Government wants to regulate the space industry and avoid space debris
The German government is fulfilling its obligations under international law and is planning a Space Act. The key points for this are now available.
Example of planned German space activities: small satellites could be launched into space from the North Sea.
(Image: GOSA)
The German government wants to regulate the activities of private space companies and has presented the key points of a planned space law (PDF). The law is intended to regulate issues relating to the civil (operational) safety of private space activities and launch facilities in Germany and thereby avert threats to public safety and order, the German government announced. In doing so, it is fulfilling its obligations under international law; previous efforts to pass such a law have not yet borne fruit.
The planned Space Act will also take into account national security, defense interests and the international obligations of the Federal Republic of Germany. The regulations also serve to "use space carefully", as stated in a government communication, and to prevent space debris: through special technical requirements, a scheduled end to each mission and guidelines for avoiding collisions.
Legal safeguards
Essentially, the key points deal with the approval of activities in space, which authority will monitor and regulate the activities and the registration of objects in space. The Space Act is intended to enable the Federal Republic of Germany to "take recourse against a private operator in the event of liability under international treaties". Start-ups and SMEs, as well as universities and research institutions, would be less burdened.
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It is not yet clear which authority will be responsible for approving and monitoring space activities. The key points merely state that it will be part of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and will be assisted by the German Space Agency at DLR, for example. There is nothing in the German key issues paper on the topic of raw material extraction in space, as dealt with in the Luxembourg Space Act of 2017, for example.
The obligation under international law to adopt a space law arises from the United Nations'"Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies".
(anw)
