La nuova disciplina della responsabilità dello Stato e dei privati per le attività spaziali

The Italian Proposal for a Space Law Act (No. 2026 of 2024) devotes specific attention to the important issue of responsibility and liability related to space activities. On one hand, this will concretely implement the relevant international law provisions on this matter, in the wake of what has already been envisaged by the major foreign space powers. On the other hand, the proposal should fill in some of the gaps raised by the outdated international regulation of the 1960s and 1970s, in order to keep up with the new dynamics and problems which have been emerging in the New Space Economy era. After outlining said international background and its main issues in relation to responsibility and liability for New Space operations, this paper analyzes said Proposal’s novelties in the area at hand, while also highlighting aspects that could be further discussed to improve the upcoming Italian regulation.