Policy and Legal Implications of Sea-based Satellite Launches
Abstract
The history of Space law is one that "has developed as required to resolve the problems of the time. Since Space activities have been predominately governmental activities to date, most Space law is public law," (Collins, 1992, pg. 1). This paper addresses policy and legal issues that pertain to seabased Space launches. Sea-based Space launch is a relatively new endeavor that has not previously been subject to specific policy or law. Even so, many policy issues exist which directly relate to this new venture, to include policies relating to the commercialization of Space, policies deriving from the provisions of the Outer Space Treaty (OST), policies mandated through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) launch licensing requirements and policies implementing provisions of the Liability Convention. The main focus of this article will be to examine each of these areas on its own merits, but such an examination would be fruitless without a foundational understanding of the market within which Sea Launch exists. Once this foundation has been laid, the policies and international law governing Sea Launch will have the context necessary to be understandable.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA524900
Entities
People
- Jorge Rangel
Organizations
- United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command