The chapter covers the Outer Space and High-altitude Activities Act 2017 and regulations made under it. Introductory commentary has been written by Kim Murray, Barrister at Lambton Chambers.

Kim is a former author of Aviation Law, and Thomson Reuters is pleased to welcome him back to cover this increasingly important area of law. He writes:

“A significant purpose of national space legislation is to ensure a state’s international space law obligations are able to be fulfilled. New Zealand has been a long-standing party to three of the five major multilateral space treaties and has recently acceded to a fourth space treaty.”

Those treaties are:

•      Outer Space Treaty (came into force in 1967; NZ became a party in 1968)
•      Astronauts Rescue Agreement (came into force in 1968; NZ became a party in 1969)
•      Space Liability Convention (came into force in 1968; NZ became a party in 1974)
•      Registration Convention (came into force in 1976; NZ became a party in 2018)
•      Moon Agreement (came into force in 1984; NZ is not a party)

Further commentary on the Outer Space and High-altitude Activities Act 2017 is being prepared. Updates will be notified in Aviation and Space Law – What’s New.