On the Principle of Peaceful Use of Outer Space: Focus on the Article IV of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty
Date Issued
2016
Date
2016
Author(s)
Wang, Ping
Abstract
Since Sputnik I, the first artificial satellite, was launched into outer space, international space law has developed for more than half a century. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty established a number of fundamental principles of space law, including the principle of peaceful use of outer space. Although Article IV of the Outer Space Treaty provides that the celestial bodies, other than the earth, shall be used exclusively for peaceful purposes, the meaning of “peaceful purposes” is subject to quite different interpretations, and it is unclear whether the same rule applies to outer space stricto sensu as well. In this paper, the sources of space law and the delimitation of outer space are discussed in order to provide a basic understanding of important legal issues regarding outer space. Article IV is examined in detail through a careful analysis of its terms and contexts, and possible solutions to the problem of militarization of space are proposed.
Subjects
international space law
Outer Space Treaty
peaceful use of outer space
Type
thesis