Exploring the legal framework of Space Situational Awareness activities

Space Situational Awareness (SSA) has become a maor issue in the international debate due to the growth of commercial space activities and the correspondent increase of obects orbiting around the Earth. As no State can conduct a comprehensive monitoring of the whole space environment and orbits, SSA requires a strong international cooperation both on the technical aspects of surveillance and on the sharing of information acquired. In this sense, States conclude bilateral agreements and public-private arrangements to promote wider exchange of information. These agreements pose conditions on the circulation of data, such as economic requirements, limitations on subsequent sharing of information with other entities, waiver of liability for damages derived by errors in the data or in their analysis. The corpus of these agreements creates a complex system of bilateral obligations, which is additional to the general legal framewor of the UN space treaties and relevant non-binding instruments. Furthermore, specific provisions applicable to SSA activities could derive from general rules and other domains of international law. In this context, the paper aims to explore the legal framewor applicable to SSA in order to clarify existing international obligations for States and other actors involved in such activities.