In the 2022 IAC, a space museum was defined as ”a facility located more than 100 km above Earth.” Space museums are not just a futuristic concept, but have the potential to preserve the achievements of humanity’s great space exploration, promote education and research, and support the growth of space tourism. The previous study in Japan showed that a space museum could meet many of the needs of growing space tourism. On the other hand, while the Outer Space Treaty (1967) prohibits states from possessing space, there are no clear provisions regarding the management and operation of facilities such as museums. This study addresses these legal issues and examines the legal framework for the establishment of a space museum. Specifically, this study will evaluate whether a space museum should be under the jurisdiction of a state, an international organization, or a private entity, and will examine the possibility of applying the UNESCO Convention for the Protection of Cultural Heritage to space and the possibility of international cooperative museum management by introducing a ”right of use” model rather than ownership. The need for an international management organization is emphasized, and a framework for a multilateral agreement based on the cooperation model of the International Space Station (ISS) is proposed to explore ways to realize the operation of space museums under international cooperation. Through this study, we aim to provide a solid legal basis for the establishment of space museums as important educational and cultural centers, and to contribute to the sustainable development of space tourism and space exploration.
国際宇宙航行連盟(IAF)が主催し、年に1度、開催される、宇宙業界では世界最大の国際会議です。2024年は、2024年10月14日から18日までイタリアのミラノで、イタリア航空宇宙協会(AIDAA)がホストを務め、「Responsible Space for Sustainability」をテーマに、第75回国際宇宙会議(IAC 2024)が開催されました。 会期中120カ国から11,200人以上が参加し、前例のない新記録となり、最大規模のIACとなっただけでなく、我々の銀河系で最も多様な宇宙関係者の集まりの一つとなりました。さらに、3000人がオンラインでライブストリーミングに参加し、一般公開日にはさらに3500人のあらゆる年齢層が参加しました。