The Outer Space Treaty (OST), which entered into force in 1967 and has since served as a backbone of international space law, still reflects the current state of affairs in space activities despite concerns of some industry experts that it has not been properly regulating some of the activities, the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) told Sputnik
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th May, 2020) The Outer Space Treaty (OST), which entered into force in 1967 and has since served as a backbone of international space law, still reflects the current state of affairs in space activities despite concerns of some industry experts that it has not been properly regulating some of the activities, the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) told Sputnik.
As more private companies are venturing into space, the debate has been ongoing in media whether the Outer Space Treaty is addressing commercial activities properly. The OST bans the national appropriation of space resources but fails to mention whether a business can claim property rights.
"The OST Article VI obliges its States Parties to authorize and continually supervise the space activities of commercial and private entities operating within their jurisdiction. States bear international responsibility for national space activities, including carried out by non-governmental entities. To the extent that States successfully implement appropriate regulatory mechanisms and effectively exercise their oversight responsibilities of space activities carried out by commercial enterprises operating within their jurisdiction, the OST remains effective and continues to reflect the current state of affairs in space activities," Niklas Hedman, the chief of the Committee, Policy and Legal Affairs Section at UNOOSA, said in an interview.
UNOOSA has recently launched the project titled "Space Law for New Actors: Fostering responsible national space activities," which offers the UN member states tailored capacity building to facilitate their drafting of national space legislation and policies in line with international space law, the official noted.
"Such capacity building will particularly support new and emerging space-faring nations in conducting space activities in a responsible and sustainable manner. Furthermore, the project will increase adherence to the existing normative framework governing outer space activities and contribute to maintaining the sustainability of these activities," Hedman added.
In April, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order that included efforts to oppose joining the 1979 Moon Agreement, which sought to regulate the mining of lunar resources. The US president also ordered that US individuals and corporations be given the right to engage in the commercial exploration and use of resources in outer space. A senior administration official has explained that the US government will try to negotiate unilateral and multilateral agreements on lunar mining with other countries.
The new US space mining policy was met with harsh criticism from Moscow. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said in response that any attempts to privatize space resources would be unacceptable.
