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Ever since humans climbed down from the trees, they have looked up to the stars and the desire of exploration of the heavens above us only ever increased with the advancements in the field of science's. Launch of Artificial Satellite by the name of Sputnik by the USSR in 1957 ignited a space race between two rival superpowers i.e., USSR and United States. This Space war led to many astonishing inventions and innovations which helped the humanity to put a man on the moon and gave a dream to look further and achieve the sky itself. In modern times, with further more advancements in the technological aspects of means on space travel, such as SpaceX building Starship to travel to mars and Japanese Space Agency extracting a sample from Asteroid, there is nothing which can stop humanity from touching the stars. The question however in front of us is that when humanity do touch the stars (metaphor for celestial bodies) will it have the rights over it? Will we give them rights of ownership just because they have possession over it? The question is somewhat more complicated than it seems as the countries or companies who are reaching the skies, are investing huge amount of resources to achieve a certain mission but if they don't have any right over the celestial body, how will they carry on with their mission? This research paper deals with the concept of property rights in space whether a country or company can own a part of it? Along with the legality of property rights in space, this paper also focuses on ethical conundrum that whether a country or company deserves to get rights in space and consequences of same. This paper further focuses on India's proposed Legislation "Space Activities Bill" and how will it help the private activities in the space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To enhance their strategic position, some spacefaring States are engaged in exploiting legal lacunae of international space treaties. Consequently, there is an increase of militarization of outer space. As an instance of such activities, an anti-satellite (ASAT) test by India represents a strategic move to enhance its deterrence capability rather than earnestly adhering to international space law. Such actions can potentially increase the element of uncertainty in international law, particularly the international space law. The pursuit of military strategic interests in space has increased the possibility of an arms race in space. This article argues that ASAT tests not only violate certain principles of international law but also undermine the efforts for arms control and disarmament in the outer space. In this regard, an effective role of the international community is required to curb the arms race imperative for a safe and sustainable outer space environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indian Space Activities Bill of 2017 (SAB 2017) seeks to promote exploration and growth of space activities in India. The Government of India solicited feedback on SAB 2017 from stakeholders and the public. As it is yet to become law, there is a need to examine SAB 2017 to better understand its proposed pathways to promote space activities effectively. For this purpose, a comprehensive ontological framework of space policy and law based on the extant research and policy literature on the topic is presented. It is a systemic framework, which helps in identifying gaps and recommending pathways for regulating space activities. In this article, the application of an ontological framework is put forward by assessing SAB 2017. The SAB 2017 is assessed by mapping its 31 sections onto the ontology and analyzing the data to highlight the bill's emphases on the elements, dimensions, and themes encapsulated in the ontology. Lastly, recommendations to bridge the gaps in SAB 2017 for promoting an effective and systematic growth of India's space activities are advanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are tangible indicators that India, being a revisionist state and with a mature space program, aspires to join the club of states with space weapon capability. It is argued that India's quest for space weaponization is detrimental to strategic stability and deterrence of the South Asian region. Re-conceptualizing and revising existing space laws to develop a new legal framework to address momentum towards the weaponization of outer space is important in this context. This paper assesses the emerging trend of space militarization leading to space weaponization and its implications for South Asian security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Asia is in part volatile because of the historical rivalry between India and Pakistan. After non-conventional and conventional military buildups in the past, an arms race in the domain of outer space is now a possibility. Space is an advantageous frontier for military uses. In this context, the consensus in international law defines space as a global commons to be used for peaceful purposes. Nonetheless, space powers, including India, engage in space militarization, which can lead to the weaponization of space. India is motivated in this regard by aspirations of regional hegemony and to balance its capabilities with respect to China in an effort to counter China's increasing influence in South Asia. These developments posit adverse effects on the strategic equation in South Asia, leading to strategic instability, and can undermine nuclear deterrence and bring about a South Asian arms race in space. Moreover, the security dilemma in South Asia has prompted defensive and offensive reactions from rival states in the region, exacerbating repercussions on the South Asian strategic landscape. Analysis of the issues suggests that keeping space free from weaponization can alleviate strategic instability in South Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the basic philosophy behind India's space strategy based on ideological, sociological, political, economic, geostrategic and legal constructs. The paper uses the metaphor of “deconstruction” made famous by the French philosopher Jacques Derrida's (1930–2004) to understand various transitions (if any) in India's space policy over the years and the philosophy behind them. The paper follows a ‘narrative based scrutiny’ approach to recognise Indian attitude for investments into space technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's anti-satellite (ASAT) test of January 2007 has brought renewed focus on space security. The test also appears to have forced a re-evaluation of India's traditional declaratory policy against the militarization of space and more specifically created pressures for an Indian ASAT system. India's policy itself does not appear to have fully changed yet but there are signs of some fluctuations. This article examines the impact of the Chinese ASAT test on India's policy on space militarization and on India's ASAT policy. The first section of the article tracks Indian policy on space militarization and the small indicators of fluctuation in that policy, some of which predate the Chinese ASAT test. The article then examines how India's ASAT policy also shows some indicators of change, though this transformation is not yet complete, and nor is it clear that the transformation will take place. The article also identifies changes in Chinese ASAT capability as the key driver in India's rethinking about ASATs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the role of Moon Agreement in the commercial exploitation of the moon and of its natural resources. It says that various States are trying to send a manned mission to the Moon including China, India, and the U.S. which opened a debate on space law regime's ability to ensure a profitable development of lunar activities. However, the Moon Agreement fails to create a legal regime in governing such exploitation and has negative impact on the development of lunar resources.

International law in the field of space incorporates some unique features, embodying the principles of freedom of access and use of outer space, as a common resource of all human kind. As the space activities expanded, spreading their impact in various dimensions including commercial, social, security, environmental and cultural dimensions involving both government and private actors, the development of law has become complex and slow, with many outstanding issues yet to be resolved. Against this backdrop, the policy developments in India, which have implemented a vibrant and growing space programme, are traced in this article, bringing out the need and scope for national space legislation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Passivating spacecraft and upper stages at the end of their operational life is a must: numerous in orbit break-ups have been encountered by all space operators due to a lack of proper passivation leading to an explosion triggered by mixture of hypergolic propellants, pressure build-up, or hyper-velocity collision with a small object.The following paper recalls first the high level guidelines that have to be adopted at international level to achieve proper space debris mitigation, recalls the definition of passivation, then describes the most frequent solutions currently adopted. Several examples, mainly from India and China, are quoted, extracted generally from IADC presentations; they are presented in italics, unmodified. The paper then reviews briefly the main problems encountered during the process of designing the passivation system and operating it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]