Episode 37: No Wild West: An Introduction to Space Law

There is a persistent perception that space is a lawless place. Professor Steven Freeland, Emeritus Professor of International Law at Western Sydney University and Professorial Fellow at Bond University, joins us to explain why that is not the case. We discuss the current multilateral rules that govern orbits, as well as where additions may come in in the future, why they might be necessary and what obstacles are currently preventing us from reaching multilateral consensus. As well as this, we talk about the involvement of commercial actors in space and what benefit national space laws bring.

Om Podcasten

Space is becoming increasingly congested, contested and competed over. It has never been so easy – or so cheap – to launch a satellite into orbit. With space activity proliferating, its impact on national security has grown too: space assets are becoming vulnerable and space debris is becoming increasingly dangerous. War in Space is a series of interviews with experts in space and defence that will analyse the intersection of space and national security, unravelling the technical jargon that so often accompanies these discussions and explaining why space matters for our everyday lives and security. The views or statements expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the podcast does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by RUSI employees are those of the employees and do not necessarily reflect the view of RUSI.