Is space law broken?
12.12.2006 19:57 Space - Source: Space Politics
Is space law broken?
G. Madhavan Nair seems to think so. Nair, the chairman of the Indian space agency ISRO, told attendees of an Indian Law Institute seminar that "International Space Law" is losing its relevance because of new developments, such as orbital debris and space weaponization. The space law he refers to is the series of treaties anchored by the Outer Space Treaty (OST) that governs, at the broadest level, what countries and their representatives can and cannot do in space. "There is a need to replace the entire set of treaties by a comprehensive space law," Nair said.
The idea of revisiting or replacing the OST and related treaties is not new, although it's rare to hear the head of a space agency make such a suggestion. (Usually, such calls come from space advocates concerned about sovereignty and property rights issues.) Actually making such a change, though, is easier said than done: there's no broad consensus yet that the OST needs revision or replacement, and doing so could open up a very big bag of worms.
Posted by Jeff at December 1, 2006 05:40 AM
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