Jurisdiction and Control Rationae Instrumenti and Rationae Personnae in Outer Space

It must be emphasised that the advent of space stations is a notable advance in the legal and scientific history of space exploration. The impending proliferation of national and international space stations in this century opens up new vistas for legal studies particularly in the area of civil and criminal jurisdictions. Space stations may be said to consist of two kinds: a long-life spacecraft generally geostationary, placed in free space or an established post or centre constructed on a celestial body. ⁶⁶⁹ Space stations can exist for a determined or fixed period or can be of a permanent and ongoing nature. There is an increasingly international dimension to the ownership and running of space stations. There is also an increasing involvement and participation at various levels of private organisation in space station activities. These factors cannot but render the legal regime governing space stations more complex compared to that of the national aircraft in foreign airspace or in international airspace.