Mae Govannen: Legal Mechanisms that Encouraged Commercial Satellite Operations and Applicable Lessons for Other Space Commerce Sectors
- Paper number
IAC-09.E8.4.7
- Author
Dr. Gérardine Meishan Goh, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR), Germany
- Year
2009
- Abstract
The global economic downturn plaguing most sectors in 2008 and 2009 appears to have little or no impact on the world’s top three commercial satellite fleet operators: SES, Intelsat and Eutelsat. All operators continue to report high occupancy rates of their fleets, growing near-term demand and an acceleration of their satellite replacement and expansion programmes. The phenomenal growth of the commercial telecommunications and direct television broadcasting satellite industry has remained unparalleled. This paper looks at the legal mechanisms and developments that encouraged the commercialisation of this sector. The advantages and disadvantages spawned by these mechanisms are critically analysed at the national, regional and international levels. This paper then draws useful lessons from the specific factual and legal matrices of this sector, and considers their application in other space-related commercial activities. The paper concludes with a modest proposal of the methods by which these lessons can be put to use in encouraging space commerce in other upcoming markets.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
(absent)