Multilateral Space Treaties

Space activity of necessity sits within an international regulatory framework. There is an interrelationship between the international framework and national space law and national space policies.

So, it is imperative for national regulators to find an appropriate balance between on the one hand, the need for a State to protect itself from potential liability issues and to comply with its international obligations and, on the other, to facilitate, promote and assist the development of national commercial utilisation of space related activities giving rise to benefits for the country – particularly given the rapid increase in national commercial Space actors.

There are five UN Treaties on outer Space.

They are:

• The Outer Space Treaty
• The Liability Convention
• The Registration Convention
• The Moon Agreement.

Forged by International Co-Operation and rooted in Public International Law they may appear to be remote UN Treaties having little to do with contemporary commercial space activity.

In fact these Treaties remain central to Space exploration and future exploitation of space resources and knowledge of them is essential to the operational requirements of a space mission.

We advise on the terms of these essential Treaties and how they must be recognised in the context of your Space mission.