The Project titled “The Legal Framework of the Italian Participation in the European Space Agency” was carried out by the OSL Team from 2015 to 2018.
The research focused on Italian participation in the European Space Agency (ESA) programmes, particularly in optional ones, and the economic return that such participation provided to the national space industry. These included Vega, IXV, Exomars and the International Space Station programmes.
The rules on fair economic return and the regulation of the so-called in-kind funding, which in the case of Italy had become particularly relevant in the years of reference, were furthered in the research. This also addressed the legal value of ESA Council declarations on optional programmes and explored the main contractual clauses between ESA and industries.
Main Activities
Space Law Insights
On 6 December 2017, the conference “Space Law Insights” was organized within the Project at the Rectorate of Sapienza University.
The event was opened by Prof. Sergio Marchisio and featured contributions from Tanja Masson Zwaan, from the International Institute of Air & Space Law of Leiden University on the topic “Space Mining: ‘Gold Rush’ or ‘Province of All Mankind’?” and Marco Ferrazzani from ESA on “The European Space Agency as an Actor in International Space Law”.
Diritto e politiche spaziali: ingresso dei players privati
The event, held within the framework of the IX Edition of “Festival della Diplomazia” on 22 October 2018, was organised by Sapienza University in partnership with the Italian Space Agency, the European Space Agency and promoted by Leonardo S.p.a.
Contributions focused on the interplay between space law and policies and the emerging role of private players in the space sector.
Participants, representing the academy, industry and national and intergovernmental space agencies, enriched the debate by providing insights on the topic from different perspectives.
Space Law and Debris Responsibility
The conference “Space Law and Debris Responsibility” was held within the VI Edition of “Festival della Diplomazia” on 30 October 2015 and organised by Sapienza University of Rome in partnership with the Italian Space Agency, the European Space Agency and Finmeccanica.
The event gathered high-level representatives from the academy, international organisations, including ESA and UNOOSA, and the industry.
