The course aims to provide students with knowledge of the various commercial space applications and issues surrounding the regulation of commercial and ‘NewSpace’ activities, which are not clearly addressed in international space law. Some of the topics discussed are space resource utilization, satellite constellations, the use of Earth observation data, human spaceflight, space traffic management, export control and innovative applications of space technology such as active debris removal or the use of satellite data as digital evidence. The associated legal issues are examined from the perspective of international, regional and national laws, as well as through practitioners’ and industrial practice, illustrated by examples and case studies. Contemporary developments, such as privacy and cybersecurity in space activities are also discussed.
Several national space laws will be presented by expert panels, allowing students to assess differences and similarities across the world’s regions.
The course further addresses topics of special relevance for Europe, such as the role and activities of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Union (EU), and the European space programme components, including Galileo, Copernicus, GOVSATCOM, IRIS2 and the role of the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSpace).
Outcome:
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
Identify commercial and ‘NewSpace’ activities and indicate the legal issues they raise;
Describe the efforts undertaken on national and international level to solve the issues raised by those activities;
List the main features of national space legislation;
Explain the roles of ESA and the EU, and Europe’s role in the space sector;
Apply the relevant space laws and policies and solve practical case studies; and
Undertake an individual research project in the field of space law.
