Monthly archive January, 2017

Regulation of space resource rights: Meeting the needs of States and private parties

1. Introduction This article addresses new developments and open issues concerning space resource rights. It explains the advent of space mining as a new industry and puts it in the context of current international law. It analyses to what extent current international law provides answers to the legal questions that arise from this activity. It...

Common heritage, not common law: How international law will regulate proposals to exploit space resources

1. The ‘rise’ of common law Largely in response to lobbying by industry of members of Congress, in November 2015, the US Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act (CSLCA) entered into law.[1] The legislation covers a variety of space-related issues and activities, including international launch competitiveness, indemnification for space flight participants, certain safety standard requirements, Government...

New developments and open issues concerning off-Earth mining: Interpretative and law-making challenges in light of the current legal regime

Introduced by Elena Carpanelli   In light of rapid technological developments, prospecting and extraction of space resources have moved away from the realm of science fiction and are about to become a feasible reality. Two private companies – Planetary Resources and Deep Space Industries – have publicly announced detailed plans to execute missions to mine...