People think space law exists to enable exploration and protect humanity's common heritage. In reality, space law functions as a system for allocating scarce orbital resources, radio frequencies, and celestial mineral rights in an increasingly crowded extraterrestrial environment.

This episode reveals how international treaties and national regulations distribute access to the high ground of Earth orbit and beyond.

In this episode, I explain:

• Why orbital slots allocate geostationary parking positions rather than enable communication.
• How spectrum allocation distributes radio frequency access rather than prevent interference.
• Why the Outer Space Treaty allocates sovereignty rights rather than promote peace.
• How space debris regulations allocate cleanup costs rather than prevent collisions.
• Why resource extraction rules allocate mining rights rather than share celestial wealth.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Space law allocates orbital and celestial resources, not enables exploration.
• Orbital slots allocate scarce parking positions in geostationary orbit.
• Spectrum allocation distributes access to valuable radio frequencies.
• The Outer Space Treaty allocates sovereignty and liability between nations.
• Space debris rules allocate responsibility for cleanup costs.

REFERENCED TODAY:

• Outer Space Treaty 1967 (UN Treaty on Principles Governing Space Activities).
• ITU Constitution and Radio Regulations (International Telecommunication Union).
• Liability Convention 1972 (Convention on International Liability for Space Objects).
• Registration Convention 1975 (Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Space).
• Moon Agreement 1979 (not widely ratified).
• UK Space Industry Act 2018 (national regulation).

DISCLAIMER:
This podcast is for general information only. It does not provide legal advice and does not create a lawyer-client relationship.

Always consult a qualified professional for advice specific to your situation.

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