Space Law (2019)

Abstract

The aim of this analysis is to describe and assess developments and initiatives concerning disasters which took place in 2019 in the outer space legal arena. The focus will be on three distinct but connected issues: the use of outer space for the prevention and management of disasters on Earth; outer space as the place where disasters may occur due to the increasing congestion of orbits around Earth with space debris; and outer space as a potential source of disaster, i.e. the threat posed by asteroids crossing Earth’s trajectory. Our attention will focus on the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) which, in its annual reports, constantly addresses these issues.