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The Global Legal Guidelines Governing Satellite Deployment

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Book cover Small Satellites and Their Regulation

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Space Development ((BRIEFSSPACE))

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Abstract

All small satellites, irrespective of their size, weight, and scope of missions, are space objects that are governed by currently applicable international legal guidelines. Secondly, the launching and operation of such satellites constitute space activities in the form of exploration and use of outer space. Thus, they are also subject to such guidelines. These guidelines have been established primarily through the United Nations. It consists of five major international treaties negotiated through the U. N. Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. In addition to these treaties, there are several U. N. Regulations and Guidelines, principles, and rules of general international law, and some other international agreements that are directly applicable to small satellites. It can be said that, in general, all international rights and obligations of the states with respect to big satellites are equally relevant for the conduct of space activities involving the use of small satellites. Here is a brief list of such rights and obligations:

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies (the “Outer Space Treaty”), adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 2222 (XXI), opened for signature on 27 January 1967, entered into force on 10 October 1967, there are 102 ratifications and 26 signatures (as of 1 April 2013); the Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, the Return of Astronauts and the Return of Objects Launched into Outer Space (the “Rescue Agreement”), adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 2345 (XXII), opened for signature on 22 April 1968, entered into force on 3 December 1968, there are 92 ratifications, 24 signatures, and 2 acceptance of rights and obligations (as of 1 April 2013); the Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects (the “Liability Convention”), adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 2777 (XXVI), opened for signature on 29 March 1972, entered into force on 1 September 1972, there are 89 ratifications, 22 signatures, and 3 acceptances of rights and obligations (as of 1 April 2013); the Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space (the “Registration Convention”), adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 3235 (XXIX), opened for signature on 14 January 1975, entered into force on 15 September 1976, there are 61 ratifications, 4 signatures, and 2 acceptances of rights and obligations (as of 1 April 2013); and the Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies (the “Moon Agreement”), adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 34.68, opened for signature on 18 December 1979, entered into force on 11 July 1984, there are 15 ratifications and 4 signatures (as of 1 April 2013).

  2. 2.

    They are: (a) the UN Principles Governing the Use by States of Artificial Earth Satellites for International Direct Television Broadcasting, adopted by the UN General Assembly by 107 votes to 13, with 13 abstentions, on 10 December 1982 (under a General Assembly resolution 37/92: voting results are reproduced from UN document A/37/PV.100 of 17 December 1982); (b) the 1963 UN Declaration of Legal Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, adopted by the UN General Assembly (under General Assembly resolution 1962(XVIII) on 13 December 1963); (c) the 1986 UN Principles Relating to Remote Sensing of the Earth from Outer Space, adopted by the UN General Assembly without vote (under General Assembly resolution 41/65 on 3 December 1986); (d) the 1992 UN Principles Relevant to the Use of Nuclear Power Sources In Outer Space, adopted by the UN General Assembly without vote (under General Assembly resolution 47/68 on 14 December 1992); (e) the 1996 Declaration on International Cooperation in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space for the Benefit and in the Interest of All States, Taking into Particular Account the Needs of Developing Countries, adopted by the UN General Assembly without vote (under UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/51/122 on 13 December 1996); and (f) the 2007 Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-second Session, Supplement No. 20(A/62/20), paras. 117 and 118 and annex. The UN General Assembly in its Resolution endorsed the Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space in 2007. See: United Nations General Assembly, Sixty-second session, Agenda item 31, Document A/RES/62/217 (10 January 2008), paragraph 26.

  3. 3.

    The most important of such agreements are the 1945 Charter of the United Nations and the Constitution and the Constitution and Convention of the International Telecommunication Union, 1994 (as amended in 2012; hereinafter referred to as ITU Constitution) and ITU Radio Regulations, Edition of 2012 (as amended; hereinafter referred to as ITU Radio Regulations). Currently, there are 192 States Parties these instruments.

  4. 4.

    Article I, the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.

  5. 5.

    Article II, the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.

  6. 6.

    Article IV, the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.

  7. 7.

    Article VI, the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.

  8. 8.

    Article VI, the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.

  9. 9.

    Article VI, the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.

  10. 10.

    Article VII, the 1967 Outer Space Treaty; the 1972 Liability Convention.

  11. 11.

    Article IX, the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.

  12. 12.

    Article II (1), Registration Convention.

  13. 13.

    Article IV, Registration Convention.

  14. 14.

    Article VIII, the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.

  15. 15.

    Article VIII, the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.

  16. 16.

    Preamble, the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.

  17. 17.

    Article 45, ITU Constitution.

  18. 18.

    Article 45, ITU Constitution.

  19. 19.

    Article 45, ITU Constitution.

  20. 20.

    Article 18 (1), ITU Radio Regulations.

  21. 21.

    Act on Space Activities, (1982:963); available online at: http://www.oosa.unvienna.org/oosa/en/SpaceLaw/national/sweden/act_on_space_activities_1982E.html.

  22. 22.

    Outer Space Act, (1986 Chapter 38); available online at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1986/38/introduction.

  23. 23.

    Space Affairs Act, (Statutes of the Republic of South Africa - Trade and Industry No. 84 of 1993; assented to 23 June 1993; date of commencement: 6 September, 1993); available online at: http://www.oosa.unvienna.org/oosa/en/SpaceLaw/national/south_africa/space_affairs_act_1993E.html. Space Affairs Amendment Act, (No. 1530. 6 October 1995); available online at: http://www.oosa.unvienna.org/oosa/en/SpaceLaw/national/south_africa/space_affairs_amendment_act_1995E.html.

  24. 24.

    Space Activities Act, (Act No. 123 of 1998 as amended); available on line at: http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/C2010C00193.

  25. 25.

    Radiocommunication Act, (R.S.C., 1985, c. R-2,); available online at: http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/R-2/page-1.html.

  26. 26.

    Law Concerning Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, (Law Number 161 of 13th December 2002); available online at: http://www.jaxa.jp/about/law/law_e.pdf.

  27. 27.

    The National Aeronautics and Space Act, (as amended, Pub. L. No. 111–314; 124 Stat. 3328, Dec. 18, 2010), now codified in 51 U.S.C. § 20113(a); available online at: http://uscode.house.gov/download/pls/Title_51.txt.

  28. 28.

    Canadian Space Agency Act, (S.C. 1990, c. 13, assented to 1990-05-10); available online at: http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-23.2/page-1.html.

  29. 29.

    South African National Space Agency Act, (No. 36 of 2008); available online at: http://www.oosa.unvienna.org/pdf/spacelaw/national/safrica/Act36-2008.pdf.

  30. 30.

    Commercial Space Launch Activities Act of 1984 (as amended), now codified in 51 USC Chapter 509, available online at: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/51/subtitle-V/chapter-509.

  31. 31.

    Land Remote Sensing Policy Act of 1992, (now codified in 51 USC Chapter 601); available online at: http://www.nasa.gov/offices/ogc/commercial/15uscchap82.html.

  32. 32.

    Communications Act of 1934, (47 USC Chapter 5); available online at: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/47/chapter-5; and Satellite Communications Regulations, (47 Code of Federal Regulations Part 25); available online at: http://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/25.

  33. 33.

    Remote Sensing Space Systems Act, (S.C. 2005, c. 45, assented to 2005-11-25); available online at: http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/R-5.4/page-1.html.

  34. 34.

    Available online at: http://www.isro.org/news/pdf/RSDP-2011.pdf.

  35. 35.

    Available online at: http://www.isro.org/news/pdf/SATCOM-norms.pdf.

  36. 36.

    Ram S. Jakhu, (Ed.), National Regulation of Space Activities, 2010, published by Springer Publishing House, the Netherlands.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. McGill University Faculty Law, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Ram S. Jakhu

  2. Arlington, USA

    Joseph N. Pelton

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  1. Ram S. Jakhu
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Jakhu, R.S., Pelton, J.N. (2014). The Global Legal Guidelines Governing Satellite Deployment. In: Small Satellites and Their Regulation. SpringerBriefs in Space Development. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9423-2_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9423-2_4

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