A country's space activities are governed by a body of laws and regulations
that reflect both its national goals as well as overall national security considerations.
Although interrelated, this body of space law is comprised of two parts, domestic
law and international law.
Domestic space law refers to the body of laws, regulations, and even policies
set by the national government to govern space activities. In the United States,
these laws are passed by Congress, often with input from the Executive, and
more detailed regulations are made by executive agencies granted oversight authority
by Congress on any given space-related sector.
In China, a variety of detailed rules and regulations published by several
state regulatory agencies presently govern China's space activities. National
policies and state laws, which have the authority of constitutional status,
are passed by the National People's Congress. Although several laws regarding
China's space program are now under examination in the NPC, no such state laws
have yet been passed.
International law refers to the treaties and agreements to which a nation has
committed within bilateral or multilateral settings. Both the United States and
China are members of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer
Space (COPUOS) and the Conference on Disarmament (CD), the two main forums in
which international agreements governing activities in space are made. In addition,
both countries have multiple bilateral treaties with other nations regarding space
cooperation.
