September 2026
Who taxes space? - new challenges for the space economy
... from policymakers and industry alike. First, the non-appropriation principle. Article II of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty (OST) establishes that outer space is not subject to national appropriation by any means. The rationale behind this provision was...
May 2020
Protecting areas of scientific importance on the Moon
... would have few qualms about moving into regions of scientific importance. The present ratified treaties, most notably the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, forbid any sovereignty claims over any area of the Moon. This means that...
February 2022
A new legal system for space
..., got me thinking about the laws that are applicable in space. Many governments signed the UN Outer Space Treaty (OST) in 1967, but the OST only governs what governments do in space, not private companies. Five decades ago, the thought...
April 2026
Future-building in space - sustainability as first principle
... how to preserve the capability of future generations to meet their needs. This is the nub of the sustainability ethic. Space treaties, ethos, technology and access have been leveraged for some incredible moments of human solidarity and success...
March 2016
Space Mining – the Reality of Tomorrow?
... asteroid mining of small and potentially hazardous bodies would seem much more permissible under the Outer Space Treaty than efforts to establish national or private colonies on the Moon or to undertake mining operations on the Moon. Up to three...
November 2018
Why we should not assume that war in space is ‘inevitable’
... the “benefit and in the interests of all countries”, as specified in the Outer Space Treaty, to which virtually all space-faring nations, including the major powers, are bound as parties. And what implications do such sentiments have ...
