The Development of International Space Law: Property Issues in the Mining of Mineral Resources on the Moon and Asteroids
Abstract
"Space law" is starting to become a debated topic both across different national legislations and at the international level. Recently, more and more often we come across professional debates about the imminent rapid penetration of humanity into outer space, and especially about the commercial extraction of space resources, which is to become one of the pillars of the so-called New Space Economy. But is commercial space mining legal under existing space law? Is the existing regulation sufficient, or will new legislation be needed with regard to technical developments that were not anticipated at the time of the adoption of the existing international agreements? Will private companies be able to freely dispose of the extracted resources, i.e. primarily process and sell them? And how do states, international organizations or private companies react to such technical progress?
The book deals primarily with the development of international legislation related to the extraction of mineral resources on celestial bodies such as the Moon and asteroids. It focuses on the creation and implementation of international space law with a special emphasis on the property rights of states and private individuals arising in connection with the extraction of resources from these celestial bodies. The text provides a comprehensive overview of the complex and evolving legal environment surrounding space exploration and the commercial exploitation of its resources, while offering possible future solutions.