Sovereignty and jurisdiction are legal doctrines of a complex nature, which have been subject to differing interpretations by scholars in legal literature. The tridimensionality of state territory recognised under customary international law subsists until the present but there are other territories that do not or cannot belong to any state or political entity which also must be accounted for in legal theory. The issues surrounding sovereignty and jurisdiction are likely to become ever more pressing as globalisation, growing pressure on resources and the need for energy and national security become acute, and the resolution of special delimitation disputes seems likely to become a vital question in the twenty-first century. As a result of the fast pace of technological developments in air and space activities and the massive increases in air transportation , satellite communications and space exploration, the need for scholars and practitioners to sharpen their appreciation of the legal and political issues becomes crucial. This book will focus primarily on the issues of sovereignty jurisdiction and control in airspace and outer space and their effects on public and private activities, but it will also look at related issues pertaining to the Seas and Antarctica. Commercial exploitation, resource control and the international regime regulating contractual obligations in relation to transportation of goods and services over all forms of territory will be examined to the extent that they are necessary to explain jurisdictional rights and duties over territory. Older problems of international law such as crimes in the air and airspace trespass are treated along with newer developments such as space tourism as well as growing demand for private ownership and involvement in outer space exploitation. The book goes on to consider the distinction between airspace and outer space and puts forward legal criteria which would allow for the resolution of the spatial delimitation dispute. These criteria would determine where in spatial terms the exclusive sovereignty of airspace ends and where outer space – the province of all mankind – begins, and contribute to the jurisprudence of territorial sovereignty and jurisdiction.

The existence of international law, with its rights, rules and regulations is futile without an effective enforcement mechanism that provides a sufficient and adequate remedy. International space law is particularly significant in the evolution of international dispute settlement because it involves a consideration of issues from an international and interdisciplinary perspective. These issues range from policies of regional and international organizations; to juridical dispute settlement and global governance; to fiscal entrepreneurship and business efficacy; and to scientific breakthroughs and technological advances. In this context, this book looks at an international and interdisciplinary approach in dealing with dispute resolution in space activities. It proposes a workable legal framework for dispute resolution in outer space, together with a mechanism for enforcement and verification.

Looks at the operations of the International Space Station from the perspective of the Houston flight control team, under the leadership of NASA's flight directors, who authored the book. The book provides insight into the vast amount of time and energy that these teams devote to the development, planning and integration of a mission before it is executed. The passion and attention to detail of the flight control team members, who are always ready to step up when things do not go well, is a hallmark of NASA human spaceflight operations. With tremendous support from the ISS program office and engineering community, the flight control team has made the International Space Station and the programs before it a success.

Updated third edition: “An excellent work. . . . This history may be the best space summary currently in publication.” —Journal of Military and Strategic Studies For more than sixty years, countries have conducted military and civilian activities in space, often for competitive purposes. But they have not yet fought in this environment. This book examines the international politics of the space age from 1957 to the present, the reasons why strategic restraint emerged among the major military powers, and how recent trends toward weaponization may challenge prior norms of conflict avoidance. James Clay Moltz analyzes the competing demands of national interests in space against the shared interests of all spacefarers in preserving the safe use of space in the face of emerging threats, such as man-made orbital debris. This new edition offers analysis of the 2011 to 2018 period, including the second term of President Obama and the beginning of the Trump administration. Focusing on great power competition and cooperation, as well as questions related to the sustainability of current and future national space policies, The Politics of Space Security is an authoritative history of the space age. Praise for previous editions “Most of [this] well-written study is blessedly free from jargon . . . .a particularly valuable contribution to the space security debate, given both the wide range of the historical dimensions . . . .and the incisive quality of its analysis.” —Issues in Science and Technology “An impressive and timely contribution to security studies . . . .it is difficult to find fault with this thoughtful and comprehensive volume.” —Review of Policy Research