Saad Hammadi’s Post

I’m afraid Lady Justice may never get her astronaut wings to complement her majestic toga! There are some substantial obstacles in place that hinder any hope of implementing judicial processes in the event of international criminal or national security activity there. These obstacles between states exists on Earth as well, but the situation becomes even more complicated – and exploitable – on orbit. Consider these less-than-optimal conditions for a moment: 👉 Adequate laws in space don’t exist to either regulate modern activity there or establish whether any infraction has even occurred. Besides a broadly written treaty from 1967 which includes a nod to obeying the U.N. Charter, most non-nuclear activity is fair game (or at least reasonably argumentative) in the eyes of the law. 👉 There are no confident means to attribute malevolent behavior. There is no neutral space cop, so each participant has the responsibility to report any suspected violations. Only a few powerful nations even have the technical ability to see what’s happening that far away and those nations will plausibly deny any claim against them with their own interpreted data. These events will become influence operations in the court of public opinion and will get more ambiguous with #DeepFake and #AI technology. 👉 Space is open to every nation, regardless of their governing philosophy. This means that many nations prefer more authoritarian ideals versus those prized by democratic societies, thus removing any interest in how Lady Justice impartially operates in the first place. 👉 Without global norms of behavior, binding guidelines, or a new space treaty, the recurring examples of borderline behavior and lack of response are becoming customary law each day. Any nation with visions of responsible activity that are different than what is occurring will be pushing a wet noodle up a steep legal hill. It all begins with establishing contemporary laws or guidelines that govern modern space activity, which seems highly improbable in the gridlocked geopolitical environment. Without these laws, Lady Justice’s scales will be legally as useless as they are physically in the zero-gravity environment. Absent these scales of justice, nations may feel compelled to use her sword to address disputes instead and that would be a bad day for everyone. #spacelaw #spacepolicy #spacestrategy

„Without greater space literacy, strategic thinking fully adapted to the new geopolitical realities, and the sufficient political will at the relevant levels to implement the necessary measures, it will not be possible to successfully address the many challenges and be a reliable partner. Given the increasing dynamics in space, Germany can no longer afford to remain on the sidelines when it comes to space security.“ #space #germany #spaceliteracy #spacesecurity #spacesecuritystrategy #strategy #strategicthinking #spaceliteracy

It is truly humbling to have my #article accepted and #published by Journal of National Security Law and Policy (Georgetown Law Center on National Security). This research, proudly funded by APNIC Foundation and written in collaboration with Dr Eugenia Georgiades, compares existing regulatory frameworks for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) #satelllites and contends none are robust, transparent, or efficient enough yet to curb monopolistic or rent-seeking behaviours. We also demonstrate how national security concerns can be overextended to give rise to protective measures for domestic space activities. We believe that #regulatorysystems can strike a balance between #nationalsecurity and #marketforces in a way that do not compel states to choose between their interests. If you are interested in this topic, you can read the article here

The Space handbook aims at providing new actors (but not limited to) with a broad overview of the fundamental principles, laws, norms, and best practices for peaceful, safe, and responsible activities in space. This handbook is structured in three main chapters: Chapter One deals with the international legal and political order applicable to space activities, and gives an introduction to the most important and relevant topics in international space law and how they apply to states. Chapter Two discusses how national space policy and national regulation apply to space. Chapter Three addresses responsible space operations, and provides an overview of the process from pre-launch frequency selections and coordination to payload review, launch services agreements between launch providers and operators, and mission and post-mission concerns. The Handbook for New Actors in Space is published by the Secure World Foundation - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. ISBN: 978-0-692-85141-8 #space #spacelaw #spacethreats #spaceoperation

Great to have written this article with Dr Laura Lintott FCIArb and Michala Kucharikova. A timely reminder on this important subject ahead of World Satellite Business Week in Paris next week, which I am heading to with Jim Bell. Looking forward to catching up with everyone in the space industry, clients, friends and colleagues both new and old. #Space #SpaceEconomy #NewSpace #NewSpaceEconomy #WSBW #WSBW24

In the sixty-third session of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (15-26 April 2024), schematic overview of #national regulatory frameworks for space activities is shared by the Commitee. (It is not first, the commitee shared such overview in the past years: https://lnkd.in/d_i3adMf) The document dated 15 April 2024 attached shows the status and application of the five #UN treaties on outer space, and ways and means, including #capacity-building, to promote their implementation by briefly mentioning the national #laws and #regulations. See: https://lnkd.in/dVCCadHY #outerspace

🚀 The proliferation of counter-space capabilities and the inadequacy of current international #space law require spacefaring nations to engage in international #cooperation for space #security. The Combined Space Operations Initiative is a US-led multilateral forum to promote #responsible space behaviours and increase space #interoperability. However, as Matilde Sacchi explains, the CSpO presents some challenges for #European states, ranging from operational dysfunctionalities to undesirable side-effects of the US leading role. ✏️ This paper was edited by Rosário Frada and supervised by Riccardo Angelo Grassi. 🔗 Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/d2ha5BhU

Regulating the Final Frontier: How Laws and Policies are Shaping Commercial Space Activities https://lnkd.in/guUa_j4y #SpaceRegulations #SpaceLaw #CommercialSpace #SpaceIndustry #SpaceGovernance

Regulating the Final Frontier: How Laws and Policies are Shaping Commercial Space Activities https://lnkd.in/guUa_j4y #SpaceRegulations #SpaceLaw #CommercialSpace #SpaceIndustry #SpaceGovernance

🚀 Curious about Europe's Space Law Future? 🚀 Don't miss Aldoria’s article, "Europe’s Quest For A Space Law", available online and in print at the WSBW on SatMagazine! 🌍📄 With no unified space regulation across Europe, each country navigates space law differently—some embrace the upcoming European space law as a catalyst for growth, while others see it as restrictive. What will a future European space law mean for satellite safety, anti-collision standards, and state sovereignty? Dive into this read and discover how Europe is shaping the future of space governance. Read more now! 👇 https://lnkd.in/geBDEMZz #SpaceLaw #SatNews #WSBW #SpaceRegulation #ESA #EU #STM #SSA