The assembly of the International Space Station opened a new era of space exploration. It also created new challenges for the lawyers that had to deal with new issues related to this endeavour. This study will focus on the prospect of commercialisation of the ISS and on the legal problems that could appear with respect to this undertaking. By examining available markets and managing structure of the ISS, this study will reveal the potential and the drawbacks of the international enterprise. Furthermore, the detailed analysis of the Intergovernmental Agreement signed by the State Partners to the ISS will describe the particularities of ISS' legal regime, especially emphasising on the Intellectual Property provisions and other issues not covered by the cross waiver of liability.

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Various characteristics of commercial space activities, such as their exceptionally rapid development, the special environment and legal framework in which they develop or the significant risks their participants are facing generate for the latter specific needs in terms of dispute settlement methods. / A systematic analysis of all existing mechanisms reveals that arbitration is and is likely to remain in the future the mode of settlement which is the most appropriate to the interests of the commercial space actors.

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No description available.

Thesis. 1979. M.S.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND AERONAUTICS. / Bibliography: leaves 86-89. / M.S.

Thesis (Sc.D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 1981. / Microfiche copy available in Archives and Barker. / Includes bibliographical references. / by David L. Akin. / Sc.D.

Space activities are increasingly undertaken by private companies. Space law, however, was mainly developed in the beginning of the space age, at a time where space activities were predominantly state activities. The rules that developed were thus focusing on the duties of states and concerned private entities only through the intermediary of states. / This thesis explores the applicable principles of space law and of the international law of responsibility. Taking into account the recent practice of private companies engaged in space business, the work also focuses both on its impact on the responsibility and liability regime as well as on the legal efficiency of the links between private entities and states. / In conclusion, the thesis makes several recommendations to improve the responsibility regime for space activities.

The commercial space transportation industry is growing with the technology that creates more capable spacecrafts to access space. However, there are still some academic discussions related to the delimitation of the outer space and the definition of space objects that could interfere with the regulation of this growing space activity. Because these discussions are not predicted to be solved soon, the developing space policies must attempt to clarify these issues between the parts avoiding the retard in the development of the industry. Moreover, these policies have to promote public-private partnerships and the emersion of private entrepreneurs for a faster development of a safe, reliable, and affordable commercial space transportation.

Outer Space no longer represents a quiet mean where governments place their satellites in order to cover the communications needs of their people. Technological developments and the increase of economic benefits deriving from telecommunications have caused the proliferation of megacarriers located on a world-wide basis and the treatment of telecommunications as a business product. In this scenario, the International Telecommunication Union and the World Trade Organization separately rule the development of telecommunications via satellite, affecting national regulations and, at the same time, the evolvement of the pattern in commercial relations among the companies who develop satellite telecommunications in outer space. This thesis illustrates the state of the liberalization of telecommunications and the main national obstacles for its achievement. This study thoroughly analyzes the functioning of the two leader organizations, ITU and WTO, and the regulations that they are enacting. Additionally, the thesis analyzes the most practical and new problems that influence their structure, such as the new technological developments, the role of national regulations of some countries, and the privatization of intergovernmental organizations. Moreover, the thesis examines the increase in the demand of space resources and the introduction of market mechanisms to the attribution of orbital slots and frequencies, due to the increase of private actors, and concludes with the proposal of possible models of cooperation between the two leader organizations. ITU and WTO, in order to rationally and efficiently deal with ruling telecommunications.