Military space operations

Abstract

This chapter examines the international legal framework governing military space operations. In the chapter, ‘military space operations’ are understood as sequences of co-ordinated actions with a defined purpose, which are of a military character and have a material nexus to outer space. On the basis of this definition, the chapter then analyses issues raised by each of the principal bodies of international law that regulate military uses of outer space, starting with international space law, followed by the international law on the use of force and international humanitarian law. The chapter concludes by considering several overarching questions and the possible future development of the law in this area.