Recent events (for example the International Space Station, the US Missile Defence Shield, the conflict in Iraq, the internet and advanced satellite communications, the use of GPS navigation systems, disaster management, the use of satellites for intelligence gathering) illustrate the need to regulate the use of space and to determine the legal implications of current and future space activities. Important ‘new’ uses of space may soon become a reality – for example space tourism, the possibility of commercial exploitation of mineral and water resources of the Moon and elsewhere, the completion of the International Space Station and other similar permanent space vehicles and even future settlements on the Moon and beyond.

The international politics associated with outer space – often based on ideological grounds - impacts on how this international regulation can best be achieved. This is complicated by the fact that outer space has traditionally been regarded as part of the common heritage of mankind, though this is increasingly at odds with the current commercial activities, as well as the military and strategic uses of space. It is therefore necessary to understand the evolution, legal framework and organisational structures of space law, in order to comprehend the legal context in which this diverse range of activities take place and to examine the various legal ‘vacuums’ that still exist.

Objectives of the Course include:
to understand the historical evolution of the existing legal regime