Feasibility Study of Civil Liability in Losses of Space Debris

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Professor at University of Mazandaran, Iran.

2 Postdoctoral researcher in jurisprudence and principles of Islamic law, University of Mazandaran, Iran.

Abstract

Any man-made object that is in Earth orbit or is entering the Earth's atmosphere and has no function is called space debris. Since space travel requires the high speed of a space object, the collision of the smallest debris can jeopardize space travel. Debris can cause serious and sometimes irreparable damage to spacecraft, astronauts, humans, and their property on Earth, as well as the environment beyond the atmosphere and the earth. This paper, written in a descriptive-analytical method, through examining many examples of losses incurred by space debris, has found that while realizing the losses caused by harmful behavior and the existence of a causality relationship, the elements of civil liability can be summarized. After monitoring the challenges in space treaties, especially the Liability, with the help of evidence of civil liability based on the theory of respect, it was concluded that civil liability can be clear in damages caused by space debris and it is possible to determine the person responsible for compensation by examining a case study.

Keywords


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