The 1967 Outer Space Treaty prohibits the placement of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in outer space, prohibits military activities in celestial bodies, and details legally binding rules governing the peaceful exploration and use of space. There are five international treaties that underpin space law, overseen by the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS). Without careful care, some experts worry that access to space will be restricted by debris, but it is not clear what the legal ramifications are. This type of initiative by like-minded countries offers a path forward in space governance, but it must be done differently from the EU code.
Between 1959 and 1962, Western powers made a series of proposals to ban the use of outer space for military purposes. The ownership of objects launched into outer space, including objects launched or constructed in a celestial body, and their component parts, is not affected by their presence in outer space or in a celestial body or by their return to Earth. Space Force, a discrete geographical combat command and the sixth branch of the United States military. Wishing to contribute to broad international cooperation in the scientific and legal aspects of the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes,.
In 1976, eight nations in Ecuador attempted to exercise ownership of this space under the Bogotá Declaration, which was largely ignored, due to the way property claims are handled under the Outer Space Treaty. In 1960, the International Institute of Space Law, a non-governmental organization, was created to promote international cooperation in the process of drafting space laws. States Parties to the Treaty shall conduct studies of outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, and shall conduct their exploration in order to avoid harmful pollution and also adverse changes in the Earth's environment as a result of the introduction of extraterrestrial matter and, where necessary, shall adopt appropriate measures to that end. Convinced that a Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, will promote the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,.
In addition, national priorities change over time, and those priorities may not be reflected in treaties that were created decades ago. The field of space law evolved to address issues such as property rights, weapons in space, protection of astronauts and other issues. The effort to create a code of conduct for outer space activities in the European Union (EU) is illustrative in this regard. To support the Outer Space Treaty, four other treaties were launched in the 1960s and 1970s to support the peaceful exploration of space.
In the year after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957, the United Nations General Assembly created an Ad Hoc Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOUS). The FAA is also working on guidelines to protect space passengers when tourism businesses start operating.
