What is Space Law : Since humans are now capable of entering space and have access to it, it becomes necessary that some rules and laws are put in place to protect space as well as themselves. Care needs to be taken that this access is not misused. As we are watching technology war between countries ,And every countries in the rat race to have supremacy in the field of space , these law and treaties will have a great role for mankind
How it Began: The conduct in the area above Earth as well as the lower atmosphere is regulated by international law and is known as space law. In 1957, US President Eisenhower proposed this concept to the UN with regard to the disarmament negotiation. After the launch of the Russian Satellite Sputnik in 1957 and the US satellite Explorer 1, both countries took the initiative to put these international space laws in place
Peaceful Exploration: As the world stands right now, if any country is to find any unexplored, uninhabited land,they can legally claim it as a part of their country. However, when it comes to space, this rule cannot be applied. The space right above a particular country be considered a part of that country, Neither can any unexplored space territory can be claimed by that country. All countries have permission to peacefully explore space.
Interesting Fact: There is a moon treaty that prohibits countries from exploiting its and other celestial bodies’ resources . However, this treaty has not been ratified yet. A discussion has been going on among countries to finalize this treaty.
Ban of nuclear testing: A permanent Outer Space Committee was formed in 1959. When the intention to carry out nuclear tests in space became evident, his committee signed a treaty to prohibit it . The nuclear Test Ban Treaty Was Signed in 1963.
Space Treaties: As seen, the presence of weapons in space gives a sizeable tactical and strategic advantage to the party that holds them . Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) would then trigger an arms race in space. So, as MAD Became the deterrent strategy between the two superpowers during the Cold War, Many countries worked together to avoid extending the threat of nuclear weapons to space-based launchers to prevent this catastrophe.
The Outer Space Treaty: The outer Space Treaty is currently agreed to by a majority of the World’s the Nation States . The legal Subcommittee of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA ) originally formed it in 1966 .later that year, the UNGA voted to accept the treaty through a majority.
Provision of the Outer Space Treaty: The principles of the Outer Space Treaty are given below
· The exploration and use of outer space shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries and shall be the province of all humankind
· Outer space shall be free for exploration and use by all states.
· Outer space is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty,by means of use or occupation, or by any other means.
· States shall not place nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction in orbit or on celestial bodies or station them in outer space in any other manner.
· The moon and other celestial bodies shall be used exclusively for peaceful and non-military purposes.
· Astronauts shall be regarded as the envoys of humankind
· States shall be responsible for national space activities whether carried out by governmental or non-governmental activities.
· States shall be liable for damage caused by their space objects.
· States shall avoid harmful contamination of space and celestial bodies.
Shortcomings of this treaty: The Outer space treaty does not ban the placement of weapons in space in general, but only nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction . Thus, in 2006, the UN General Assembly proposed the space preservation treaty against all weapons. It is observed many times that the world should implement strong and universally accepted space treaties and laws.
Spy Satellites: A spy Satellite is an Earth Observation satellite or communication satellite deployed for military or intelligence applications. They are formally referred to as reconnaissance (Recon ) Satellites. The first generation type of recon satellites took photographs on film. These were then ejected into the atmosphere and retrieved mid-air. Current satellites use radio Communication to transmit data. These satellites play a vital role in gathering important images related to space.
Types of Recon Satellites: Recon satellites are classified mainly according to their functions. the major groups are early warning, nuclear explosion, photo surveillance, electronic interceptor, and radar imaging.
Early Warning Satellites: these form a net that warns of an attack by detecting ballistic missile launches . The earliest known examples are satellites of the missile defense alarm system.
Nuclear Explosion Detection: Nuclear Explosion Detection identifies and characterizes nuclear explosions in space. the Vela Satellite is the earliest known example of this type.
Photo Surveillance: These provide imaging of Earth from space, images can be survey images or close-look telephotos. The corona satellite is the earliest known example of this type. Spectral imaging is also commonplace today. Many civilian satellites provide functionality to a reduced degree.
Electronic- Reconnaissance: these are used to carry intelligence signals. They intercept stray radio waves and decrypt encoded ones for intelligence.
Radar Imaging: Most space-based radars use synthetic aperture radar. Thus, They can be used during the night or through cloud cover, as these do not impede microwave radiation as they impede light. The earliest known examples are the US-A series satellites.
Amazing Fact: On 17th February 2014, a Russian kosmos-1220 that was originally launched in 1980 made an uncontrolled atmospheric entry. It is a scientific way of saying that it crashed. It was used for naval missile targeting until 1982.
Final Conclusion: These International Laws, Space treaties: As we rightly said in the beginning human are now capable of entering space and have access to it, we must have some rules and laws put in place to protect space as well as themselves.