Legal aspects of planetary defence / / edited by Irmgard Marboe.

• Superior document: Studies in Space Law ; 17
• TeilnehmendeR: Marboe, Irmgard,
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden, Netherlands ;, Boston, Massachusetts : : Brill,, [2021]; ©2021
• Year of Publication: 2021
• Language: English
• Series: Studies in Space Law ; 17.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource.
• Notes: Includes index.

"Impacts by asteroids or comets on Earth may lead to natural disasters of catastrophic dimensions, the most famous being the extinction of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. Space agencies and other actors are increasingly active in activities dedicated to the development of technology to predict and mitigate such risks. This book addresses legal and policy aspects of 'planetary defence' activities aiming at the mitigation of Near-Earth Objects (NEO) impact threats. These include responsibility and liability for damage caused by such activities (or their failure) as well as international cooperation and possible decision making processes"-- Provided by publisher.

Table of Contents

Half Title -- Series Information -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- Foreword -- Acknowledgements -- Figures and Tables -- Acronyms and Abbreviations -- Legal Documents -- Notes on Contributors -- Introduction -- Part 1 Planetary Defence and International Cooperative Efforts -- Chapter 1 Near-Earth Objects - Basic Terms and Characteristics -- 1 Introduction -- 2 neo Characteristics and Definitions -- 3 neo Impacts -- 4 Conclusions -- Chapter 2 What Is Planetary Defence? -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Near-Earth Objects - Numbers and Impact Frequencies -- 3 Planetary Defence - Prediction and Mitigation of neo Impacts on Earth -- 4 Conclusion -- Chapter 3 Planetary Defence Technologies -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Impulsive Techniques -- 2.1 The Kinetic Impactor -- 2.2 Blast Deflection/Disruption -- 3 Slow Push/Pull Techniques -- 3.1 The Gravity Tractor -- 3.2 Laser Ablation -- 3.3 The Ion-Beam Shepherd -- 3.4 Other Slow Push/Pull Techniques -- 4 International Collaboration in the Event of Emergency Asteroid Deflection/Disruption -- Chapter 4 International Cooperation in Planetary Defence - uncopuos, iawn and smpag -- 1 Introduction -- 2 The United Nations and Near-Earth Objects -- 3 The Establishment of iawn and smpag -- 4 Information-Sharing and Awareness-Raising -- 5 Building Resilience - Links to Disaster Risk Reduction Communities -- 6 iawn and smpag - Preparing for an International Response to a Potential neo Impact at the Global Level -- 6.1 iawn -- 6.2 smpag -- 7 First Results of iawn and smpag -- 8 The smpag Ad-hoc Working Group on Legal Issues -- 9 Conclusion -- Chapter 5 Enhancing Public Awareness: The Establishment of 'Asteroid Day' -- 1 The Relevance of Public Awareness in the Context of Planetary Defence -- 2 The Asteroid Day Declaration -- 3 Asteroid Day -- 4 Concluding Remarks.

Chapter 6 The United States Planetary Defence Programme: nasa and the Planetary Defense Coordination Office -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Planetary Defence Goals and Organisation -- 2.1 Ground-based Detection and Characterisation -- 2.2 Space-Based Activities Related to the Detection and Characterisation of neos -- 2.2.1 neowise -- 2.2.2 OSIRIS-REx -- 2.2.3 neosm -- 2.2.4 dart -- 2.3 Interagency Coordination and National Policy Development -- 3 The United States National Near-Earth Object Preparedness Strategy and Action Plan -- 3.1 Decision-making Under Uncertainty and the United States National Near-Earth Object Preparedness Strategy and Action Plan -- 3.2 Modelling and Assessment -- 3.3 Technology and Mission Concept Development -- 4 International Coordination -- 5 Conclusion -- Chapter 7 esa's Activities in Planetary Defence -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Observations -- 3 Information Provision -- 4 Mitigation -- 5 Ground and Data Systems Support -- 6 Current Status and Near Future -- Chapter 8 Planetary Defence Activities beyond nasa and esa -- 1 Introduction -- 2 B612 Foundation -- 3 Canada -- 4 China -- 4.1 Chang'e 2 Flyby of Potentially Hazardous Near-Earth Asteroid 4179 Toutatis (1989 ac) -- 4.2 Potential Mission to 469219 Kamo'oalewa (2016 HO3) -- 5 Denmark -- 6 Japan -- 6.1 Hayabusa -- 6.2 Hayabusa2 -- 6.3 procyon -- 6.4 destiny+ -- 6.5 The Japan Spaceguard Association -- 7 Luxembourg -- 8 Russia -- 9 Conclusion -- Part 2 Legal Analysis of Different Aspects of Planetary Defence -- Chapter 9 Overview of Current International Space Law in the Context of Planetary Defence -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Regulating Outer Space - Fundamental Principles of Space Law -- 3 The Way Forward -- Chapter 10 The 2010 Report on Legal Aspects of neo Threat Response and Related Institutional Issues -- 1 Introduction.

2 From the Association of Space Explorers to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln -- 3 The Research Project on Legal Aspects of neo Threat Response and Related Institutional Issues -- 4 Cluster One: General State Responsibilities and Obligations -- 5 Cluster Two: Specific Liabilities for Damage -- 6 Cluster Three: The Use of Physical Force, Possibly even Nuclear Devices, in Outer Space -- 7 Cluster Four: The Institutional Structure -- 8 Cluster Five: The Proper Role of Commercial, Including Private, Activities -- 9 The Main Conclusions and Recommendations Offered by the Research Project -- Chapter 11 The SMPAG Ad-hoc Working Group on Legal Issues -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Formation of the Ad-hoc Working Group on Legal Issues -- 3 Members of the Ad-hoc Working Group on Legal Issues -- 4 The Work of the Ad-hoc Working Group on Legal Issues -- 4.1 Obligations to Inform and to Act -- 4.2 Legality of Planetary Defence Methods -- 4.3 Responsibility -- 4.4 Liability -- 4.5 Considerations for Decision Bodies -- 5 Conclusion -- Chapter 12 International Law Rules Related to the Sharing of Information about Potential neo Threats -- 1 Introduction -- 2 The Obligation to Warn -- 2.1 Elementary Considerations of Humanity -- 2.2 The Right to Life -- 3 Duty to Cooperate -- 3.1 The UN Charter and the Principle of Cooperation -- 3.2 Cooperation in the Event of Disasters -- 3.3 UN Treaties and Principles on the Use of Outer Space -- 4 Principle of Due Regard -- 5 The Obligation to Share the Results of Space Activities -- 6 State Responsibility for Omissions -- 7 Conclusion -- Chapter 13 Rules of International Law regarding an Obligation of States to Undertake Planetary Defence Activities -- 1 Introduction -- 2 International Space Law -- 3 International Environmental Law -- 4 International Human Rights Law -- 5 The Responsibility to Protect -- 6 International Disaster Law.

7 Conclusion -- Chapter 14 The Use of Force and Planetary Defence -- 1 Introduction: the Scope of the Study -- 2 The Scope of the Prohibition of the Threat or Use of Force under International Law -- 2.1 Article 2(4) of the UN Charter as Reflection of Customary International Law -- 2.2 First Criterion: the Notion of 'Force' -- 2.3 Second Criterion: 'Circumstances' -- 2.4 How to Justify the 'Force' Used in Active Mitigation Measures? -- 2.5 The Issue of 'the Threat of Force' -- 3 The Permissible Scope of the Use of Outer Space -- 3.1 The Outer Space Treaty as Lex Specialis -- 3.2 The Permissible Scope of Active Mitigation Measures from Earth -- 3.3 Prediction Activities in Conformity with International Space Law -- 3.4 The Moon Agreement and Planetary Defence -- 3.5 The Restrictions on Environmental Modification -- 3.6 The Permissible Scope of Active Mitigation Measures from the Moon and other Celestial Bodies -- 4 Concluding Remarks -- Chapter 15 Legal Aspects of the Use of Nuclear Explosive Devices in Planetary Defence -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Space Law and Nuclear Weapons -- 3 Definition of a 'Weapon' -- 4 Why Should We Emphasise Inherent Nature rather than Intended Application? -- 5 Bottom Line: Preserving the Outer Space Treaty -- Chapter 16 Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Planetary Defence: Competing Potential Disasters -- 1 Introduction -- 2 The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty -- 2.1 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Pillar 1: Non-Proliferation -- 2.2 Supplemental Non-Proliferation Agreements that Reinforce Pillar i of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty -- 2.3 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Pillar ii: Disarmament -- 2.4 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Pillar iii: Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy -- 3 The Role of Key Arms Control Agreements -- 4 The Way Forward -- 5 Conclusion.

Chapter 17 Understanding the Social Aspects of an Asteroid Impact Threat from Socio-Anthropological Lessons Learned in Natural Disaster Management -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Distinguishing Planetary Defence from Planetary Protection -- 3 Concepts, Definitions and Theoretical Background of Space Threat Management -- 3.1 What is an Existential Space Risk? -- 3.2 Space Risk Perception -- 3.3 Geographic and Temporal Scales -- 3.4 Definitions of Risk, Threat and Hazard -- 3.5 Not a First in Human History -- 3.6 More than a Disaster: A "Catastrophe", an Unthinkable Event -- 3.7 "Black Swan" Catastrophe and Scotomisation -- 3.8 Disaster as an Interface -- 4 Understanding Societal Aspects of an Asteroid Impact Threat: Lessons Learned from Natural Disaster Management -- 4.1 Keeping Track of Rare Recurring Events through Decades and Centuries -- 4.2 Population Displacements -- 4.3 Economic Damage -- 4.4 Loss of World Heritage -- 5 Making Sense of Disasters, Catastrophes and Perceptions through Socio-Anthropology -- 5.1 The Input of Socio-Anthropology -- 5.2 Socio-Economic Vulnerability and Inequalities in Coping with Natural Disaster -- 5.3 Resistance to Displacement -- 5.4 Mass Death Management -- 5.5 Legal Aspects of Natural Disasters -- 5.6 Political Structures -- 6 Conclusion -- Chapter 18 The Current International Space Law Regime on Liability and Its Application to Planetary Defence -- 1 Introduction: From Risk to Liability in Spaceflight -- 2 The Janus-faced Character of Liability: Benefit and Burden -- 2.1 Benefit -- 2.2 Burden -- 3 Liability in Public International Law -- 4 The International Space Law Regime on Liability -- 4.1 Preliminary Remarks -- 4.2 The Early Resolutions -- 4.3 Article vii Outer Space Treaty -- 4.4 The Liability Convention -- 4.5 Space Law Liability: Innovation and Practice -- 5 Other Forms of Regulating Liability in Spaceflight.

5.1 Contractual Liability in Spaceflight.