Within the framework of its continuous endeavor to raise the levels of its affiliates in all areas related to space and its sciences, the National Space Science Agency participated in the first meeting organized by the General Department for Legal Affairs of the Saudi Space Commission in cooperation with the College of Law at Prince Sultan University, on Thursday evening March 4, 2021 remotely.

About this participation, Dr. Mohamed Ebrahim Al Aseeri, CEO of the National Space Science Agency, said: “First of all, I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to the brothers in the Saudi Space Commission for providing us with this opportunity to benefit from those scientific and legal meetings provided by a group of distinguished Saudi experts. The National Space Science Agency has been keen to participate to enable its affiliates to acquire more knowledge in the field of space, especially since we have come a long way in preparing the first draft of the National Space Law, which is the first Bahraini law concerned with organizing the activities in the space sector at the national level.”

Noting that the meeting was presented by Dr. Abdulla Matar, Director of the General Department of Legal Affairs at the Saudi Space Commission, where he dealt with several topics with an interesting and detailed explanation. One of the objectives was to present a brief historical overview of the important role of the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the field of space being the first Arab and Islamic country that played an effective role in establishing a space sector at the national level, and contributing Internationally, going back to the sixties of the last century.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia currently has an advanced infrastructure in the fields of space and its various sciences, and it has had many scientific and research contributions, in addition to its possession of the manufacturing capabilities of satellites and related components.

Then Dr. Abdulla gave an explanation about the period of time that preceded the existence of any agreements regulating the use of space and its resources, referring to the frantic race between several global poles to extend sovereignty and impose control, which resulted in the need to find regulatory legislation agreed upon by the countries of the world and granting humanity the right to peaceful use of outer Space.

Consequently, Dr. Matar gave an extensive explanation on the five main space agreements, explaining the importance of each of them and their effects on countries, and indicating the most prominent contents of each agreement. Dr. Abdullah Matar also briefed about the role of the United Nations in developing these agreements and following them up through the General Assembly and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and the committees that emerged from it, and the role of each committee. The lecturer touched on the importance of states ’commitment to these agreements, noting that the steady increase in the use of space requires a greater commitment to provide relevant information from all countries to ensure a safe use of space for all.

Finally, Dr. Abdulla explained the sources through which it is possible to see the work of the committees and the latest developments in the legal aspects of specialists and workers in the space field. The meeting concluded by opening the way to the participants’ questions, which varied in the diversity of agreements and areas of their application.