Commercial and Military Uses of Outer Space

This edited book brings together a diverse range of chapters on space related topics. The authors included in this book are drawn from Australia and overseas, from academia, government, industry, civil society and the military. This book contains chapters that cover topics such as law, science, archaeology, defence, policy, and more, all with a focus on space. This edited collection is a timely international and interdisciplinary book, which addresses some of the contemporary issues facing activities in space and those attempting to understand, use and regulate the space domain. 

This edited book seeks to normalise the role of women as experts in the space sector, by not calling attention to the fact that all the authors are women – they are all experts in their respective fields who just happen to be women.  Bringing together these contributions in this book in turn promotes the inclusion of diversity in the space sector.  This edited collection is an opportunity to influence the development of the space industry – in terms of gender diversity, and diversity of disciplines and thinking – while it is in its formative stage, rather than trying to redress imbalances once they are entrenched in the industry.

1. Introduction.- 2. Whose space? A critical approach for increasing public engagement with the Australian space sector.- 3. The Next Frontier of the Global Commons.- 4. Space Security in the United States: Women in the Room.- 5. Rules of the Domain:  The Impact of Law on the Evolution of Space Activities and Technologies.- 6. To the Moon and Beyond: the Artemis Accords and the evolution of space law.- 7. The Case for Space Arms Control.- 8. Space Dispute Resolution Mechanisms.- 9. Connecting diverse data to address emerging space sector challenges.- 10. Space debris, space situational awareness and cultural heritage management in Earth orbit.- 11. Changing Space Security Dynamics and Governance Debates.- 12. The Province of all Humankind: A Feminist Analysis of Space Law.

Dr. Melissa de Zwart is Professor and Dean of Law at The University of Adelaide. She has a keen interest in the intersection between law and technology. Prior to joining academia, she was the Manager, Legal Services, CSIRO, where she advised on protection and commercialisation of technology. Her areas of research focus primarily on digital technology, as it interacts with culture, human behaviour and new areas of innovation. She has published widely on copyright, social media, surveillance, popular culture, the internet and outer space. She is a Board Member of the Space Industry Association of Australia, a member of the International Institute of Space Law, Co-Editor of the Woomera Manual on the International Law Applicable to Military Space Operations and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law. In 2015 she was the Team Leader of the AdelaideX Cyberwar, Surveillance and Security MOOC which has attracted over 40,000 students globally.

Dr. Stacey Henderson is Lecturer of Law at The University of Adelaide. Her research focuses on the protective capacity of law, including international law generally, responsibility of States and governance of outer space and space technology. Dr. Henderson is a participant in the Woomera Manual project ,which aims to develop a Manual that objectively articulates and clarifies the existing international law applicable to military space operations.