National Legislation for Space Activities in the Space Emerging Countries The case of the United Arab Emirates
- Paper number
IAC-19,E7,3,7,x49246
- Author
Mr. Mohamed Amara, United Arab Emirates, UAE Space Agency
- Year
2019
- Abstract
The United Arab Emirates has ratified the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, the 1972 Liability Convention, the 1975 Registration Convention by a presidential decree in 2000, and the 1968 Rescue Agreement in May 2017. The UAE is the first country in the region that has already started the process of enacting comprehensive national regulation on space activities. The first step was the creation of the UAE Space Agency by federal law No.1 of 2014. According to this law, the Agency is responsible for the overall conduct of space activities including the issuance of licenses for various types of space activities and is the competent body to ensure the safety of such activities. On September 2016, the UAE National Space Policy was adopted by the Council of Ministers; the most important element of the policy is to develop the UAE’s space sector including national space legislation. The major development in this context is the enactment of an extended Space Activities National Law. This paper will discuss the UAE Space Activities National Law’s key elements and outlines in particular how the UAE has thereby addressed the matters of scope of application, authorization, continuing supervision, liability for damages, registration, environmental aspects and conformity with the obligations arising from international space law. It will also address aspects of New Space such as suborbital flights and space resources. Finally, the paper will briefly allow for some conclusions and recommendations as to the contribution to any further development of (international and national) space law represented by these legislative efforts on the part of UAE.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
(absent)