Electronic Proceedings - United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs

Swedish Space LegislationNiklas HedmanSwedish Ministry for Foreign AffairsIntroductionThe Swedish space legislation gives the jurisdictional framework for Swedish spaceactivities and forms the basis for authorisation procedures with regard to non-governmentalspace activities, as well as for the registration of Swedish space objects.Sweden is a State Party to the following treaties governing peaceful activities in outerspace:– Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use ofOuter Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies (Outer Space Treaty, orOST);– Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, the Return of Astronauts and the Return ofObjects Launched into Outer Space (Rescue Agreement);– Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects (LiabilityConvention);– Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space (RegistrationConvention).When Sweden acceded to the Liability Convention in 1976, its instrument of accessionwas accompanied by the following unilateral declaration, whereby accepting, on a basis ofreciprocity, the binding nature of future awards from a Claims Commission:“Sweden will recognise as binding, in relation to any other State accepting the sameobligation, the decision of a Claims Commission concerning any dispute to which Swedenmay become a party under the terms of the Convention”Such a declaration was made possible by the General Assembly resolution 2777 (XXVI)of 29 November 1971.Legislative backgroundSweden ratified the Outer Space Treaty in 1967. At that time there were no nongovernmentalspace activities in Sweden. Therefore, when the Treaty was ratified, thegovernment argued that legislation requiring authorisation of non-governmental spaceactivities was not needed, but that it could be introduced if and when such activities became areality.In the early 1980s, as national interest in space grew, and with the emerging involvementof Swedish companies in international space activities, the view developed that a domesticregulatory framework to authorise non-governmental space activities was necessary to enableSweden to fulfil its obligations under the Outer Space Treaty. This notion resulted in twodomestic legal instruments governing space activities, namely the Act on Space Activities(1982:963) and the Decree on Space Activites (1982:1069). These instruments set forthregulations regarding:185