The crystallisation of general assembly space declarations into customary international law

The current instruments of international space law include the United Nations space treaties and the declarations made by the General Assembly on both general and specific issues of space law. Along with other General Assembly resolutions, the exact nature and effect of the space declarations in the context of general international law remain somewhat controversial. It is generally accepted, however, that a provision of a General Assembly resolution or declaration may be regarded as customary international law if it has codified an existing customary principle or has crystallised into customary law through state practice and opinio juris. This paper analyses the provisions of the General Assembly declarations and assesses their current status in the context of customary international law. In particular, it discusses the specific provisions of the declarations concerning remote sensing, direct television broadcasting and nuclear power sources and their effect as customary principles.