UN COPUOS Legal Subcommittee

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UN COPUOSLegal Subcommittee
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Introduction to the UN COPUOS Legal Subcommittee

• What is it?
• UN COPUOS LSC stands for
• The United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses
  of Outer Space Legal Subcommittee.

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Where does it fit in?

• Where does it fit in?

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What does the LSC do?

• Legal Subcommittee Agenda items
• Status and application of the 5 UN treaties on
  outer space
• Definition and delimitation of outer space
• Character and utilization of the geostationary
  orbit
• Review and possible revision of the principles
  relevant to the use of nuclear power sources in
  outer space

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Why is it relevant to SGC?

• SGAC holds permanent observer status at the
  United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of
  Outer Space and each of its two subcommittees
• The Science and Technology Subcommittee
• The Legal Subcommittee.

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1. The outer space treaty

• The Outer Space Treaty provides the basic
  framework on international space law, including
  the following principles
• the exploration and use of outer space shall be
  carried out for the benefit and in the interests
  of all countries and shall be the province of all
  mankind
• outer space shall be free for exploration and use
  by all States
• outer space is not subject to national
  appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means
  of use or occupation, or by any other means
• States shall not place nuclear weapons or other
  weapons of mass destruction in orbit or on
  celestial bodies or station them in outer space
  in any other manner
• the Moon and other celestial bodies shall be used
  exclusively for peaceful purposes
• astronauts shall be regarded as the envoys of
  mankind
• States shall be responsible for national space
  activities whether carried out by governmental or
  non-governmental activities
• States shall be liable for damage caused by their
  space objects and
• States shall avoid harmful contamination of space
  and celestial bodies.
• 98 States have ratified, and an additional 27
  have signed the Outer Space Treaty (as of 1
  January 2005).For further information, see the
  Treaty Status Index.Treaty Status Index.

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2. The agreement on the rescue of Astronauts

• The Agreement, elaborating on elements of
  articles 5 and 8 of the Outer Space Treaty,
  provides that States shall take all possible
  steps to rescue and assist astronauts in distress
  and promptly return them to the launching State,
  and that Staes shall, upon request, provide
  assistance to launching States in recovering
  space objects that return to Earth outside the
  territory of the Launching State.  As of 1
  January 2005, 88 States have ratified, 25 have
  signed the Rescue Agreement and one international
  intergovernmental organization (European Space
  Agency) has declared its acceptance of the rights
  and obligations provided for in this Agreement.

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3. The convention on international liability for
damage caused by space objects.

• Elaborating on Article 7 of the Outer Space
  Treaty, the Liabiity Convention provides that a
  launching State shall be absolutely liable to pay
  compensation for damage caused by its space
  objects on the surface of the Earth or to
  aircraft, and liable for damage due to its faults
  in space. The Convention also provides for
  procedures for the settlement of claims for
  damages. As of 1 January 2005, 82 States have
  ratified, 25 have signed the Liability Convention
  and and two international intergovernmental
  organization (European Space Agency and European
  Telecommunications Satellite Organization) have
  declared their acceptance of the rights and
  obligations provided for in this Agreement.

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4. The convention on the registration of objects
launched into outer space

• The Registration Convention provides that the
  launching State should furnish to the United
  Nations, as soon as practicable, the following
  information concerning each space object
• Name of launching State
• An appropriate designator of the space object or
  its registration number
• Date and territory or location of launch
• Basic orbital parameters, including
• Nodal period (the time between two successive
  northbound crossings of the equator - usually in
  minutes)
• Inclination (inclination of the orbit - polar
  orbit is 90 degrees and equatorial orbit is 0
  degrees)
• Apogee (highest altitude above the Earths surface
  - in kilometres)
• Perigee (lowest altitude above the Earths
  surface - in kilometres)
• General funtion of the space object.
• As of 1 January 2005, 45 States have ratified, 4
  have signed and two international
  intergovernmental organizations (European Space
  Agency and European Organization for the
  Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites) have
  declared their acceptance of the rights and
  obligations provided for in the Registration
  Convention.

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5. The moon agreement

• The Agreement reaffirms and elaborates on many of
  the provisions of the Outer Space Treaty as
  applied to the Moon and other celestial bodies,
  providing that those bodies should be used
  exclusively for peaceful purposes, that their
  environments should not be disrupted, that the
  United Nations should be informed of the location
  and purpose of any station established on those
  bodies. In addition, the Agreement provides that
  the Moon and its natural resources are the common
  heritage of mankind and that an international
  regime should be established to govern th
  exploitation of such resources when such
  exploitation is about to become feasible. As of 1
  January 2005, 11 States have ratified, and an
  additional 5 have signed the Moon Agreement.

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Why is it relevant to you?

• Everyone involved in the space industry requires
  knowledge of policy and legal issues in order to
  maximize their involvement in the space industry.

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Progression of Ideas

• SGC 2004 Mirror Session

• SGC 2005 Moving higher than the Mirror Session

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Project Progression

• SGC 2004
• Establish a UN COPUOS Legal Subcommittee Mirror
  Session
• This Mirror Session would be held at subsequent
  SGC meetings