自1957年第一顆人造衛星升空,國際太空法的發展已有半世紀之久。1967年《外太空條約》確立多項太空法基本原則,和平使用太空原則也在其中。雖然《外太空條約》第4條規定,地球以外的所有天體須專為和平目的使用,但學界與各國卻對「和平目的」有不同詮釋,而「狹義外太空」是否亦應專為和平目的使用,條文之字面文義也未直接提供答案。與和平使用太空有關的重要議題,包含太空法之法源與外太空劃界,也在本文的討論範圍,以期能從更廣的層面了解此一知識領域。透過爬梳學者著述,仔細分析第4條之用語及上下文脈絡,本文試圖探求和平目的之真義,最後並提出解決太空軍事化的可能方法。
Since Sputnik I, the first artificial satellite, was launched into outer space, international space law has developed for more than half a century. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty established a number of fundamental principles of space law, including the principle of peaceful use of outer space. Although Article IV of the Outer Space Treaty provides that the celestial bodies, other than the earth, shall be used exclusively for peaceful purposes, the meaning of “peaceful purposes” is subject to quite different interpretations, and it is unclear whether the same rule applies to outer space stricto sensu as well. In this paper, the sources of space law and the delimitation of outer space are discussed in order to provide a basic understanding of important legal issues regarding outer space. Article IV is examined in detail through a careful analysis of its terms and contexts, and possible solutions to the problem of militarization of space are proposed.