THE APPLICABILITY OF THE RIGHT TO SELF-DEFENCE TO THE AREA OF EXPLORATION

摘要

The modern space technologies form an inalienable part of our lives. Access to space is not only a question of national prestige, but first of all a source of advanced knowledge and achievements which cannot be obtained on the Earth, but are successfully applied for the benefit of the Earth economy. Nowadays the use of space technologies is so common that any “side"application of satellite systems - other than commercial - is not taken into consideration. However, it is these unobvious areas that pose danger. As the active global-coverage satellite systems, such as GPS or GLONASS, were created primarily for defence purposes, any political tension can lead to the "switching off’ or at least limitation of coverage of such systems. Satellites by nature are not weapons, but their role in support of armed forces and military operations on the Earth is evident.