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The Outer Space Treaty (OST), which entered into force on 10th October 1967, has served as a foundation of international space law since the second decade of the Space Age. To mark the 50th anniversary of the Treaty's entry into force, a special panel event was organized during the 68th International Astronautical Congress held in Adelaide, Australia, from 25th–29th September 2017. The authors of this viewpoint were invited to share their perspectives on the governance framework for outer space activities underpinned by the OST and to reflect on the prospects for the future of global space governance, and the opportunities presented by UNISPACE+50, which will mark the 50th anniversary of the first UNISPACE conference in June 2018. This viewpoint begins with a retrospective reflection of 3 panellists on the contributions of the OST to global space governance in the past 50 years and the challenges facing the OST at present. The fourth reflection focuses on the potentials of UNISPACE+50 in 2018 to strengthen global cooperative space governance for the next 50 years of the space age.

This article describes a launch vehicle development roadmap that uses only proven technology and that could lead to a thousand-fold reduction in the cost of sending people to orbit within about 15 years. It could reduce the cost of the first lunar base by very approximately ten times. This would clearly revolutionise spaceflight and create a new space age. The roadmap involves a combination of full reusability, aeroplane-like vehicle design and high traffic levels, especially from space tourism, to provide economies of scale. This line of development could have started some fifty years ago, and the failure to do this has led to a corporate groupthink that is probably now the biggest obstacle to progress.

The era of modern space research and applications began with the 1945–46 Moon-radar experiments and with the successful launch of the first artificial satellite, Sputnik-1. Hungary and Hungarian engineers/researchers were present at the birth of this new and important discipline. As a consequence of the Second World War Hungary became part of the Soviet bloc and, for the first 30 years of the Space Age, Hungarian space activity was carried out mainly within Intercosmos; however, some highlights were produced. After the collapse of the communist dictatorship Hungarian space activity was successfully rebuilt and the past 20 years have seen the beginning of the integration of Hungarian space activity into ESA and EU space policy. Hungarian society’s attitude to the country’s space activity is complex, as is that of its decision makers. This largely results from the simplified picture of global space activity and Hungarian participation therein in people’s minds and from the ignorance of the country’s decision makers. While this is basically a global problem, it has a special Hungarian aspect in the view that a small country has no real role in the world, in the EU, in ESA or in global space activity. We have a task: to change this mind-set.

There are numerous beliefs about the ability of the federal government to accomplish positive results in social transformation using space program management practices that have become a part of American culture. In the middle of the 1960s, NASA Administrator James E. Webb asked why, if the USA could accomplish Apollo, “can’t we do something for grandma with Medicare”?. This led to efforts by Webb and others at NASA to export the management practices that enabled the successful lunar landing program toward solving the myriad social problems taken up by the Johnson administration and its successors in the USA. The application of these ideas to city administration, public health, welfare programs, energy, and veterans’ affairs offers a case study in seeking to control what ultimately proved uncontrollable. The linkage of space policy and social policy may seem tenuous at first, but both celebrate the power of the federal government and the state system to affect in fundamental ways the lives of citizens. This article explores those linkages, the relationship between the authority of experts and political leaders, and the manner in which management practices successful at NASA may have been applied with varying success to other governmental organizations.

Visions about the establishment of a lunar base and development of the Moon for scientific, technical and commercial ends have been on the political agenda since the beginning of the Space Age. In the past few years a number of spacefaring nations, including the USA, European states through ESA, Japan, India, China and Russia have proposed missions directed at the robotic and human exploration and development of the Moon. This paper argues that an important factor in advancing these missions lies in a partnership between the pubic, governmental sector and the private sector. The paper analyzes the dynamics of this partnership as applied to the case of the US Vision for Space Exploration. The results of the analysis suggest that public–private partnerships directed at lunar development and commerce depend on how government reduces risks for the private sector. The risks identified and discussed herein include political and legal risks, technological risks, and financial and market risks.

Space science has been at the heart of humanity's activity in space, a fact reflected in the body of space law set up to regulate such activity. The increase in commercial utilisation of space may threaten the conduct of space science; reform of space law, however, could alleviate this situation. Using the examples of radio and light interference, and space debris, this articles examines ways in which the law could be reformed to improve conditions for scientists. It also discusses the need for, and equitable ways of, prioritising space activities. The forthcoming IHY 2007 should provide an opportunity for scientists to showcase their achievements.

Cooperation is a major theme of international space law but the law and history also recognize the existence of competition and conflict. What are the trend lines in terms of promoting collective goods, commercialization and new military uses of space? An overview of selected major laws and policies, as they relate to cooperation, competition and conflict, combined with a theoretical examination of game theory (zero-sum and non-zero sum games), will enable us to obtain an overall understanding of the space age and the choices that space lawyers and policy makers face in the future.

In the economic and social circumstances of the 21st century globalized world, there is a need to rethink the traditional roles and positions in space of international intergovernmental organizations, states, both developed and developing, and humankind itself. Uruguay provides an example of a non-typical country that has managed to carve an important niche for itself in the field of space law. Although globalization is an irreversible phenomenon, which has had a devastating effect on the weakest countries, following the attacks of 11 September 2001 insecurity has become globalized for everyone. From the point of view of a state such as Uruguay, this crisis must be looked upon as an opportunity to renew and inspire intelligence, education and culture. In this way—and by continuing to argue for a global space organization—it can contribute to making the Space Age an era of global and planetary solidarity for the benefit of humankind.

Anniversaries offer not only opportunities to celebrate and commemorate a significant event, but also to reflect on larger meanings and consider the place of the events and their actors in the larger fabric of modern society. On 4 October 2007, the world will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik 1, the first spacecraft placed in orbit. What has this 50-year history brought us? This essay reflects on this event and its meaning. It suggests that humanity may appropriately conclude that this Earth is not a cage and that humanity may venture beyond it. It also invokes the possibilities of both living more fully on this small and precious world we call home, and of leaving it behind for other planets beyond.

The world's major space companies have undergone continual evolution, through a process of mergers and acquisitions, since their creation from their aerospace parents. Although much of this evolution occurred in the early years of the Space Age, the process seems to have become particularly dynamic in the 1990s, as companies have striven to become ever more competitive in an increasingly global business environment. This article reviews some of the most important mergers and traces the recent development of the world's leading space contractors.

This article examines the historical and social context of space exploration policy. It seeks to reconcile a contradiction between the visionary grandeur of space and public perceptions of space exploration as the province of a narrowly-focused political interest group. The author argues that perceptions of the space age are artificially restricted by dating its origins to Sputnik and Apollo and allowing it to be dominated by science and technology objectives devoid of a more encompassing social framework. Guiding principles for developing space exploration activities in a broader conceptual and operational framework are offered.

The Japanese Government's Space Activities Commission (SAC) has released its latest Long-Term Vision of Japan's future in the exploration and use of outer space. The Vision will contribute to the formulation of government policy for space development. In this article, the philosophy of space development is defined as follows: ‘It enables space to be used as the common property of all mankind in order to contribute to the enduring prosperity of all those living on Earth.’ Within this philosophy, Japan's principal objectives are projected into the middle of the twenty-first century as being: construction of a global Earth observation system; promotion of advanced space science programmes; full implementation of space activities using the Japanese Experiment Module of the International Space Station; and development and operation of new space infrastructures.

Human interest in spaceflight is ancient. It is therefore ironic that, at a time when humans finally have the capability to travel in space, the notion that we should do so is being questioned. The author analyses the reasons for this — the historical/political and technological contingency of the Space Age and the sudden falling away of the conditions which drove space activity — and in the process provides a critique of the forgoing article and the tendency to search for utilitarian justifications of human spaceflight. He argues rather that space programmes will thrive only when driven by non-material cultural and political forces. US-Russian cooperation, which has principally been undertaken for geopolitical reasons is a model for the future.

The onset of the Space Age had strong military overtones, but these were restrained by international agreement and the creation of civilian-led agencies such as NASA. Currently, however, a number of developments threaten to seriously undermine the concept of peaceful utilization of space, in particular the Strategic Defense Initiative, anti-satellite weapons research, and the routine intentional destruction of military satellites. There are nevertheless several factors mitigating military influence in space: the arrival of ‘non-superpowers’ as significant space explorers; greater ecological awareness; the virtual end of the Cold War; reaction against the cost and wastefulness of open-ended military expenditure; and the realization of the comparative efficiency of civil as opposed to military space expenditure in stimulating industry.

This article reviews a variety of proposals for space-centred organizations designed to promote international security. Some, such as the Mission to Planet Earth, are ambitious in terms of cost and the international cooperation they require, but limited to scientific or economic objectives. The French-sponsored International Satellite Monitoring Agency, in contrast, would concentrate on military security. The USSR's proposal for a World Space Organization would promote a broader range of objectives but has met determined resistance, in particular from the USA. Other proposals are regional, national or even private in terms of ownership and management. The diverse and interdependent nature of these proposals offers a perspective of gradually developing global security.

Public support for space activities has waxed and waned over the nearly 40 years of the US space program. Almost since the beginning of the space age, people have questioned the value of the government-funded space program. Dozens of advocacy and educational organizations have been founded and millions of dollars have been spent in an attempt to ‘shore-up’ support for the program. In this report, Lori Garver, Executive Director of the National Space Society describes the aims and activities of the latest such organization, Mission HOME.

Preparations and proposals for the 1992 International Space Year are being made which cover a wide range of activities, organizations and nations; the momentum is building. There is an urgent need for an informal and independent ISY Steering Committee to legitimize the ISY and catalyse activities. With creativity and international cooperation, the International Space Year could be the most inspiring and transforming activity of the space age.

1988 saw advances in the Soviet space programme on several fronts. Most impressive was the launch of the Buran space shuttle, but there were 89 other missions, compared with 26 by the rest of the world combined. Despite more major failures than usual, the USSR displayed its determination to maintain parity in space with the USA.