Book Description

"Climate catastrophe, natural disasters, public health epidemic and financial crisis have altered human perception of essential resources and technology. In the realm of space law, this discourse leads us to the utilization of space resources procured from celestial bodies through space technologies in order to address modern challenges through futuristic solutions. Space technologies remain the fundamental block of outer space exploration determining which participant shall have the functional access to outer space vis-a-visa its benefits. However, the predicament is that space technologies have the tendency of being monopolized as they are capital intensive, requiring substantial investment to support their research & development, leaving technologically advanced space faring nations with little to no incentive to share their technologies. In space law, the Outer Space Treaty (OST) is one of the core legal instruments amongst the five United Nations Space Treaties, which bases it bases itself on the principle of cooperation with respect to the use and exploration of outer space. While the OST ensures freedom of exploration, it does not guarantee equality in the functional access to outer space. This ambiguity in law raises uncertainty amongst States that desire access to space through the sharing of space technologies. Additionally, the other United Nations Space Treaties have failed to provide States with substantive prohibitions against political, economic or strategic discrimination, in particular with regards to functional access to outer space and space technologies.This thesis explores the socio-economic impacts of limiting access to space technology innovation to a small number of privileged users, and highlights the potential of achieving immense well-being by making space technology widely available through a pluralistic and inclusive platform. The research also proposes to understand the historical and socio-political elements that condition the currently limited access to space technology innovation and then, seeks to evaluate and suggest methods that can be adopted to enhance accessibility of these specific space technologies by adopting affirmative policies, ultimately, contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Lastly, this thesis adopts an intersectional approach and necessitates the denunciation of the Westphalian model of international law that currently dominates the governance of outer space, highlighting the need for a cosmopolitan and inclusive approach that builds upon the concept of 'collective humanity'. The 'essence' of this thesis is - evolution and survivability. To not just show there exists a "common good" in the research but to show tangible and quantifiable results that can help achieve SDGs. Discussion regarding this issue is of the utmost importance because it is critical to the facilitation of human survival and offers immense opportunities for well-being"--