Perspectives of Blockchain for the Modern Space Activity

This paper is based on the study dedicated to the legal nature of the DLT (distributed ledger technologies), and in particular to Blockchain as its most popular example, the basic elements and models of the technology, the main spheres of its application in the framework of space activity in order to guarantee realization of rights and compliance with obligations of public and private space actors in the process of conducting the outer space activities, as well as legislative innovations to regulate the utilization of Blockchain in different countries, international standards, practices and promising legal mechanisms. The authors consider usage of different types of Blockchain ledgers (public ledger with authorized access and with/without special validator) to implement different tasks in the process of space activity regulation, such as guaranteeing fulfillment of terms and conditions of foreign economic agreements on the basis of smart contracts concluded between business entities and for maintaining the state register of space objects. The research proposes several scenarios that are acceptable both in terms of technical characteristics of Blochchain and legal requirements under which a number of central authorities can exercise their powers to regulate space activities using DLT. The most precise attention is focused on considering the compliance of the space authorization requirements, ensuring the registration of space objects and the implementation of foreign trade agreements within the space sector of the economy.