Safety Zones in Outer Space

Abstract Safety zones under international space law are a relatively new concept, first formally introduced by the Hague Working Group in 2019, and the idea of safety zones was reintroduced under the 2020 Artemis Accords. Safety zones raise concerns about how they will be implemented, their implications, and their compliance with the general principles of international space law. This article reviews the applications of safety zones in international law and examines the possibility of finding a legal basis for safety zones in the Outer Space Treaty. This article examines the possibility of safety zones, as a subsequent practice of States, being a means of interpreting the Outer Space Treaty and implementing Article IX of the Outer Space Treaty, and argues that establishing safety zones in outer space does not necessarily violate international space law if the necessary standards are observed.