Every satellite launch today takes place within a legal framework that was created in the 1960s and 1970s. At its centre is the Outer Space Treaty of 1967. Its principles explain why companies need national licences, why launching states are liable for damage and why satellites must be registered.
The core principles
- Freedom of exploration and use: outer space is free for exploration and use by all states.
- No national appropriation: outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, cannot be claimed by any state.
- Peaceful purposes: nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction may not be placed in orbit or stationed in space.
- State responsibility: states bear international responsibility for national activities in space, including those of private companies, and must authorise and continuously supervise them.
- Liability: launching states are internationally liable for damage caused by their space objects.
The treaties that followed
Several later UN agreements build on the Outer Space Treaty: the Rescue Agreement of 1968, the Liability Convention of 1972, the Registration Convention of 1975 and the Moon Agreement of 1979, which has far fewer parties than the others.
What this means for companies
Because states are responsible for their companies' activities, they regulate them through national space laws. This is why launch providers and satellite operators need licences, why insurance requirements exist and why every space object must be entered in a national registry and reported to the United Nations.
Open questions
The treaty was written long before large constellations, commercial space stations and lunar resource activities. Questions about space traffic management, debris and the use of resources are now being addressed through national laws, guidelines and new frameworks such as the Artemis Accords.
Related reading
- Artemis Accords Pass 75 Signatories: Croatia, Côte d’Ivoire and San Marino Join
- Launch Insurance and Liability: How Satellite Launch Risks Are Covered
- Space Debris Rules: What Satellite Operators Need to Plan For
Sources
Cover image: Earthrise, photographed by the Apollo 8 crew from lunar orbit in December 1968. Credit: NASA (AS08-14-2383), public domain.