Regulation of Commercial Human Spaceflights

International and National Legal Perspectives
1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-041-26597-9
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 176 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm, Gewicht: 259 g

This book analyzes emerging legal and regulatory challenges surrounding commercial human spaceflights (CHSs). It addresses unique questions raised by human presence in outer space that distinguish CHSs from other commercial space activities.

Discussing a rapidly growing sector in the space economy, this volume:

• Compares regulatory approaches in major spacefaring nations, including Russia, the United States of America, China, the European Union, Japan, Australia, and India, to evaluate how existing international space treaties adapt to private sector human spaceflight activities while identifying significant gaps in current frameworks.

• Analyzes fundamental issues such as the legal status of space tourists versus astronauts, liability mechanisms, insurance requirements, training and selection standards, and the interplay between international space law and domestic regulations.

• Critically examines India’s space governance, its regulatory landscape, and the future of its CHS policies.

• Offers theoretical insights and practical recommendations for future law-making at both international and domestic levels.

Accessibly written, this volume is an essential resource for scholars, researchers, legal practitioners, policymakers, space industry professionals, and students exploring the intersection of space law, regulatory affairs, and the expanding commercial space tourism industry. It will be of great interest to scholars and researchers in international law, space policy, public policy, aerospace studies, and regulatory studies, as well as to space industry professionals navigating compliance requirements in international space law, commercial aerospace regulation, emerging technology governance, and comparative legal systems.

Zielgruppe

Postgraduate

Autoren/Hrsg.

Kumar, Vijay

Raju, K.D.

Subramanian, S.R.

Fachgebiete

• Rechtswissenschaften Internationales Recht und Europarecht Internationales Recht Internationales See-, Luft- und Weltraumrecht
• Rechtswissenschaften Wirtschaftsrecht Handels- und Gesellschaftsrecht Handelsrecht, HGB, Handelsvertreter- und -maklerrecht

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Acknowledgements. List of Abbreviations. List of Conventions and Statutes. 1. Introduction 2. Commercial Human Spaceflights – Unravelling International Space Law 3. Commercial Human Spaceflights – Contextualizing Regulatory Mechanisms of the Selected Jurisdictions 4. Commercial Human Spaceflights: Juxtaposing Indian Response 5. Conclusion and Suggestions. Bibliography. Index.

Über Autor(innen)

Vijay Kumar holds a Ph.D. in the area of space law from the Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law (Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India). He has also completed his Master of Laws in international legal studies. Presently, he is teaching at Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College, Puducherry. He has more than six years of teaching experience and has published numerous research papers in international journals of repute.

K.D. Raju is Professor of Law and Pro-Vice Chancellor at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) University and KIIT Law School, Bhubaneswar, India. A Fulbright Scholar, he completed his doctoral studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, United States of America, and Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He received the Microsoft Outstanding Young Faculty Award in 2011. A prolific writer, he has authored 10 books, 35 book chapters, and 50 peer-reviewed articles. His recent works include A Handbook on Geographical Indications in India and Geographical Indications in Free Trade Agreements Signed by Asian Countries.

S.R. Subramanian is Associate Professor of Law at the Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. He is Erasmus Mundus Scholar, having studied at the Universities of Leipzig (Germany) and Vienna (Austria), and Summer Scholar at the Centre of European Law. Earlier, he was Michigan Grotius Fellow at the University of Michigan, USA. His research focuses on many areas of international law.