Is a modular space station (habitable artificial satellite) in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project between five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe), and CSA (Canada). The ownership and use of the space station is established by intergovernmental treaties and agreements. The station serves as a microgravity and space environment research laboratory in which scientific research is conducted in astrobiology, astronomy, meteorology, physics, and other fields. The ISS is suited for testing the spacecraft systems and equipment required for possible future long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars. Development and assembly of the station continues, with several major new Russian elements scheduled for launch starting in 2020. As of December 2018, the international space station is expected to operate until 2030.
Published in Chapter:
Main Contents and Comment on the 1972 Liability Convention
Copyright: © 2021
|Pages: 7
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-7407-2.ch004
Abstract
This chapter explains the historical background, key provisions, and main contents of the 1968 Space Liability Convention (Title: Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects). In order to protect the victims caused by space accidents, the author proposes a revision of the 1968 Liability Convention for the purpose of inserting and regulating the provision on the mental and indirect damage. The Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects, also known as the Space Liability Convention, is a treaty from 1972 that expands on the liability rules created in the Outer Space Treaty of 1967. In 1978, the crash of the nuclear-powered Soviet satellite Kosmos 954 in Canadian territory led to the only claim filed under the convention. The Liability Convention was concluded and opened for signature on 29 March 1972. It entered into force on 1 September 1972. As of 1 January 2019, 96 states have ratified the Liability Convention, 19 have signed but not ratified. States (countries) bear international responsibility for all space objects that are launched within their territory.