Full Description
Military uses in space are rapidly changing and expanding, challenging both states and non-governmental agencies in identifying and applying the governing rules. In the midst of these challenges, states, policymakers, and practitioners must engage with new, real circumstances in space, not merely hypothetical threats or problems. As a contribution to the understudied but crucial field, The Woomera Manual on the International Law of Military Space Activities and Operations is interdisciplinary in nature-- drawing on space law, national security law, technology, international law, and diplomacy.
Thus, The Woomera Manual serves as the first comprehensive examination of the field. In it, all three phases of military space interactions are analyzed (during times of peace, tension or crisis, and armed conflict), with relevance to both the public and private space sectors. Utilizing meticulous research and focusing particularly on state practice, it explores the interaction of different legal regimes, including space law, the UN Charter, other treaty-based regimes, as well as international humanitarian law.
Through an extensive consultation process with state and NGO representatives from across the globe, The Woomera Manual serves as a practical and reliable resource in the emerging field of space law. This book is a critical resource for any entity navigating the increasingly consequential subject of space operations by providing an outline for more predictable and peaceful cooperation.
Contents
Hon. Vickie Chapman: Foreword
Preface
Introduction
Methodology of the Woomera Manual
Overview of the Space Law Regime
Note on Legal Connections Between States and a Space Object
Note on Outer Space vs Airspace (Delimitation of Outer Space)
PART I: MILITARY SPACE ACTIVITIES DURING PEACETIME
Introduction
Section 1: Freedoms and Restrictions Related to the Use of Outer Space
Rule 1 - Freedom of Use, Access, Exploration, and Scientific Investigation and Principles of Cooperation
Rule 2 - Non-Appropriation of Outer Space and Celestial Bodies
Rule 3 - Peaceful Purposes in Outer Space
Rule 4 - Restrictions on Specified Military Establishments and Activities on Celestial Bodies
Rule 5 - Weapons of Mass Destruction
Rule 6 - Military Space Activities and Intelligence Collection
Rule 7 - Jurisdiction
Rule 8 - Registration of Space Objects
Rule 9 - Ownership of Space Objects
Section 2: Responsibility and Liability
Rule 10 - Responsibility of States for National Activities in Outer Space
Rule 11 - Responsibility of International Organizations
Rule 12 - International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects
Section 3: Other Obligations
Rule 13 - Astronauts and Personnel of a Spacecraft
Rule 14 - Avoidance of Harmful Contamination
Rule 15 - Visits to Facilities on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies
Part II: MILITARY SPACE ACTIVITIES DURING TIMES OF TENSION AND CRISIS
Introduction
Section 1: Legal Obligations and Prohibitions of Particular Relevance During Times of Tension and Crisis
Rule 16 - Zones
Rule 17 - Due Regard
Rule 18 - Harmful Interference
Rule 19 - ITU Harmful Radio Interference
Rule 20 - Non-Intervention Principle
Rule 21 - Use of Force
Rule 22 - Threat of Force
Rule 23 - Armed Attack
Section 2: Response Actions
Rule 24 - Retorsion
Rule 25 - Countermeasures
Rule 26 - Self-Defence
Rule 27 - Collective Self-Defence
Rule 28 - Collective Security Measures
PART III: MILITARY SPACE OPERATIONS DURING ARMED CONFLICT
Introduction: Space, the Law of Armed Conflict, and General Protection from Hostilities
Section 1: Characterization of Armed Conflict
Rule 29 - International Armed Conflict
Rule 30 - Non-International Armed Conflict
Section 2: Conduct in or Related to Attack
Rule 31 - Attack
Rule 32 - Distinction
Rule 33 - Direct Participation in Hostilities
Rule 34 - Military Objectives
Rule 35 - Medical Units and Religious Personnel
Section 3: Precautions in Attack
Rule 36 - Verification
Rule 37 - Choice of Means and Methods of Attack
Rule 38 - Proportionality in Attack
Rule 39 - Suspension or Cancellation of Attack
Rule 40 - Warnings
Rule 41 - Precautions against the Effects of Attack
Section 4: Means and Methods of Warfare
Rule 42 - Means and Methods of Warfare Generally
Rule 43 - Natural Environment
Rule 44 - Prohibition of Perfidy
Rule 45 - Improper Use of Markings
Section 5: Other Obligations
Rule 46 - Constant Care
Rule 47 - Belligerent Reprisals
Rule 48 - Neutrality in Space
