ABSTRACT

The issue of liability for space activities caused a lot of ink to flow even before the signature of the Liability Convention1 and animated hours of debate within the legal sub-committee of the United Nations (UN) Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS). Only a few days after the first meeting of this sub-committee, the United States (US) submitted a proposal on the issue of liability.2 The position of the former Soviet Union at that time, which was more focused on the issue of rescue and return of astronauts than on liability for space activities, is interesting. The Soviet Union took that stance because of its belief that “compensation would undoubtedly be payable”.3This reasoning was coherent with the previous case law.4