'The Space Advisory Board was tasked by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) to consult with stakeholders on a new space strategy and to report its findings. The Space Advisory Board held seven roundtable discussions across the country and two webinars focused on youth and the North, involving a broad cross-section of stakeholders in the Canadian Space Program. Participants noted that in the past Canada has had a very successful space program that met national needs and created an internationally competitive space industry and science capability. However, almost all stressed that Canada has lost ground in a world environment driven by rapidly changing technology and substantial increases in space investments by other nations. Participants supported the need for a space strategy, but stressed the urgent need for a reinvigorated and fully funded set of space activities and supporting policies to successfully implement the space strategy. Many felt that action is needed now before too much capacity is lost. During the consultations, stakeholders raised many significant issues facing Canadian space activities that require urgent Government action if space is to continue to contribute to the economic and social growth of the nation'--Cf. Executive summary, p. 1.

"The Space Advisory Board was tasked by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) to consult with stakeholders on a new space strategy and to report its findings. The Space Advisory Board held seven roundtable discussions across the country and two webinars focused on youth and the North, involving a broad cross-section of stakeholders in the Canadian Space Program. Participants noted that in the past Canada has had a very successful space program that met national needs and created an internationally competitive space industry and science capability. However, almost all stressed that Canada has lost ground in a world environment driven by rapidly changing technology and substantial increases in space investments by other nations. Participants supported the need for a space strategy, but stressed the urgent need for a reinvigorated and fully funded set of space activities and supporting policies to successfully implement the space strategy. Many felt that action is needed now before too much capacity is lost. During the consultations, stakeholders raised many significant issues facing Canadian space activities that require urgent Government action if space is to continue to contribute to the economic and social growth of the nation"--Executive summary, p. 1.

Space is no longer the domain of national space agencies. Today, a significant majority of space activities are carried out by non-governmental entities, resulting in the accelerated evolution of space technologies and their applications. This operational shift from public to private does not mean, however, that governments are no longer relevant in this era of New Space. On the contrary: as the operational role of the state has diminished, its regulatory role has grown correspondingly. Acknowledging that the commercial landscape in space is an ever-changing one, this book explores how the Canadian government has adapted to the new commercial space landscape and whether it is prepared to fulfil its authorisation and supervision responsibilities as the regulator of Canada’s space industry. The fundamental research question posed, therefore, is whether Canada’s regulatory framework is appropriate given the increasing commercialisation of space. To best answer this question, the book provides a doctrinal analysis of Canada’s historical space policy and current space laws, an empirical survey of the perspectives of those currently interacting with Canada’s regulatory framework, and a comparative exploration of how other jurisdictions oversee commercial space activities. Motivated by legal, moral and economic considerations, the book recommends that Canada enact a comprehensive national space law and provides an annotated draft law for this purpose. By doing so, the book intends to spark a meaningful conversation on how Canada ought to fulfil its regulatory responsibilities, a topic previously unaddressed in public and academic discourse.

The book describes the recent trends in space policy and the space sector overall. While maintaining a global scope with a European perspective, it links space policy with other policy areas, highlights major events, and provides insights on the latest data. The Yearbook includes the proceedings of ESPI's 12th Autumn Conference, which discussed the growing importance of Security in Outer Space and the stakes for civilian space programmes in the public and private sectors. Bringing together satellite operators, SMEs, European and American institutions, and think tanks, the Autumn Conference served as platform for fresh insights on security in outer space and the potential of transatlantic relations to address its challenges. The Yearbook also includes executive summaries of ESPI's work in 2017 as well as ESPI's 2017 Executive Briefs, covering topics such as suborbital spaceflight, super heavy lift launch vehicles, collaboration with China, and the delimitation of outer space. All in all, the book gives a detailed review of space policy developments worldwide, contextualised with information about national-level space industries and activity and broader political and economic conditions. The readership is expected to include the staff of space agencies, the space industry, and the space law and policy research community.