From sea to sky can the Law of the Sea Act as a successful model for a future asteroid mining legal framework

Radisic examines whether the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) offers a viable model for future legal frameworks governing asteroid mining. It argues that the development of the seabed mining regime , particularly the International Seabed Authority and the operationalization of the Common Heritage of Mankind principle, provides instructive precedent for managing non-sovereign resource domains. By tracing how UNCLOS evolved from broad conceptual principles into a functioning administrative and licensing architecture, the article identifies lessons for translating high-level space treaty language into enforceable commercial rules. At the same time, the article highlights the legal and political divergences between ocean governance and outer space, cautioning against overly simplistic transplantation. Radisic concludes that while UNCLOS should not be replicated wholesale, its institutional mechanisms, especially standardized authorization, benefit-sharing expectations, and supervision of private actors, offer a compelling reference point for designing a future multilateral system for asteroid resource extraction.