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Consolidating Space: A Proposal To Establish A Central Forum For The Settlement Of Space-Related Disputes, Matthew J.P. Horton

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Over sixty years have passed since the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 into Earth's orbit. In that time, humanity's presence in space has flourished as technology advanced and new actors entered the scene. Despite this progress, the regime upon which the world relies to resolve space disputes has hardly changed in the fifty years of its existence. As private enterprise floods into the final frontier, how humanity will resolve the inevitable, extraterrestrial disputes is becoming a pressing concern.

The Outer Space Treaty establishes three fundamental principles of space law: (1) space is sovereignless, (2) space exploration and use must be …