Space
Right now, outer space and celestial bodies are mostly regulated by the laws of physics, not human laws. Still, they hold a great promise as the final frontier, an endless production field for future mining companies, a great place for futuristic vacation, a possible new home for our species, and even as a domain for warfare. As people advance beyond the skies, they bring their laws with them. Explore the cosmic laws, existing and those that are yet to come, and take a sneak peak at what the human endeavors in the stars would be like.
Claiming That Space Is not a Commons Is a Bad Strategy
A recent U.S. House Bill, H.R.2809 – American Space Commerce Free Enterprise Act, includes a section stating, “Notwithstanding any other provision of law, outer space shall not be considered a global commons.” I share some of the concerns underlying this move, but question whether it is the most effective strategy to legally defend either American …
Space Lawyer Ian Perry: Current Lack of Real Property Rights on Celestial Bodies Will Run Into Problems
In the previous part of the space law interview, we talked with Mr. Perry mostly about United States laws on space, and only scratched the surface of the international dimension of this legislative area. This time, we took a closer look at the international agreements on space, and, most importantly, at what they could be …
Space Lawyer Ian Perry: U.S. Law Treats Space Resources Like Fish in the Ocean
As the humanity draws nearer to the final frontier, its interests logically change from purely scientific to something more business-oriented. Space tourism is already a thing, private companies are already launching rockets to the Low Earth orbit (LEO), and chances are we’ll see a privately owned space station the next decade. The rules of the …
SpaceFab.US CEO Randy Chung: U.S. Government Is Providing an Encouraging Environment for Commercial Spaceflight
Spaceflight has become something a private company could do on par with nation states relatively recently, however, there are numerous examples of commercial firms launching their own spacecraft these days. Some of them even go as far as to plan mining operations on asteroids, despite the existing legal ambiguity of such endeavors. In order to …
Asteroid Mining: Terrestrial Regulations for Extraterrestrial Activities
For many people asteroid and extraterrestrial mining still seems quite implausible. However, Michio Kaku, a well-known American theoretical physicist, says it can happen soon enough: “Thomas Jefferson bought Louisiana [editor’s note: The Louisiana Purchase] and wrote that it can take a thousand years, a thousand years before they can then begin to settle the West. …
Trump’s Space Force Launches Legal and Political Controversy
On Monday, June 18th, President Trump directed the Pentagon to establish a new branch of the U.S. military — Space Force. The move has already garnered criticism from peaceful space proponents and became the reason for debates regarding the position of the future Space Force within the existing department structure. “We are going to have …