Finance

Geology

Sociology

Business

Compensation (psychology)

Operating system

Psychoanalysis

Political science

Order (exchange)

Artificial intelligence

Psychology

Seismology

Fault (geology)

Law and economics

Programming language

Space (punctuation)

Liability

Convention

Computer science

Commercialization

Interpretation (philosophy)

International law

Object (grammar)

Outer space

Strict liability

European Journal of International Law

When damage is caused by a space object in outer space, typically through a collision with another space object, international space law's Liability Convention provides a mechanism for compensation for the injured state. Among other requirements, the Convention requires proof of state 'fault' in order for liability to arise, but it does not define this notoriously ambiguous term, nor does it establish a standard of care for those conducting outer space activities. The Convention is unique in international law being the only fault-based liability regime. This article argues that this gap in the Convention needs to be filled, and it proposes a solution to the problem of defining 'fault' by borrowing from general international law.

State Liability for Space Object Collisions: The Proper Interpretation of ‘Fault’ for the Purposes of International Space Law