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Space Tourism: A Synopsis on its Legal Challenges — Yanal Abul Failat*
Following Dennis Tito’s flight to space aboard the Russian Soyuz capsule in 2001, suborbital travel has become a new form of commercial activity. Fuelled by an eager public and decreasing prices, the industry is rapidly expanding. Because the current space law regime was originally designed for governmental exploration, it is inadequate to handle the range of legal challenges emerging from this private commercial activity. This article therefore suggests that the current legal regime is incapable of sustaining the space tourism industry and that there is an urgent need for a new international convention.
table of contents —
i. introduction ii. seeking a legal definition of ‘space tourist’ A. Tourists as Astronauts? B. Regulation Under the International Space Station C. Space Flight Participants in the United States iii. liability regime A. Damage Caused to States and Third Parties i. The OST and International Law ii. The Regime under the Liability Convention iii. Parallel Domestic Regimes B. International Space Station C. Damage Caused to Space Tourists iv. a hybrid regime for hybrid vehicles? A. Aircraft, Space Vehicle, or Both? B. Registration C. Liability v. advocating for an international convention
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