SpaceX’s Starlink project is transforming Low Earth Orbit (LEO) with an unprecedented “mega-constellation” of satellites. Originally planned for 12,000 satellites, Starlink has since expanded its ambition to 42,000 satellites – five times the number of all objects humans had ever launched into space prior to this project. This massive private deployment promises global internet coverage, but it also poses significant challenges to the international legal order governing outer space. Traditional space law frameworks, built in an era of state actors and a handful of satellites, are straining to address a scenario where a corporation effectively dominates a sizable portion of orbital traffic. The result is a growing debate on “corporate sovereignty” in space – the de facto control of orbital resources by private enterprises – and what it means for international law and global governance.
