LW6036 - The Law of Outer Space

The module will utilise lectures and workshops to initiate your practical thinking on the areas mentioned above. The lectures will cover the basic legal frameworks of the topics outlined above. Workshops will provide an opportunity to discuss the law in the context of the contemporary space environment thereby consolidating your understanding and emphasising the implications of the law. You will be assessed by way of a written piece of coursework based on a case study, which will take place in the Semester Two assessment period.

The members of staff who teach on this module have significant research experience in this area. As such, they will provide academic support where necessary. All lectures will be recorded and made available to students to aid in learning and understanding. You will be encouraged to use this resource to develop your appreciation of the interrelated nature of the disparate areas of law studied as part of the module.
The module will make use of the eLearning Portal where lecture materials, podcasts, recordings, and other learning support will be made available. The module site will also direct you to supplementary resources which you are encouraged to explore in addition to the material covered in lectures and workshops.

The module will make use of an online reading list. The reading list will provide you with links to key texts and information on their availability in the university library.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:

• Students will develop knowledge of the fundamental principles of both the national and international legal regulation of the exploration and exploitation of Outer Space (LO1)

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:

• Students will develop an understanding of the essential domestic and international elements of space law and be able to apply them in a specific factual context. (LO2)

• Students will be able to identify relevant policy considerations, to apply them to a given factual scenario and to draft appropriate advice. (LO3)

• Students will be able to understand the nature and implications of proposed changes in space activity and the global space industry and the social, cultural and political factors influencing international and national space law. (LO4)

Formative Assessment

Students will be given regular feedback throughout the module in workshops and encouraged to engaged with the space law community through the use of social media and blog posts.

Summative Assessment

Students will be assessed by means of a 2500-word piece of work critically evaluating the space law issues taken from a case study of a small space start-up company.

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This module will provide you with a detailed understanding of the way in which space exploration is governed on a national and international level. The module will examine the way in which traditional space activity is governed, such as satellite communications, military activity in space, interplanetary probes and also human spaceflight. You will also evaluate legal responses to new developments such as mining and tourism in space and managing environmental issues in space. You will look at the challenges to space governance posed by commercial activity of companies such as Space X and Blue Origin. You will also examine the threats posed by military activity in space. You will learn on this module through a combination of lectures and workshops. You will receive support, guidance and feedback from your tutors. The module is assessed through a written piece of coursework based on a case study.