Sustainability of Outer Space Activities

Abstract

This chapter analyses why ‘space law’ matters in the context of reinvigorating the United Nations. The current drastic increase of objects launched into outer space has raised the risk of collisions to the extent that the orbits around Earth may be rendered unusable for generations. The Secretary-General highlights this concern in his report Our Common Agenda and in a dedicated ‘policy brief.’ New forms of space law-making and monitoring are needed, also because the private sector is increasingly involved. These new developments need to be related to the existing legal framework for space activities, which has been developed under the auspices of the United Nations since the beginning.