Air and Space Law Commons^™

Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Moon: Is Existing Law Sufficient To Enable Resource Extraction On The Moon?, Mark J. Sundahl, Jeffrey A. Murphy

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

This Article argues that despite the existence of some open questions regarding fine points in the law and the unlikelihood of a new treaty regulating lunar activity, investors (of whatever type, whether public or private) should not be deterred due to any concern about the state of the law. The current regulatory process to launch a vehicle and operate a payload may be “clunky” in places, but it is not unduly burdensome. While there is plenty of debate about regulatory reform, it is a debate about how to improve the existing system—not necessarily to fix it. In other words, existing …

Rethinking The Highway: Integrating Delivery Drones Into Airspace Above Highways, Daniel Thompson

Indiana Law Journal

It is no secret that drones are occupying the skies, but where are they supposed to fly? Drones will need to share airspace with other aircraft, and, eventually, other drones. Considering that drones come in different shapes and sizes and serve different functions, businesses and lawmakers should coordinate to propose creative solutions. This Note proposes one such solution: municipal, state, and federal governments should lease the airspace above roads and highways to develop an infrastructure capable of supporting the unique characteristics of delivery drones.

Accountability For Sexual Assault Aboard Airplanes: An Analysis Of The Need For Reporting Requirements At 35,000 Feet, Madison L. George

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

Currently, airlines have no legal duty to report an in-flight sexual assault to law enforcement. This lack of a duty to report hinders investigations, prevents victims from receiving closure, and imposes additional liability on air carriers. This Comment suggests imposing a mandatory and uniform reporting requirement on commercial airlines. This requirement would better assist travelers and help limit airlines’ liability for in-flight sexual assault.

By examining the purposes and policies of other mandated reporting laws, it is apparent that the airline industry is an apt place to instill a duty to report. Requiring airlines to report in- flight sexual assault …

Bet On The Field: Why Field Preemption Should Apply To The Federal Aviation Act, Jack Milligan

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

One of the primary challenges facing the American aviation industry is the issue of federal preemption. Although Congress has a long history of heavy involvement in regulating the aviation industry, the Federal Aviation Act (FAAct) does not include an express preemption provision, leaving states, courts, and industry members with little guidance about the proper reach of federal and state regulations. The circuit courts are sharply divided on their approaches and answers to this question. The issue of preemption is especially important in the context of aviation manufacturing, where the federal government has prescribed a litany of different safety standards, but …

Targeting In Outer Space: An Exploration Of Regime Interactions In The Final Frontier, Caitlyn Georgeson, Matthew T. Stubbs

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

Space infrastructure is now integral to both civilian life and warfare. Belligerents may find great military advantage in destroying a satellite in orbit, but this could have grave consequences for civilians on earth and create long-lasting space debris. This Article identifies the applicable law by harmonizing international humanitarian law, human rights law, and international space law. The Authors conclude that targeting a satellite in armed conflict will be permissible only as a measure of last resort, not of first response.

Can We Address Orbital Debris With The International Law We Already Have? An Examination Of Treaty Interpretation And The Due Regard Principle, John S. Goehring

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

India’s controversial anti-satellite test in 2019 provides the United States an opportunity to demonstrate leadership in preventing future debris-generating events. However, new international space laws or norms are unlikely. Instead, the United States could look to the international space law already in place, particularly the due regard principle contained within Article IX of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty (Article IX). Ignored throughout its history, Article IX’s due regard principle has untapped potential. States, through their practice in the application of treaties, can shape the interpretation of treaty provisions in order to accommodate changing circumstances. The United States has experience in …

Climate Change Management In The Space Age, Paul B. Larsen

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

This Article is about how we can use space technology and regulation to help overcome adverse effects of climate change on Earth. It describes the growing use and importance of outer space technology for monitoring, understanding, and resolving the problems of climate change. It describes precedents for the current climate crisis, discusses relevant international space laws, and explains how they fit into the existing international laws on climate change. It emphasizes the oversight role of the United Nations (“U.N.”). It describes the heavy duties placed by current climate laws on the developed countries compared with the developing countries. It explains …

Contingency Fuel Reduction In Brazil, Diogo Youssef, Fabiano Gomes De Oliveira, Joao Centeno, Luciano Figueiredo, Leila Halawi

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

This project reviews the minimum fuel regulations for commercial passenger flights in different countries and intends to scientifically support a change in the existing contingency fuel requirement regulation in Brazil. This change represents fuel savings for Brazilian air operations, and it deploys into a competitive advantage for Brazilian airlines compared to foreign air operators.

Discussion: The objective of this project is to provide the Brazilian civil aviation regulators with the necessary data to justify the reduction of the contingency fuel values from the current 10% to 5%. This project bases the analysis on the historical data of fuel planning and …

Blais V. Rhode Island Airport Corp., 212 A.3d 604 (R.I. 2019), Sarah Friedman

Roger Williams University Law Review

No abstract provided.

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 …

Structuring The Governance Of Space Activities Worldwide, Frans G. Von Der Dunk

Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications Law Program: Faculty Publications

I. Introduction

II. The Structure of Governance under International Space Law: The Problems

III. The Structure of Governance under International Space Law: The Solutions?

IV. Conclusion

Introduction

Outer space is widely considered to be something of a global commons, an international domain outside the jurisdiction of any country that “belongs to no state and is, in law, as such not subject to appropriation, though its resources are.” This is also reflected by key provisions of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, the most comprehensive convention on outer space and space activities, notably that “[o]uter space, including the moon and other celestial …

Air Ambulances And State Contract Claims: The Opening To Avoid Ada Preemption, John David Janicek

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

No abstract provided.

The Not So Friendly Skies: Pilots’ Attempt To Claim Employer Collusion With Rival Pilots Union During Collective Bargaining Fails In Beckington, Drew Baker

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

No abstract provided.

Minimum Wage Requirements: Seventh Circuit Perpetuates Employer-Friendly Flsa Interpretation, Ashley Jo Zaccagnini

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

No abstract provided.

The Ninth Circuit’S Left Hook: Criminal Venue In The Skies And Why Lozoya Hits The Mark, Christopher Thomson

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

No abstract provided.

Unfair Disclosure—Adopting A Limited Consultant Corollary For Foia’S Exemption 5 In Attorney Work–Product Cases Preserves Litigation Parity For Agencies Like The Faa, Ellen Smith Yost

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

No abstract provided.

Eu Air Passengers’ Rights Past, Present, And Future: In An Uncertain World (Regulation (Ec) 261/2004: Evaluation And Case Study), Sarah Jane Fox, Luis Martín-Domingo

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

Passenger rights have continued to be strengthened following deregulation in the European Union (EU—previously the European Community) with common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding, cancellation, and long flight delays. In January 2020, the European Commission (EC) stated that “these rights need to be better known and easier to understand and enforced.” This article considers the emerging role of Claims Management Companies (CMCs) as a step to aid passengers in achieving redress against airlines, undertaking a case study of a CMC in Spain.

The research also addresses the complexities of airline passenger rights, …

Autonomous Doctrine: Operationalizing The Law Of Armed Conflict In The Employment Of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems, Peter C. Combe Ii

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract forthcoming

Avoiding Pyrrhic Victories In Orbit: A Need For Kinetic Anti-Satellite Arms Control In The Twenty-First Century, Captain Cort S. Thompson

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

On March 27, 2019, India launched a direct ascent anti-satellite (ASAT) weapon, aimed at the Indian Ministry of Defense satellite Microsat-R. The kinetic-energy ASAT weapon collided with Microsat-R at an altitude of nearly 300 kilometers, creating an estimated 250 pieces of trackable debris from the 740-kilogram satellite. With this effective demonstration of ASAT capability, India became only the fourth nation to successfully intercept an orbiting satellite in the sixty-one years since the U.S.S.R. placed into orbit the first artificial satellite, Sputnik. While India’s demonstration purported to take deliberate steps to mitigate some of the risk associated with a …

Federal Dollars For All Humankind: Using Procurement Law To Increase Diversity In The Space Industry, Nicole A. Williamson

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

This Article explores how to employ federal government contracting programs to increase gender and racial diversity within the space industry. Part II of the Article touches briefly on the importance of diversity generally and examines the underrepresentation of women and minorities within the $325 billion industry surrounding outer space activities. Part III provides a high-level overview of federal government contracting, in particular focusing on Small Business Administration programs intended to benefit small businesses, minority-owned businesses, and women-owned businesses. Part IV concentrates on contracting within the space industry. Part V offers three suggestions to increase contract awards to women and minority …