The course aims to provide students with knowledge of the field of international space law and policy and to explain its main principles, focusing on the UN space treaties, sets of principles and other international legal instruments, as well as the institutions involved. It will present the international law‐making process and its international actors, such as the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Alongside the space treaties, the course will also focus on the military uses of space, environmental aspects of space activities and telecommunication law and will examine current challenges and activities, as well as the ability of existing international legal instruments to address them.
Through several case studies specific topics will be studied in depth and from various angles, mainly legal and political, but also economic and technical, with the goal of providing an in-depth understanding of complex topics through interactive activities. Case studies may be conducted in various formats, such as group assignments, workshops, excursions and model activities. Active participation by the students and the multidisciplinary approach provided by the guest lectures are key features of these activities.
Outcome:
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
Describe the international legal instruments and actors governing space activities at the international level;
Summarize the most important international space law principles;
Explain current international space law issues and efforts to adress them;
Apply the relevant international space laws and policies; and
Solve practical case studies related to international space law and policy.
