Out-of-State Solutions for Outer Space Disputes: Delocalizing the Troubles of the Province of Mankind

Abstract

Legal conflicts in the space sector are a foreseeable reality that arises from the exponential development of cross-border outer space projects, their privatization and the development of publicly available services like tourism and mining. The wake of the commercial component of human ventures into space, calls for the development of dispute settlement mechanisms that meet the industry’s needs of speed, heightened confidentiality, and technical and legal expertise. This article aims at analysing the significant benefits that the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s (PCA’s) Optional Rules for Arbitration of Disputes Related to Outer Space Activities bring to the space industry. It also aims at fulfilling the role that we have as pioneers of the legal space sector, of analysing the available regimes to enhance them, foster their development and provide the best solutions for our clients.