Legislating for spaceports, commercial space markets, and space tourism

Although an essential part of the space industry, historically space transportation has been almost exclusively the domain of nation states. Those days have passed us, and space transportation is currently undergoing significant change as part of a major industry transition. Technical innovation has enabled new actors, including private investors, to participate in the development of commercial spaceports. Despite their fundamental importance to the sector and the recent commercial activity, there is no specific international regulatory framework for spaceports. This chapter discusses the national regulation of spaceports and spaceflight, including licensing requirements, before giving a brief commentary on selected spaceports and the markets that they serve. This chapter also discusses the legal status of commercial spaceflight participants in the fledgling space tourism industry.