Common use of Chapter Conclusion Clause in Contracts

Chapter Conclusion. The research question of this chapter is how should international space law move forward to better regulate the four issues relating to the governance of ADR. The potential path forward can be outlined in four words, which are commitment, safety, consent and transparency. With regard to Issue 1, the keyword is “commitment”. In view of the global dimension of the space debris problem, collective efforts of the international community are needed to tackle this challenge. However, the current international legal framework for space activities does not impose a clear obligation upon States to mitigate and remove space debris. Consider- ing that the conclusion of a legally binding agreement does not appear a feasible near-term option, the international community has to consider other alternatives to deal with the ever-growing amount of space debris. The path forward may start with some States acting as trailblazers which take the lead in making unilateral and multilateral commitments on space debris mitigation and remediation, and other States may subsequently join the initiative. The US-led moratorium on direct-ascent anti-satellite testing illustrates how a unilateral commitment is joined by other States and leads to the adoption of a UN General Assembly resolution on this matter. The statement and communiqué made by the G7 nations and the ESA-initiated Zero Debris Charter represent examples of commitments at the multilateral and regional levels. This also indicates that some actors are already taking steps to shape global consensus on space sustainability. The commitments and initiatives made by some forward-looking States and institutions would hopefully create a snowball effect and lead to the adop- tion of an international agreement systematising the process for the contract- ing parties to make and review their commitments. The Paris Agreement may serve as a relevant model, and the review mechanisms established in this Agreement could be modelled after for the development of an interna- tional agreement to mitigate and remove space debris. With the growing role of private actors in space activities, their involvement in the preservation of the outer space environment will become increasingly important. The Net Zero Space initiative represents an inclusive forum where all stakeholders