Seeing People: Using Satellites for the Benefit of All

Abstract

This paper investigates how satellites can be used to advance humanitarian outcomes and suggest legal frameworks for these types of activities. It will argue that the “common interest of all mankind” standard found in international space law was intended to create a heightened obligation on the part of spacefaring nations to use satellites to respond to a variety of humanitarian causes, including refugee crises, natural and humanmade disasters, and genocide and other crimes against humanity. While this heightened standard does not always require direct action by states, it does require good faith efforts at cooperation mechanisms to ensure that the benefits of space are extended to vulnerable groups.

Keywords: Space Law, Human Rights Law