Transformation of the International Legal Regime for the Peaceful Use of Outer Space (based on the outcomes of the 68th session of COPUOS)

The subject of the research is the international legal relations arising in the field of the use of outer space for peaceful purposes. The focus of the study is on the modern trends in the transformation of the international legal regime of space activities, identified as a result of the 68th session of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. Special attention is given to changes in the content of the international agenda related to issues of long-term sustainability of space activities, the prevention of space debris, ensuring the safety of space operations, developing international cooperation, and clarifying the role of soft law in regulating the behavior of states and other participants in space activities. The research also covers the relationship between traditional principles of space law and new challenges arising from commercialization, technological competition, and the increasing importance of applied use of space. The methodological basis of the study comprises formal-legal, comparative-legal, and systems methods. It employs an analysis of international legal documents from the UN and COPUOS, as well as an interpretation of current approaches to the development of legal regulation of space activities. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that the outcomes of the 68th session of COPUOS are considered not in isolation as another stage of the Committee's activities, but as an indicator of a deeper transformation of the international legal regime for the use of outer space for peaceful purposes. The paper substantiates the conclusion that the modern development of space law is associated not only with the preservation of fundamental treaty principles but also with an increasing regulatory role of recommendatory acts, technical standards, and agreed practices among states. It is shown that at the center of the current international agenda are issues of sustainability, security, and governance of space activities, as well as the search for a balance between the freedom of exploration and the necessity to prevent risks. It concludes that the 68th session of COPUOS confirmed the transition from predominantly declarative enshrinement of peaceful principles to a more substantive discussion of mechanisms for coordination, conflict prevention, and increasing the responsibility of participants in space activities. This allows for a statement on the gradual complexity and adaptation of the international legal regime to new technological and political conditions.