Aotearoa New Zealand and Outer Space

The corpus of outer space law, including the Outer Space Treaty 1967, has faced multiple challenges and critiques. Do advances in technology, the conduct of armed conflict, the environment, and geopolitics present new problems for the theory, practice and development of outer space law and policy in New Zealand? Or do they present opportunities?

Aotearoa New Zealand and Outer Space: Law, Policy, and Development is a timely monograph, as the Outer Space Treaty 1967 approaches 60 years of existence. New Zealand has also enacted the Outer Space and High-Altitude Activities Act 2017, which has so far not been comprehensively analysed or critiqued.

The book discusses the tensions between universalism and localisation, as well as the regionalisation of outer space law and policy – and how these approaches might adapt to create a dynamic space industry in New Zealand for the future. This book is both practical and theoretical in scope, and will be useful to academics, students, researchers, lawyers, government officials, and the space industry.