The Licensing System for Space Activities and Protection of Outer Space Environment: a Comparative Law Perspective

The mankind’s space activities have had the negative impact on the space environments.The 1967 Outer Space Treaty requires that the States Parties to the Treaty shall bear international responsibility for national activities in outer space, and the activities of non-governmental entities in outer space shall require authorization and continuing supervision by the appropriate State Party to the Treaty. The Treaty also requires that the States Parties to the Treaty should avoid the harmful contamination to outer space in the exploration and use of outer space. In order to fulfill the obligations, many countries have specific provisions in their domestic legislation on the licensing system of space activities (mainly launch activities), most of which include protection of the outer space environment requirements, and consider it as a necessary condition to obtain a license or an important part for the implementation of regulation.