (OST), being let for signature on January 27, 1967. Due to the efforts of the U.S., the OST permits not just governments to enter space (a position advocated for by the USSR), but also private companies. Since private companies can enter space, the U.S. has been enacting and amending legislation since 1984—the year of passage of the Commercial Space Launch Act (CSLA)–to encourage private companies to develop space technologies and enter the space industry. With NASA now returning humans to the Moon, and China doing so as well, it is anticipated that further more specific laws will be needed to govern lunar activities both from the international.