ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the outer space regime. It discusses how national sovereignty over superjacent airspace evolved into the existing mix of open access and nonappropriation. The chapter also discusses the political and historical development of the space regime, examining the effect of military uses of space, the role of special interest groups, and the extraordinary effect of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. It explores the five treaties that make up the outer space regime are: Outer Space Treaty, the Rescue Agreement, the Liability Convention, the Registration Convention, and the Moon Treaty. The chapter further examines the international telecommunications regime: the development and role of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), geostationary orbits, and the major international satellite systems. Nonequatorial nations countered that other factors affect geostationary orbits: the attraction of the moon and sun, solar radiation pressure, and launch and propulsion characteristics of each satellite.
