Space, that lawless place

Space law consists, for the most part, of treaties drawn up during the Cold War and ratified almost fifty years ago. Today, it seems outdated and incapable of providing a framework for the exploitation of space resources or addressing the crucial issues of satellite-related pollution.

With the multiplication of satellites and their use for commercial or military purposes, the urgent need for the establishment of a binding legal framework to manage activities in space is becoming apparent. As a sign of this economic enthusiasm for space, Elon Musk's SpaceX has organised commercial space flights and increased the number of satellite launches. Concurrently, Romandie-based start-up ClearSpace has signed a major contract with the European Space Agency to clean up space of one of the debris that clutters it, the first initiative of its kind. Can Switzerland make an international commitment to protect the cosmos? Could Geneva assume a pioneering role by advocating the drafting of a new space law, legitimised by its international vocation? Four space specialists will decipher the major legal issues related to the contemporary space odyssey.

The debate will be held in French with simultaneous interpretation into English.

Our selection of articles to delve deeper into the subject:

• Removing space junk, The Economist, 12 January 2021