Outer Space - Space debris and the state-of-the art

MAUREEN WILLIAMS

YEARBOOK OF INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW (YbIEL)

OXFORD UNIV PRESS

Lugar: Oxford, Reino Unido; Año: 2009; p. 327 - 335

For YbIEL - Vol. 19 (2008)  INTERNATIONAL COMMONS / AREAS BEYOND NATIONAL JURISDICTION                    SPACE  DEBRIS  IN NEW LIGHT                                             ABSTRACT                                                   Space debris and the state-of-the art                                                     Space debris and the state-of-the art                                                     Space debris and the state-of-the art                                                                                                          In the ILA ´s contribution to the YbIEL (Vol.18, covering the year 2007) the view was expressed that, from the recent developments in the treatment of the legal aspects of  space debris, it could be safely assumed that this topic was on the threshold of inclusion as one of the separate items on the agenda of the Legal Subcommittee (LSC) of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space  (Copuos). On 21 December 2007, and based on the work of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of Copuos (STSC) -to which reference was made in our Report on the year 2007- the UN Guidelines on Space Debris Mitigation. were adopted by  UNGA Resolution 62/217. This was clearly indicated that the topic was gaining momentum on the governmental front. The present writer, as chair of the ILA Space Law Committee is now pleased to announce that, in fact, the latest development on the topic is the that the Legal Subcommittee of Copuos, in its Report on its 47th Session (31 March-11 April 2008 - Doc. A/AC.105/C.2/L.273/Add.3, 10 April 2008, para.21) contained a proposal entitled ´General exchange of information on national mechanisms relating to space debris mitigation measures´ to be considered at its 48th Session (23 March-3 April 2009) as a single item for discussion.