Law Commons^™

Full Spectrum Space Deterrence: From Laws To Technology, Joshua Carlson

Honors Theses

Conflict in space is becoming an ever-real possibility, with the potential of rendering the space completely useless for future generations. Current talks are centered around limiting or preventing any weapons deployed to space, but this is not the most effective way of dealing with the issue. The focus should shift to agreeing on how nations should act responsibly in space together instead of preventing nations from acting at all. The best way of accomplishing this goal is by improving satellite design, creating agreed upon and understood rules of engagement, fostering widespread cooperation between nations, and choosing not to be the …

The Regulation Of Space Tourism, Frans G. Von Der Dunk

Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications Law Program: Faculty Publications

Space tourism has to be regulated as a subset of private spaceflight activities, whereby humans are sent to outer space in a fundamentally private context. In addition to space law, air law would be relevant for addressing private spaceflight, but neither regime has at the international level regulated relevant activities to any appreciable extent. They provide little more than a set of guiding overarching principles. Much of the onus of future regulation will fall on the shoulders of individual states, most notably the United States. In the more distant future, this may result in a special international regime, using elements …

Space Law And Gnss—A Look At The Legal Frameworks For “Outer Space”, Frans G. Von Der Dunk

Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications Law Program: Faculty Publications

Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), obviously, make crucial use of satellites operating in an area commonly known as “outer space,” raising issues regarding which specific body of law might rule the operations of such satellite systems. Though the “horizontal” boundary between outer space and the underlying area of airspaces has never been authoritatively defined, it has generally been agreed that those two areas differ fundamentally as to the legal regimes ruling them, giving rise indeed to a specific body of “space law.”

The Integrated Approach—Regulating Private Human Spaceflight As Space Activity, Aircraft Operation, And High-Risk Adventure Tourism, Frans G. Von Der Dunk

Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications Law Program: Faculty Publications

One of the overriding issues concerning private human spaceflight concerns how to properly regulate this specific new type of activity. Noting that in the discussion regarding regulation thereof usually the three distinct regimes of space law, air law and high-risk adventure tourism law are drawn upon to look for solutions, the present paper addresses the key elements of each of these approaches as they are to some extent already currently being applied and where, as a consequence, gaps and overlaps arise, as well as presents an effort to address the latter in a sensible, coherent, efficient and feasible manner.

Towards 'Flags Of Convenience' In Space?, Frans G. Von Der Dunk

Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications Law Program: Faculty Publications

With the increasing privatization of outer space activities, the issue of appropriate national licensing thereof and the consequent risks of cheap 'flags of convenience' being sought for the purpose is becoming more relevant. The paper assesses the possibility of such 'flags of convenience' arising in the context of space activities, as well as what could be done about it, all with reference to the law of the sea where the concept originally was coined.

Contradictio In Terminis Or Realpolitik? A Qualified Plea For A Role Of 'Soft Law' In The Context Of Space Activities, Frans G. Von Der Dunk

Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications Law Program: Faculty Publications

Discusses the issue of 'soft law' in the context of space activities, the characteristics of 'law' and '(international) space law,' the role of 'law' per se in the context of space activities, the use of qualified language in legal documents (including clauses beginning with words like should or may).

It is finally submitted that, while never losing sight of the benefits of a clear and coherent legal framework probably still best reflected through a treaty regime, in the arena of space activities there is considerable benefit from such mechanisms usually labelled 'soft law', whether in the context of customary …

The Origins Of Authorisation: Article Vi Of The Outer Space Treaty And International Space Law, Frans G. Von Der Dunk

Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications Law Program: Faculty Publications

First three paragraphs:

The issue of authorisation of private space activities, the key theme of the present book, ultimately goes back to the principled political disagreements in the 50s and 60s between the two (then) superpowers in space, the United States and the Soviet Union, on the proper role of other entities than states in space activities. The Soviet Union, true to its communist ideology, was squarely against any private activities in most economically-relevant areas of society, but certainly so in an area of such strategic concern as outer space. l By contrast, the United States throughout its existence has …

Liability And Insurance In The Context Of National Authorisation, A. Kerrest De Rozavel, F. G. Von Der Dunk

Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications Law Program: Faculty Publications

First three paragraphs:

It is probably difficult to overstate the importance of liability and the related area of insurance when domestic legislation in the field of space activities is concerned, as such activities still constitute a relatively hazardous undertaking and the risks of something going horribly wrong are always close at hand. Moreover, though fortunately so far major accidents as a consequence of space activities—at least on earth—have not occurred, if they would occur there should be little doubt that they may cause major damage, potentially even of a catastrophic size. As a consequence, the question as regards who would …

The Issue Of National Security In The Context Of National Space Legislation—Comparing European And Non-European States, F. G. Von Der Dunk

Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications Law Program: Faculty Publications

First three paragraphs:

The inherent dual-use character of most, if not all space activities cannot fail to exercise a considerable impact also on the involvement of private actors in space. Much technology used for and/or developed by private space activities may potentially be put at the use of those wishing to change a particular political status quo, and likewise the material results of some private space activities may, consciously or inadvertently, come to be used against the national security interests of one state or another. Hence, issues of national security will likely also have an effect on the issue of …

Space Law In The Age Of The International Space Station, Frans Von Der Dunk

Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications Law Program: Faculty Publications

This article focuses on the special context where humans from various nations work and live together in one orbiting laboratory, the International Space Station (ISS), and the legal rules pertinent to those activities. This essentially concerns the application of an existing body of international treaties on space and space activities to the ISS, as well as the special legal framework that has been established to deal with the various ramifications of this very international operating environment. Within that context moreover, the specific European parameters stemming from the fact that the European Space Agency (ESA) serves as the vehicle for the …

Big Brother Or Eye In The Sky? Legal Aspects Of Space-Based Geo-Lnformation For Disaster Management, Frans Von Der Dunk

Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications Law Program: Faculty Publications

Amongst the methods of gathering geo-information inter alia for disaster management purposes, the use of satellites is a particularly interesting one in view of their global coverage. In this area a number of recent interesting developments have taken place, such as the establishment of a Charter on Space and Major Disasters, and the rapidly evolving plans for GMES and GEOSS. These developments raise a number of legal issues, related to state responsibility, state liability, and the respective roles of intergovernmental organizations and commercial and/or private entities in this regard. These issues cannot be easily solved, since the international legal environment …

Sovereignty Versus Space - Public Law And Private Launch In The Asian Context, Frans G. Von Der Dunk

Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications Law Program: Faculty Publications

In the more than forty years which have gone by since the birth of space law, there has not been a more revolutionary development than the rapidly increasing involvement of private entities in space activities. International space law in the narrow sense—essentially five space treaties and five United Nations Resolutions on space constituting the core of the corpus juris spatialis internationalis— developed for its most fundamental part when only states (and a few international organisations) were undertaking space activities in any meaningful sense of the word. Its exclusively public character, for example in terms of rights and obligations provided …