Space is obviously the final frontier of exploration for human beings and there is so little known about space that there seems to be unquenchable thirst for knowledge in this area, an insatiable hunger for more exploration and an unstoppable drive for further discovery. Being the least accessible environment to mankind, space is also the least regulated. There are actually some international conventions which regulate the use of space, however, they are very limited. As history progresses, it appears certain that space law will develop and become more sophisticated.

There are five major treaties in existence which govern the use of space by nation states, being organisations which are members of the United Nations. The first was the 1967 Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies (the “Outer Space Treaty”). This is the most important treaty because it prevents parties from establishing nuclear weapons or any other weapons of mass destruction in orbit of Earth, on the Moon or any other celestial body, or to otherwise station them in outer space. The Moon and other celestial bodies are to be used only for peaceful purposes The treaty also states that the exploration of outer space shall be done to benefit all countries and shall be free for exploration and use by all States.

Some of the other agreements include the 1968 Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, the Return of Astronauts and the Return of Objects Launched into Outer Space (the “Rescue Agreement”) and the The 1972 Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects (the “Liability Convention”). A system of registration of outer space objects is created by the 1975 Convention on Registration of Objects Launched Into Outer Space (the “Registration Convention”). There is also the 1979 Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies (the “Moon Treaty”). The increasing commercialization of space will mean that legal knowledge of space law will be applicable to the business world and if you have a query about space law we would be more than happy to hear from you.