Disrupting the Final Frontier: Rethinking Space Law through Sustainability and Democratic Governance

The realm of outer space, which was once perceived as the common heritage of mankind has rapidly turned into an exclusive domain of technologically advanced nations, becoming a hub of commercial operations owing to the rapid technological advancement, growing engagement of non-state & private stakeholders coupled with intense geo-political dynamics. The rudimentary international law on space governance has often fallen short of facing numerous contemporary challenges posed by such intensifying operations including the issues concerning the orbital debris proliferation, satellite mega-constellations, and emergent plans for asteroid mining and lunar colonization. While a more stringent regulation might be the immediate means to cater to the growing challenges, however, there is a need to put concentrated efforts in rethinking the new nuances of space governance, the foundation of which has to be rooted in the principles of sustainability and democratic accountability.