Traffic Laws in Space

With the ever-increasing number of satellites launched into space, the satellite highway is getting crowded. With near misses and millions of pieces of space junk up there, who decides what the laws of space traffic are and how they will be enforced? The emerging field of Space Law and Policy is an area where these issues are addressed.

In 1959, the United Nations created the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, which encourages research programs and studies legal problems related to space exploration. Space Lawyer (yes, that’s a real job title) Michelle Hanlon notes, “The United Nations Outer Space Treaty governs outer space activities, but there are a lot of gaps, and we really need to start thinking about filling those gaps.”

Rapid advances in commercial applications and technology bring along the need for guidelines and rules of the road in space. Now, many universities offer education programs in space law and policy, which explore the role of government in space and legal issues arising from commercial activity in space. Hanlon goes on to say, “Space Law is such an exciting field of law to be in because there are no laws; we’re really making it up as we go along.”

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