
At the height of the space race in the 1960s, countries around the world first ratified the Outer Space Treaty to prevent any nuclear conflict from extending into outer space and to ensure its use for peaceful purposes. Today, there’s a new kind of space race, one that involves private tourism and resource mining and extraction. And with more players entering the field, including nation-states like India and China and private companies like Blue Origin and SpaceX, how will existing treaties apply? Space law expert Professor Frans von der Dunk explores how the Outer Space Treaty and customary international law applies to modern space activities and addresses the open questions of property rights for celestial and lunar natural resources and liability issues when private enterprises operate in space.
Watch Part 2 of Space Law — Rights and Resources.