Legislating the Final Frontier: Trends and Challenges of National Space Law

The frontier of outer space has always been a compelling subject of interest, capturing the collective imagination of humanity for decades. Initially, the realm of space was not just a venue for scientific exploration and technological innovation; it was a theatre for geopolitical contestation, primarily dominated by established spacefaring nations. The Cold War era saw an intense race to assert supremacy in space exploration, leading to ground-breaking missions like the Apollo moon landings and the launching of the Sputnik satellite. During this period, the legal frameworks around space were primarily driven by these superpowers, and even though geopolitical turmoil encapsuled this era, consensus was still to be found, culminating in the Outer Space Treaty of 1967.