Space Law
How international law governs activities in outer space, from the Outer Space Treaty to modern challenges of space debris and commercial exploitation.
The Outer Space Treaty
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty is the foundational document of space law. Negotiated during the Cold War space race, it established principles that still govern space activities. Outer space is the 'province of all mankind' and cannot be appropriated by any nation. The Moon and other celestial bodies must be used exclusively for peaceful purposes. Nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction may not be placed in orbit or on celestial bodies. States bear international responsibility for national space activities, including those of private entities.
The treaty has been ratified by over 110 states, including all major space-faring nations. It was remarkably forward-looking for its time, but it was written when space activities were exclusively governmental. The rise of commercial space companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, and dozens of others was not anticipated, and the treaty's provisions on private activities are vague.