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Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law [MPEPIL]

Outer Space, Military Uses of

Erin Pobjie

Content type:
Encyclopedia entries
Product:
Max Planck Encyclopedias of International Law [MPIL]

Module:
Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law [MPEPIL]
Article last updated:
January 2024

From: Oxford Public International Law (http://opil.ouplaw.com). (c) Oxford University Press, 2023. All Rights Reserved.date: 08 December 2024

Subject(s):
Spacecraft, satellites, and space objects — Self-defence — Armed conflict — Weapons — International peace and security — Use of force, prohibition — Use of force, threat

Published under the auspices of the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law under the direction of Professor Anne Peters (2021–) and Professor Rüdiger Wolfrum (2004–2020). 

1 This entry sets out the international law applicable to military uses of outer space. As well as being a physical domain, outer space is a legal domain in which international law applies (Space Law). Its precise physical and legal boundaries with airspace remain subject to debate and are internationally undefined (see Outer Space for an overview of the debate and attempts to delimit outer space). In November 2019, NATO declared outer space to be an operational military domain. Several States have recently established a space force military branch, including the...
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