Space Medicine and Law Emerging Trends and Challenges

In the field of space exploration, the advancements, and the proposed expeditions and missions to space by nations across the globe have seen an unprecedented growth. Today, the magnitude of the activities in space and the progress made could not be envisioned in the 1950s when space exploration first began. There are a number of new dynamics associated with space travel today. With the increasing attraction for space tourism nowadays, space travel is not restricted for scientific purposes. Further, privatization of space activities has also increased with space companies like SpaceX receiving orders and collaborating with well-established space agencies like NASA for space expeditions has opened up further possibilities. While nations like India are working towards advanced manned missions to outer space in the near future, countries like the USA are working toward the research and development towards manned missions to other celestial bodies such as Mars. All of these progressions require that the humans involved in such missions i.e. the astronauts be in perfect health and are physically and mentally equipped to resist the harsh conditions of space travel. As such, Space Medicine as a field of study becomes exceedingly crucial and necessary. This paper attempts to learn and understand the law relating to space medicine and the legal positions, challenges, lacunas (in any) in order to better promote a comprehensive consolidation of existing standards and laws with future ones so as to promote a healthy space regime.