![]() ![]() There has also been an impasse among public and private entities in terms of accepting responsibility and taking committed action to ensure a safe and effective operating environment for commercial space activities – undermining not only the ongoing viability of outer space activities but also creating a serious risk of harm to life and property on Earth. As a result, there is an increased likelihood of disputes, and an unpredictable normative system to inform commercial investment and activities in outer space. This creates the risk of inconsistent and conflicting regulations between different nations in relation to basic rights and obligations related to outer space activities. In this regulatory void, individual nations have created their own distinct space legislation and policies and now pursue new space programs with record investments. There is currently an absence of a clear global space regulatory framework dealing with property and ownership rights, liability in the event of a collision, dispute resolution, licensing and the registration of security interests. The existing space governance framework established under the architecture of the five UN space treaties has, in this environment of rapid change and dynamic growth, become outdated. In this period, the number of private commercial space actors has increased substantially, fuelled by a start-up investment culture and innovations in technology, and many commercial entities now have their own launch capabilities which enable them to take space objects and infrastructure directly into outer space. There have also been advancements in space mining and engineering, seen as a viable source of future economic growth and resource capability on Earth to sustain an expanding population. Outer space activities now support many aspects of our everyday lives, from high-speed internet and telecommunications to navigation, remote health services, global financial transactions and environmental and climate mapping. In more recent times, this multilateral approach has been superseded by an individualist State approach, as the economic potential and commercialisation of outer space has been realised. That work has led to the creation of five international space treaties: Since that time, the UN COPUOS has been supported in its work by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs ( UNOOSA). ![]() In 1958, the United Nations General Assembly established the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space ( UN COPUOS) to govern the exploration and use of space for the benefit of all humanity and to pursue international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space. In its early stages, outer space exploration was characterised by a multilateral approach, based on international cooperation and the idea of outer space as a ‘global commons’ to be considered for the benefit of humankind collectively. ![]()
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