Scholarship@WashULaw
Document Type
Book Section
Language
English (en)
Publication Date
2026
Publication Title
Private Enterprises in Space
Abstract
Private entities are influencing the development of international space law. Space enterprises need regulatory certainty and consistent standards to attract capital and develop their plans for space. Yet, states have lagged in their capacity to make multilateral international space law in traditional public fora. Private entities have responded to this legal lag by attempting to create, develop, and nudge international space law in commerce-friendly ways. This chapter surveys a variety of modalities by which commercial actors can affect the development of international law, offers several examples of how commercial lawmaking efforts
Keywords
International Space Law, Commercial Space Activities, Space Commercialization, Outer Space Treaty, Customary International Law, Soft Law, International Lawmaking, Lobbying, COPUOS, Artemis Accords
Publication Citation
Melissa J. Durkee, Space Enterprises as International Lawmakers: Nudges, Pledges, and Other Bottom-Up Modalities, in Private Enterprises in Space (Jędrzej Górski, & Yun Zhao eds., forthcoming)
Repository Citation
Durkee, Melissa (M.J.), "Space Enterprises as International Lawmakers: Nudges, Pledges, and Other Bottom-Up Modalities" (2026). Scholarship@WashULaw. 905.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/law_scholarship/905
Included in
International Law Commons, International Trade Law Commons, Legal Studies Commons, Science and Technology Law Commons