| Abstract [eng] |
As human activity in outer space continues to boom, 50-year-old United Nations treaties on space law no longer address all of the current issues of international space law. The commercialization and privatization of outer space, potential harm to the cosmic environment, and a looming arms race in outer space are vital issues which encourage the international community to take serious actions. However, these issues are far more complicated than they appear. States and private companies are rushing to get involved in a new field with enormous potential, which makes reaching a consensus difficult and creates a barrier for international law-makers aiming to create new legally binding agreements for space. Nowadays, the international community addresses these legal issues by issuing non-legally binding recommendations. Meanwhile, nation states adopt laws at the national level. Accordingly, this Master Thesis consists of five main structural parts. The first part analyzes the concept of international space law as well as its history, and explores key UN space treaties and space law principles. The second, third, fourth and fifth parts address the main issues of international space law. These chapters address the legal issues on space commercialization, space resource utilization, space debris, and space militarization and weaponization. |
