A Sky Full of Stars, Constellations, Satellites and More! Legal Issues for a ‘Darkʼ Sky
An ever-increasing number of actors, including private entities, are conducting space activities that involve the launch of spacecraft into orbit. The ‘miniaturisationʼ of technology has meant that this now includes the launch of large constellations of small satellites. Notwithstanding their commer...
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Scandinavian University Press
2024-04-01
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| Series: | Oslo Law Review |
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| Online Access: | https://www.idunn.no/doi/10.18261/olr.10.3.1 |
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| author | Steven Freeland Anne-Sophie Martin |
| author_facet | Steven Freeland Anne-Sophie Martin |
| author_sort | Steven Freeland |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | An ever-increasing number of actors, including private entities, are conducting space activities that involve the launch of spacecraft into orbit. The ‘miniaturisationʼ of technology has meant that this now includes the launch of large constellations of small satellites. Notwithstanding their commercial benefits, the deployment of large numbers of objects into Low Earth Orbit raises concerns for elements of the international space community specifically concerned with the protection of the ‘darkʼ skies. Large constellation programmes and space debris reflect sunlight into astronomical telescopes or cross their field of view, in many instances degrading certain astronomical observations which would otherwise support our capacity to understand the universe, enable deep-space navigation and exploration and provide early warning detection of near-Earth objects. The various differing interests at stake represent challenges in the application of international environmental law as well as for the current space legal framework, especially for the preservation of the space environment and the long-term sustainability of space activities. Considering the congested space environment and the need to preserve the ‘darkʼ skies for astronomical observation, establishing space traffic management rules and standards is of particular importance. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9dcc326eb87d46479dbe031044994a69 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2387-3299 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | Scandinavian University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Oslo Law Review |
| spelling | doaj-art-9dcc326eb87d46479dbe031044994a692025-08-20T03:19:56ZengScandinavian University PressOslo Law Review2387-32992024-04-0110312210.18261/olr.10.3.1A Sky Full of Stars, Constellations, Satellites and More! Legal Issues for a ‘Darkʼ SkySteven Freeland0Anne-Sophie Martin1Western Sydney University; Professorial Fellow at Bond UniversityInstitute for International Legal Studies of the National Research Council (ISGI-CNR), Rome, Italy; Fellow, For All Moonkindʼs Institute on Space Law and EthicsAn ever-increasing number of actors, including private entities, are conducting space activities that involve the launch of spacecraft into orbit. The ‘miniaturisationʼ of technology has meant that this now includes the launch of large constellations of small satellites. Notwithstanding their commercial benefits, the deployment of large numbers of objects into Low Earth Orbit raises concerns for elements of the international space community specifically concerned with the protection of the ‘darkʼ skies. Large constellation programmes and space debris reflect sunlight into astronomical telescopes or cross their field of view, in many instances degrading certain astronomical observations which would otherwise support our capacity to understand the universe, enable deep-space navigation and exploration and provide early warning detection of near-Earth objects. The various differing interests at stake represent challenges in the application of international environmental law as well as for the current space legal framework, especially for the preservation of the space environment and the long-term sustainability of space activities. Considering the congested space environment and the need to preserve the ‘darkʼ skies for astronomical observation, establishing space traffic management rules and standards is of particular importance.https://www.idunn.no/doi/10.18261/olr.10.3.1astronomylarge constellationsmega-constellationsenvironmentsustainabilityinternational law |
| spellingShingle | Steven Freeland Anne-Sophie Martin A Sky Full of Stars, Constellations, Satellites and More! Legal Issues for a ‘Darkʼ Sky Oslo Law Review astronomy large constellations mega-constellations environment sustainability international law |
| title | A Sky Full of Stars, Constellations, Satellites and More! Legal Issues for a ‘Darkʼ Sky |
| title_full | A Sky Full of Stars, Constellations, Satellites and More! Legal Issues for a ‘Darkʼ Sky |
| title_fullStr | A Sky Full of Stars, Constellations, Satellites and More! Legal Issues for a ‘Darkʼ Sky |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Sky Full of Stars, Constellations, Satellites and More! Legal Issues for a ‘Darkʼ Sky |
| title_short | A Sky Full of Stars, Constellations, Satellites and More! Legal Issues for a ‘Darkʼ Sky |
| title_sort | sky full of stars constellations satellites and more legal issues for a dark sky |
| topic | astronomy large constellations mega-constellations environment sustainability international law |
| url | https://www.idunn.no/doi/10.18261/olr.10.3.1 |
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