Legal and institutional aspects of Latin-American space cooperation; AQUARELSat: the monitoring constellation

The legal and technical aspects of Latin-American space cooperation are examined in this thesis, which sets forth a proposal for a specific legal model by which to implement regional space cooperation. The proposal includes a three-phase plan. The first phase aims to achieve multilateral space cooperation through the development and operation of a small satellite constellation, ‘AQUARELSat: the Water Monitoring Constellation’. Its primary objective is to provide satellite data and imagery to improve water management, thereby fulfilling the right to water as a human right in Latin America. The second phase depends on the development of national space capabilities, based on the political will to become a regional space power. This second phase implies the establishment of regional space facilities and the creation of the Latin-American Space Agency (LASA) under a regional treaty. The third phase foresees the future coordination of LASA with other space agencies in the Americas. Coordination would be undertaken by an Inter-American Space Commission that could be established by resolution of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS). A significant aspect of this research is its emphasis on the importance of implementing national and regional measures to transform the principle of space cooperation and human rights principles into real, practical advantages for improving the quality of human life, by improving access to water. This research provides the answer to the question, ‘how is space law related to human rights?’