International Law Responsibility for Activities related to the Use of Space

The article examines international law instruments and acts of national legislations of various states regulating space exploration activities and their practical application. Particular attention is paid to issues related to the implementation of mechanisms of international law responsibility arising from the misuse of outer space. The cooperation of States in the field of space exploration is extremely relevant and is of particular importance in identifying the owner of the spacecraft that should be held accountable. The problem also lies in the fact that even with the legitimate use of space, situations arise when it is necessary to decide on damage compensation — who, to whom and in what amount will compensate. It is not uncommon for a launching State to resort to the deliberate destruction of a space object. They must take into account the criteria developed in the normative legal acts discussed in the article. With the development of technology, there are more and more opportunities to use space not only for scientific, but also for commercial purposes. Therefore, the methods of bringing to responsibility should be more effective than the existing ones. The author proposes directions for development of legislation in the field of space activities. These directions will encourage implementing slightly different responsibility mechanisms that largely take into account the interests of States. The activity of extracting minerals for the purpose of further use as building materials on Earth is becoming widespread. Thus, the national legislation of States begins to adapt to such changes.

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