PROJECTS IN THE SPOTLIGHT
THE ANZSLIG PROJECT: ROCKETING AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND LAW INTERESTS INTO SPACE (Source: iStock)
“In Australia there are a lot of space startups. As the space industry develops it can then hire and engage with professional services. There is not a large demand for professional services now, but this will develop as the industry grows and matures.” Duncan Blake, Chair ANZSLIG
THE PROBLEM: SPACE LAW PROFESSIONALS ARE DISPERSED AND INDEPENDENT LIKE SCATTERED SPACE DEBRIS The subject of space law is a relatively new and fastgrowing area of professional interest in Australia. Previously, only government funded projects of major space-faring nations could access space; the recent revolution in the commercialisation of space launches and space missions has proliferated the interests present in space; many new actors who previously couldn’t afford space launches or missions are now wanting to access and occupy space with not just single unit missions, but with multiple-missions to grow into mega-constellations. Accordingly, Australian interests in governance, rules, and ‘appropriate behaviours’ for the controlled and sustainable uses of space have similarly been rocketed to new heights. The need for a body such as the Australia New Zealand Space Law Interest Group (ANZSLIG) was recognised after two connected events that were significant to relaunching Australian professional interests and projects for space activities. First, the International Astronomical Congress (IAC) 2017 was hosted in Adelaide and provided an ideal opportunity to realise the need to raise the profile of space law in Australia and New Zealand. Second, the Australian Space Agency was established in July 2018, which called for public consultations on the priorities and suggestions to update the Space Activities Act 1998.
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