NEEP533 Course Notes (Spring 1999)
Resources from Space

Lecture # 35 Second, we kill all the lawyers, again!


Title: Legal Regimes for Space Enterprises


Relevant Law and Precedents

  • Space Law
  • INTERLUNE Organization Chart

  • Environmental Law
  • International Principles
  • Rio Treaty
  • Kyoto agreement, if any
  • Other Treaty and Customary Law
  • Astronaut rescue, Maritime law, etc.
  • U.S. Regulatory Law within context of Outer Space Treaty
  • Communications law
  • Commercial Space Act
  • Assets are private property
  • Launch licenses
  • Return payload licenses
  • Property rights legislation within context of Outer Space Treaty?
  • Could U.S. establish its own regime of property rights as part of its authorized oversight of its national entities, i.e., private enterprises?
  • Would significantly increase incentives for private investment.
  • Precedents
  • Comsat legislation
  • Commercial Space Act

  • References:

    Bilder, et. al., 1989, Legal Regimes for the Mining of Helium-3 from the Moon, WCSAR-TR-AR3-8901-1, p54-79.

    Congressional Research Service (CRS), 1996, Space Station, Issue Brief, 3/20/96.

    Schmitt, H.H., 1992, INTERLUNE Concept for Helium-3 Fusion Development, in W.Z. Sadeh, et al., editors, Engineering, Construction, and Operations in Space III, p804-814.


    NEEP533 Syllabus

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