National Laws Governing Commercial Space Activities: Legislation, Regulation, & Enforcement

Private commercial activity in outer space has grown robustly in recent decades. In order to fulfill their international obligations, protect the public from harm, shield their treasuries from liability, and encourage and foster the development of commercial space activities, a growing number of States have promulgated national space legislation that establish space regulatory institutions with jurisdiction to license private actors and enforce compliance with regulatory requirements. This Article provides a comparative analysis of State legislative and regulatory requirements in the area of licensing, registration, safety and environmental obligations, liability, insurance, indemnification as well as enforcement.