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71 Clev. St. L. Rev. 743 (2022-2023)
Touring Outer Space: The Past, Present, and Future of Space Tourism

handle is hein.journals/clevslr71 and id is 755 raw text is: 









  TOURING OUTER SPACE: THE PAST, PRESENT,
            AND FUTURE OF SPACE TOURISM

                                  ALEX  S. Li*
                                  ABSTRACT
   For  the space tourism industry, 2021 represented a giant leap forward: three
different privately-developed commercial spacecrafts made their tourism debut. With
space tourism launching to new heights, several legal issues surrounding this sector
can  no longer  be ignored. The  emerging  industry is also raising new  policy
considerations. This Article fills this void by examining the pressing legal and policy
issues that surround space tourism's coming-of-age.
   The  Article begins by looking at space tourism's past. It chronicles the companies,
the missions, and the passengers that have formed the industry's foundation so far.
The Article then shifts to space tourism's present. It focuses on three major legal issues
facing this industry as it continues to develop: (a) the legal status of space tourists-
where this Article argues that space tourists will not be entitled to the same status as
astronauts or personnel of a spacecraft; (b) the applicability of aviation laws-
where this Article concludes that the industry should only be governed by Outer Space
laws; and (c) the passenger liability regime for space tourism-where this Article
advocates for a transformation. After this discussion, the Article turns to space
tourism'sfuture. It suggests three policy areas that should be addressed as Outer Space
travel becomes  more  mainstream:  (i) standardization of passenger training; (ii)
protection of outer space heritage sites; and (iii) promotion of this common province
of humanity.
   By  highlighting these legal and policy areas, this Article hopes that space tourism
will become safer and more accessible for all.






  * In-house technology counsel by  day, Outer  Space blogger at #TheSpaceBar@
(www.onthespacebar.com) by night. 2014-2015 law clerk to the Honorable Robert E.
Bacharach of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit; Gunderson Dettmer, Latham, and
PwC  alumnus. UC Berkeley School of Law, J.D., Order of the Coif, 2014; Duke University,
B.S.E., 2009. I am extremely grateful to the talented editors and members of the Cleveland State
Law Review for their diligent hard work. I would also like to give a warm shout out to my
parents, friends, and colleagues for all their support throughout the years. And to everyone
around the world who works in the Outer Space industry, thank you for expanding our reaches
to the stars!


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