By R Anil Kumar
November 16. The rapid expansion and diversification of space activities, as well as the growing congestion of our orbits, have made it imperative to move from policy to practice in ensuring the long-term sustainability of outer space.
The 2025 United Nations Conference on Space Law and Policy examines how legal and regulatory frameworks can effectively respond to the growing operational realities of space sustainability.
Under the theme “Operationalising Space Sustainability: Legal and Regulatory Approaches Across the Lifecycle of Space Debris,” the Conference explores how States are translating internationally agreed instruments, such as the Space Debris Mitigation and Long-term Sustainability Guidelines, into national law and practice.
It will also consider the application of the Rescue and Return Agreement in contemporary contexts, focusing on the procedures and obligations that arise when debris or other space objects land on Earth and how States can operationalise its provisions in practice.
The final discussions will turn to emerging activities from active debris removal to on-orbit servicing, examining how questions of responsibility, jurisdiction, and specifically ownership transfer intersect with the broader objective of maintaining a safe and sustainable space environment.
Let us together discuss how we can move beyond theory by bridging legal principles with real-world operations, turning principles into practice, strengthening collective efforts to preserve the space environment today and secure its continued use for the benefit of future generations.
Conference Themes and Sessions:
- Translating Space Sustainability into National Regulatory Frameworks
- Integrating Sustainability into Practice.
- The Rescue and Return Agreement in Action: Legal and Operational Reflection
- Emerging Space Operations and Legal Considerations: from on-orbit servicing, active debris removal to transfer of ownership.
Patents in Outer Space:
- Technology, Law & Policy (Joint Conference Panel by WIPO & UNOOSA)
UNOOSA Space Law Conference:
- The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs has been organizing a series of workshops and conferences on space law and policy over a decade.
- This year, the Office will hold the United Nations Conference on Space Law and Policy from 19 to 20 November in Vienna, Austria.
International and regional cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space helps to bring the benefits of space technology applications to broader stakeholders, both governmental and non-governmental, and to expand and diversify national space programmes.
Policy and regulatory frameworks at the national, regional and international levels are of paramount importance for providing the necessary basis for States, particularly developing countries, to address challenges to sustainable development and to meet development goals.
It is, therefore, necessary to continue strengthening the linkages between international space law and the conduct of space activities.
Over years, the General Assembly has, in its resolutions on international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space, reaffirmed the importance of international cooperation in developing the rule of international law, including the relevant norms of international space law and their important role in international cooperation for the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes.
The Assembly has also reaffirmed the importance of the widest possible adherence to international treaties that promote the peaceful uses of outer space in order to meet emerging new challenges, especially for developing countries.
The Assembly recognizes that all States, in particular those with major space capabilities, should contribute actively to the prevention of an arms race in outer space with a view to promoting and strengthening international cooperation in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes.
In today’s world, where the number of actors engaged in space activities increases every day, it is of the utmost importance to ensure that all actors comply with the international space law.
The successful implementation and application of the international legal framework governing space activities depends on the understanding and acceptance of such framework by policymakers and decision makers.
The availability of professionals who can provide sound legal advice and share information and knowledge about space law depends on adequate education and training opportunities in space law and policy.
This Conference aims to promote adherence to the five United Nations treaties on outer space and to assist States in implementing those treaties.
It also aims to examine challenges associated with the growth of space actors and the existing legal framework as observed by practitioners of space law and to identify measures that could be taken to address those challenges.
The Conference further aims to enhance capacity-building opportunities in space law, which could also help States, particularly developing countries, meet their development goals.
