The Conceptual and Categorical Framework of International Space Law: Problems in Defining the Concepts of “Harm,” “Potentially Harmful Interference,” and “Harmful Interference” in Space Activities

Article
Open Access
by Soroka, Larysa1
1 Scientific Institute of Public Law (Kyiv, Ukraine)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29202/asl/17/5
Received: 27 March 2026 / Accepted: 18 May 2026 / Published: 30 June 2026

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Abstract

This article presents a comprehensive study of the legal nature of the concepts of “harm,” “potentially harmful interference,” and “harmful interference” in international space law. It is argued that the rapid development of space activities, increase in the number of space operators, commercialization of space, growing amount of space debris, development of technologies capable of actively influencing space systems, and intensification of geopolitical competition highlight the need to refine the conceptual framework of international space law. The evolution of the “harm” category from general theoretical legal concepts to its contemporary understanding in international space law is analyzed. The content of the concept of “potentially harmful interference” is examined as an independent legal category of a preventive nature, enshrined in Article IX of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, as well as the origin and development of the category “harmful interference,” which emerged in international telecommunications law and was integrated into the mechanism of international legal regulation of space activities.

It is established that these categories perform different functions within the mechanism of international legal regulation: the concept of “harm” underlies the institution of international liability, whereas “potentially harmful interference” and “harmful interference” ensure the implementation of preventive mechanisms aimed at preventing the occurrence of negative consequences.

Keywords: international space law, harm, potentially harmful interference, harmful interference, space activities, international liability, preventive legal regulation, space security.

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Soroka, Larysa (2026) The Conceptual and Categorical Framework of International Space Law: Problems in Defining the Concepts of “Harm,” “Potentially Harmful Interference,” and “Harmful Interference” in Space Activities. Advanced Space Law, Volume 17, 55-63. https://doi.org/10.29202/asl/17/5
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