ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the development of the Space Protocol of the Cape Town Convention since its adoption in 2012 and argues that it urgently needs to be implemented by more states. It examines how an international system of secured transactions can facilitate the injection of larger amounts of private capital into the space sector, as well as the benefits of a centralised international registration system for the rights of creditors financing the acquisition and use of space assets. It contrasts the asset-based financing model with traditional approaches such as unsecured lending, venture capital, and project finance. It reflects on the extent to which an international secured transactions legal system will enable cross-border financing of space assets in emerging space economies that otherwise have little to no access to classic funding lines, and concludes with the benefits such a system could bring to the NewSpace economy.
