International Space Law in Transformation: Some Observations

As we enter the twenty-first century, the space law framework created during the Cold War era of the mid-twentieth century is under some strain. It appears likely that the most important new issues facing space law will bear little resemblance to the questions that received the most attention during the previous century. Quite a few new issues will rear their heads over the coming decade or two, but here are four that seem of particular importance: space tourism, space militarization in a non-Cold War context, space environmental issues relating to Mars, and the legal character of space elevators. I will thus discuss each of these in turn, followed by some observations on related topics of interest.