Human space flight is accelerating — but the legal and rights questions are lagging behind

International Day of Human Space Flight will take place on Sunday April 12, marking 65 years since Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space.

As humans prepare to spend longer periods beyond Earth and potentially establish a permanent presence on the Moon and in space, experts warn that critical legal, ethical and human rights questions are being left largely unexamined.

Experts from Western Sydney University are available for interview to discuss what the increase of humans going to space and space tourism really means for society.

Emeritus Professor Steven Freeland, School of Law

Steven Freeland is Emeritus Professor of International Law at Western Sydney University, where he was previously the Dean of the School of Law, and Professorial Fellow at Bond University. Prior to becoming an academic, he had a 20-year career as an international commercial lawyer and an investment banker.  He has represented the Australian Government at Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS) meetings and, is currently Chair of the United Nations COPUOS Working Group addressing issues related to the exploration, exploitation, and utilisation of space resources.

“Even though there are national and international frameworks in place to govern our behaviour in space, a whole range of hypothetical questions remain unresolved, which may become problematic as our dependence on the use of outer space continues to grow.”

“The advent of space tourism will give rise to some interesting ethical questions. Should there be advertising billboards in space? What about casinos, or brothels? On what legal basis should these things be restricted?

“How does tourism fit with the underlying philosophy of space law: that the exploration and use of outer space shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries”?

“Space tourism will inevitably put pressure on Earth’s environment – there are claims that space vehicles may one day become the world’s biggest source of carbon dioxide emissions. We will need to manage space traffic carefully to avoid disastrous collisions and steer clear of space debris.

“Outer space is the new frontier, but it is not — and must not — be a lawless one.”

Professor Juan Francisco Salazar, Institute for Culture and Society

Professor Juan Salazar is the Interim Director of the Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) at Western Sydney University. An interdisciplinary researcher, author and documentary filmmaker whose academic and creative work explores the coupled dynamics of social-ecological change and is underpinned by a collaborative ethos across the arts, science and activism. He completed an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship project (2020-2024) titled ‘Australia a Space-faring Nation: Imaginaries and Practices of Space Futures’ — which started shortly after the 2018 establishment of the Australian Space Agency (ASA). The project set out to broaden the nation’s narratives around future space habitation.

“Philosophically and ethically, we need different ways of approaching the idea of moving into outer space.”

“We cannot go to space with only the story of conquest — of colonising space, hunting for life, or exploiting resources.

“The recent return of humans to deep space is undeniably a complex feat of engineering, but it also opens a debate about the social and cultural dimensions of returning humans to the moon as a stepping stone for further human habitation in outer space.

“A pluriversal approach to outer space is required to ask who is included and who is excluded beyond considerations of diversity, equity and inclusion.”

To arrange an interview, please email media@westernsydney.edu.au.

ENDS.

9 April 2026
Photo credit: NASA via Unsplash
Media Unit