A comparative analysis of the implementation of international space law by states for the sustainability of outer space activities

IF 2.8 3区地球科学 Q2 ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS

Advances in Space Research Pub Date : 2025-03-08 DOI:10.1016/j.asr.2025.03.011

Merve Erdem Burger

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The sustainability of outer space activities encompasses the policy, regulatory, operational, safety, scientific, technical, international cooperation, and capacity-building aspects as defined in the Guidelines for the Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities (LTS Guidelines). Regarding the regulatory aspect, the adoption, revision, and modification of national regulatory frameworks, namely the implementation of international space law, is one of the elements to ensure the sustainability of outer space activities.

This study examines the sustainability of outer space activities by focusing on the implementation of international space law through a comparative analysis. To this end, I examine the national laws of states conducting satellite activities in Earth orbit before and after the adoption of the LTS Guidelines in 2019. Specifically, I examine whether states have adopted legislative acts to fulfill their obligations under the United Nations Outer Space Treaties, particularly the Outer Space Treaty’s Article on the International Responsibility of States for Outer Space Activities, the establishment of a national registration system from the Registration Convention, and the voluntary commitments from the UN Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines.

In the end, this study aims to discover the evolution of sustainability of space activities from a regulatory perspective before and after 2019 in order to discuss the way forward for the LTS Guidelines and the sustainability of outer space activities in general.

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各国为外层空间活动的可持续性执行国际空间法的比较分析

外层空间活动的可持续性包括《外层空间活动长期可持续性准则》所界定的政策、监管、业务、安全、科学、技术、国际合作和能力建设等方面。关于管制方面，通过、修订和修改国家管制框架，即执行国际空间法，是确保外层空间活动可持续性的要素之一。本研究通过比较分析，重点关注国际空间法的执行情况，审查外层空间活动的可持续性。为此，我研究了2019年通过《地球轨道卫星服务准则》前后在地球轨道上开展卫星活动的国家的国家法律。具体而言，笔者考察了各国是否通过立法行为履行了《联合国外层空间条约》，特别是《外层空间条约》关于各国对外层空间活动的国际责任的条款所规定的义务，是否根据《登记公约》建立了国家登记制度，是否根据《联合国空间碎片减缓准则》作出了自愿承诺。最后，本研究旨在从监管角度探索2019年前后空间活动可持续性的演变，以探讨《LTS指南》和外层空间活动可持续性的发展方向。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Advances in Space Research 地学天文-地球科学综合

CiteScore

5.20

自引率

11.50%

发文量

800

审稿时长

5.8 months

期刊介绍： The COSPAR publication Advances in Space Research (ASR) is an open journal covering all areas of space research including: space studies of the Earth''s surface, meteorology, climate, the Earth-Moon system, planets and small bodies of the solar system, upper atmospheres, ionospheres and magnetospheres of the Earth and planets including reference atmospheres, space plasmas in the solar system, astrophysics from space, materials sciences in space, fundamental physics in space, space debris, space weather, Earth observations of space phenomena, etc. NB: Please note that manuscripts related to life sciences as related to space are no more accepted for submission to Advances in Space Research. Such manuscripts should now be submitted to the new COSPAR Journal Life Sciences in Space Research (LSSR). All submissions are reviewed by two scientists in the field. COSPAR is an interdisciplinary scientific organization concerned with the progress of space research on an international scale. Operating under the rules of ICSU, COSPAR ignores political considerations and considers all questions solely from the scientific viewpoint.