Policy, legal challenges and perspectives
on safe and sustainable space activities in Germany

Keio University
Space Law Symposium Panel Session:
Risk Management andContinuing Supervision in Orbit
9 February 2023
Dr. Niklas Reinke
Director DLR Tokyo OfficeGerman policy on safe and sustainable space activities• 2010: The German Space Strategy for the first time mentioned the importance of sustainable space for• Government• Economy• SocietySpace is seen as critical infrastructure that needs special protection through approaches like• Technical protection i.e. against sun storms• Sustainable design of new space missions to protect the orbit and reduce space debris• Space Situation Awareness (SSA) activities• regulatory frameworks as well as national and international law• 2022: The coalition contract of the new German government mentioned space as a central futuretechnology• a new space strategy is being developed with focus on minimization and handling of space debris• while the sustainable use of space became one of the main focal points of the German space policy

German actions on national and international level• German Space Situation Awareness Center in Uedem, jointly run by the German Armed Forces and DLRSpace Agency, is operational since 2009. With its new German Experimental Surveillance and Tracking Radar(GESTRA) Germany for the fist time is able to independently observe objects also in low orbit. The German
SSA Center is internationally well connected, works together with the EU financed EUSST program and offers
cooperation with like minded nations.
• R&D in the fields of SSA, On Orbit Servicing and Space Debris Tracking & Removal by DLR andFraunhofer (sensors, robotic, software, etc.)• UN COPUOS & UNOOSA: Germany supports the Guidelines on the Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space
Activities, LTS)
• Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC): Under German chair the IADC Space Debris
Mitigation Guidelines had been updated in 2021. The next update with focus on constellations is under way.
• EU PERASPERA: European Operations Framework (EOF). Principle Guidelines for On-Orbit Services (Dec.
2022): Modular and maintainable satellites as goal for sustainable use of space. European platform for OOS.
• G7: Confirmation to operate space sustainably (2021, 2023) through standards, best practices and guidelines.

Legal challenges and perspectives• The German Space Strategy of 2010 proposed the adoption of a German space act to create acomprehensive legal framework for government and private commercial space activities.
• A German Space Act was drafted approx. 10 years ago but never finalized and set into force.
• By 2022 approx. 100 new German space companies, mainly start-ups, joined the market.
• However, many issues relevant to space business activities are yet to be regulated, including issues
related to launching activities, insurance and liability. Thismight hold back commercial German spaceactivities.
• The new German government again is debating the need of a German Space Act.
• In the meantime, Germany is following national, European and international standards and rules,
which are not always clearly clarified• A main challenge for European commercial space therefore remains the divers legal map (s. final slide).

DLR.de • Folie 5ありがとうございます!
Thank you!
Vielen Dank!