Sending human ashes and personal mementoes to the Moon is now possible, but it opens up a maze of legal and ethical conundrums.
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Articles on Outer Space Treaty
Displaying 1 - 20 of 29 articles
Japan’s space agency is landing its first lunar probe this week. This makes the Moon an increasingly busy target for spacefaring nations – with conflicting political stances among them.
Climate change and the nuclear threat are raising concerns about our planet’s future ability to support human life. If we launch a species survival mission, who should go?
A US-led coalition and China are both planning to establish bases on the Moon. How the two nations will navigate actions on the Moon and how other countries will be involved is still unclear.
Our reliance on space infrastructure means that conflict in space would have global catastrophic consequences. But a recent declaration by the United States provides hope.
In the past 10 years, international alliances on Earth have begun to expand into space. Nations with similar interests collaborate with one another while competing with other space blocs.
Several current programs aim at sending humans back to the Moon. What would be the purpose, and what are the real prospects?
A change of government in the USA means less risk of ‘space war’ and more hope for peaceful cooperation.
NASA’s new Artemis Accords will clearly test international treaties governing the extraction of resources and bans on territorial claims.
US and international law conflicts about who would be in charge if a private company established a Moon base or colonized Mars.
Governments and corporations must get serious about the legal, technical, economic, social and ethical implications of a potential space-based resource economy.
Following announcements by France and the US, NATO is expected to start using space weapons.
NASA is reportedly investigating the first alleged crime in space. But criminal jurisdiction aboard the International Space Station is much more straightforward than it would be for space tourists.
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In the fourth episode of our podcast series, we look at the practical, legal and ethical questions about going to set up base on the moon – and mining its resources.
This are looking up when it comes to launching things into space from Australia. The rules on what can be launched are currently under review and open for comment.
A new study suggests that we should limit ourselves to developing just one eight of the solar system.
On 27 March, India announced it had successfully conducted an anti-satellite missile test, Mission Shakti. India is now the fourth country in the world displaying this capability.
Throughout the world, unique sites of natural and cultural heritage are protected for future generations. But what about sites on the moon that represent the beginning of the human space age?
In the context of accelerating geopolitical, technological and environmental change, we need to radically reassess how we perceive airspace legally.
No country can lay claim to sovereignty over a planet, moon or rocky body. But in the absence of clear laws regulating mining in space, it’s a case of first in, best dressed for resource extraction.
Top contributors
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Emeritus Professor of International Law, Western Sydney University
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Professor (Digital Technology, Security and Governance), Flinders University
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Professor of Air and Space Law, University of Mississippi
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Researcher, Air and Space Law, McGill University
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Post Doctoral Research Fellow in Space Science, University of Birmingham
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Professor of Space Law, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
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PhD candidate, law and military uses of outer space, University of Adelaide
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Visiting Fellow, Department of Government, London School of Economics and Political Science
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Professor of Law, University of Adelaide
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Professor of Planetary Science and Exploration, The Open University
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Senior lecturer, University of Newcastle
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Full Professor, Former Director, Institute of Air and Space Law, McGill University
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Doctoral Candidate, Institute of Air & Space Law, McGill University
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Professor of Business Law and Ethics, Indiana University
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Space Plasma Physicist, Imperial College London
