Shaping Australia’s Space Future: The WRegSAT Project

As Australia’s space industry stands on the cusp of significant growth, the need for a robust and forward-thinking regulatory framework has never been more critical. The Workshops on the Regulation of Space Activities and Technologies (WRegSAT) project, managed by UNSW Canberra on behalf of the Australian Centre for Space Governance in partnership with innovative law firm Gilbert + Tobin, will explore the complex regulatory challenges and opportunities presented by our rapidly evolving space sector.

The WRegSAT Series: A Deep Dive into Space Regulation

The WRegSAT project will consist of a number of annual series, each series comprising three workshops, that bring together experts to examine pressing regulatory issues in the space sector. Each series will focus on a specific regulatory challenge, culminating in the production of a Regulatory Options Paper (ROP). The hope is that these comprehensive documents will serve as valuable resources for policymakers, and other stakeholders, offering insights and recommendations to help shape Australia’s evolving framework for the regulation of space activities.

Why WRegSAT Matters to Legal Professionals

For legal professionals, the WRegSAT project represents an opportunity to engage in space law and policy. As Australia’s space industry is projected to reach AUD$12 billion by 2030 and create 20,000 new jobs, the legal implications of this growth are vast and varied. Globally, the World Economic Forum and McKinsey & Company project the space sector to be worth $USD1.8 trillion by 2035. This project will address critical questions about how best to regulate the space industry in Australia, balancing the need for a world-leading approach to governance and sustainability with the imperative to foster growth in Australia’s domestic space sector. Legal professionals are invited to view the detailed documents on the website and provide written feedback. Your expertise and perspectives can play a crucial role in informing the development of Australia’s space regulatory framework.

Key Objectives and Approach

The WRegSAT series aims to support several critical objectives that should be of particular interest to legal professionals:

Developing options for future-oriented regulations that anticipate and adapt to challenges in the space sector.
Ensuring sustainability in space activities.
Supporting innovation and competitiveness in Australian space enterprises.
Aligning space regulations with national security priorities and international agreements.
Proposing regulatory options that meet or exceed global standards.
Proposing exemplary regulatory models that can influence international frameworks.
Gathering and incorporating unique Australian perspectives, including insights from First Nations Peoples.

The project will take an interdisciplinary approach, recognising that effective space regulation requires a holistic understanding of the complex interplay between legal, ethical, and technical considerations.

Current Regulatory Landscape and Future Needs

The current scope of Australian space activities and technologies is significantly broader than the scope of the Space (Launches and Returns) Act 2018. Emerging space capabilities like active debris management, on-orbit servicing, lunar operations, and space resource exploitation are not adequately covered by existing regulations. The experts in the WRegSAT project will develop options for a regulatory framework that could address these gaps and that will be adaptable to future opportunities and challenges. This project is independent of government and of the regulator, the Australian Space Agency, which is charged with designing policy in the space sector. However, an observer from the Australian Space Agency will attend the workshops.

Conclusion

The WRegSAT project represents a significant opportunity for Australia to position itself as a leader in space regulation. For legal professionals, it offers an opportunity to stay informed about the evolving legal landscape in one of the most exciting and rapidly growing industries of our time. By providing feedback on this initiative, you can contribute to the development of a regulatory framework that not only meets current needs, but also anticipates future challenges in the space sector.

For more on space law, try CPD episode 85 of Hearsay the Legal Podcast.

Special counsel at the International Aerospace Law and Policy Group Duncan Blake joins David Turner on Hearsay the Legal Podcast to discuss the foundations of space law and what he was researching a year ago. In that episode, Duncan unpacked the challenges of regulating space exploration and commercialisation, the significance of treaties like the Outer Space Treaty and the Artemis Accords, and the critical role lawyers and ethicists play in shaping humanity’s next frontier.

Check out CPD episod e 85: Extraterrestrial Jurisdiction: Regulating Outer Space for the Benefit of Everyone on Hearsay the Legal Podcast now.