Beyond Earth Institute Webinar: Recognizing Property and Ownership in Space

The race is on to both fill our orbit with satellites that will help us communicate, educate and understand our planet; and land on other celestial bodies, including our Moon, to explore, learn and eventually prospect for resources that will allow human communities to thrive in space. Yet, even as we ramp up the technological capabilities of satellites and our capacity to inhabit celestial bodies, we do so under the guidance of an international law that proclaims the freedom of use and exploration for all humanity, with only limited restraints on activities. Can we truly take advantage of all space has to offer under such an ambiguous regime? Can we find consensus on interpretation of the Outer Space Treaty regarding land use? Do we need new multilateral agreements to clarify such use? What would be the appropriate oversight and enforcement regime necessary to ensure fair and equitable land apportionment and use? Can we have ownership without sovereignty?

In this Beyond Earth workshop, our panel, along with the participants, will attempt to discuss some of the challenging aspects of ownership and property rights in space, and hopefully find some common ground.

NEW: Robert Brumley has prepared a lunar resource claim case study which will form the basis of discussion among the panelists. Download the case study here.

Featured Speakers

Michelle Hanlon, Co-founder, For All Moonkind and Co-Director, Air and Space Law at University of Mississippi – moderator

Robert Brumley, Co-Founder & Chairman, Commstar Space Companies

Christopher Borgen, Professor of Law & Co-Director, Center for International and Comparative Law at St. John’s University School of Law

Michael Waltemathe, Senior Lecturer, Department of Protestant Theology at Ruhr-University Bochum in Germany