The Geostationary Orbit: a Limited Natural Resource From Outer Space
| Published date | 01 October 1979 |
| Date | 01 October 1979 |
| DOI | 10.1177/004711787900600403 |
| Author | Maureen Williams |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
662
THE
GEOSTATIONARY
ORBIT:
A
LIMITED
NATURAL
RESOURCE
FROM
OUTER
SPACE
PROFESSOR
DR.
MAUREEN
WILLIAMS
1.
An
outstanding
preliminary
issue
IN
the
short
span
of
nine
years-between
1967
and
1976-four
treaties
on
outer
space
have
entered
into
force:
the
1967
Treaty
on
the
Principles
governing
the
activities
of
States
in
the
explora-
tion
and
use
of
Outer
Space,
including
the
Moon
and
other
celestial
bodies;
the
1968
Agreement
on
the
rescue
and
return
of
Astronauts,
the
return
of
Astronauts
and
the
return
of
objects
launched
into
Outer
Space;
the
1972
Convention
on
International
Liability
for
damage
caused
by
space
objects;
and
the
1975
Con-
vention
on
Registration
of
objects
launched
into
Outer
Space.
Yet
no
definition
of
outer
space
is
to
be
found
in
any
of
them,
nor
has
it
been
possible
to
agree
on
the
height
at
which
outer
space
begins.
This
amounts
to
saying
that
the
international
com-
munity
is
still
in
the
dark
for
lack
of
a
rule
of
positive
law
clearly
determining
how
far
the
sovereignty
of
States
extends
in
space
and
where
the
r6gime
of
freedom
of
exploration
and
use
estab-
lished
by
the
1967
Space
Treaty
actually
begins.
The
issue-which
is
closely
interwoven
with
the
study
of
the
legal
nature
of
the
geostationary
orbit-has
kept
appearing
on
the
agenda
of
the
United
Nations
Committee
on
Outer
Space
ever
since
the
initial
stages
of
the
space
era,
and
it
would
not
be
too
difficult
to
forecast
that
it
is
likely
to
continue
to
remain
in
the
limelight
many
years
hence.
A
great
variety
of
suggestions
have
been
advanced
in
the
pursuit
of
an
adequate
criterion.
Thus,
lawyers
and
politicians
have
been
confronted
with
technical,
biological,
functional
and
many
other
possible
bases
for
such
a
definition.
Special
mention
ought
to
be
made
of
the
von
Karman
zone,
named
after
the
German
jurist
who
proposed
it
and
which
was
adopted
as
a
guideline
during
the
sixties
by
an
overwhelming
majority.
This
zone
is
established
by
reference
to
a
diversity
of
elements
such
as
the
composition
of
air,
the
biological
and
physio-
logical
possibilities
of
life
and
other
factors
which
lead
to
the
determination
of
an
area
beyond
which
airspace
no
longer
exists
as
such.
This
theory
was
originally
supported
by
Andrew
G.
Haley
and
the
Prince
of
Hannover
and,
among
Latin
American
writers,
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