Karman line

Subject: Science and technology

Section: Space technology

More about Karman line:

The most widely accepted boundary of space is known as the Kármán line.
The Kármán line is 62 miles above ground and is recognized by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), a Swiss organization that sets global rules for air sports.
The Karman Line as originally defined lies between 70 and 90 km, not at 100 km.
The Kármán line has been compared to international waters, as there are no national boundaries and human laws in force beyond the line. Above this level, there would be free space.
The line is named after Theodore von Kármán (1881–1963), a Hungarian American engineer and physicist, who was active primarily in aeronautics and astronautics.
He was the first person to calculate the altitude at which the atmosphere becomes too thin to support aeronautical flight and arrived at 83.6 km himself.
There is no international law defining the edge of space, and therefore the limit of national airspace.

Why do we need a Kármán line:

The 1967 Outer Space Treaty says that space should be accessible to all countries and can be freely and scientifically investigated.
Defining a legal boundary of what and where space is can help avoid disputes and keep track of space activities and human space travel.