The Global Space Law Center‘s STARLAW Blog Named #2 Space Law Blog
The Global Space Law Center’s blog, The STARLAW Blog, was named the #2 blog on FeedSpot’s 2021 ranking of the top five blogs on issues of space law and policy. Many thanks to our talented contributors and faithful subscribers! Special thanks goes to our recent graduate, Kristina Schiavone, who served as the STARLAW blog’s first Editor-in-Chief. Kristina has set a high standard for timely, informative, and frequently provocative blog posts.
A Busy Year for the Research Council!
The 2020/21 academic year was a particularly busy year for the GSLC’s student-staffed Research Council. The Council worked on a number space law initiatives including (1) the drafting of the Moon Village Association’s Best Practices for Sustainable Lunar Activity(which were included in the Conference Room Paper submitted by the MVA to the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.) (2) the Global Expert Group for Sustainable Lunar Activities (GEGSLA), and (3) The Registration Project.
The Registration Project – A Joint Venture
Prof. Sundahl serves as the co-chair of The Registration Project – an initiative launched earlier this year to explore solutions to the shortcomings of the law and practice regarding the registration of space objects as they relate to lunar activities. The Project is a joint venture between the Moon Village Association (MVA) and the Global Space Law Center (GSLC) at Cleveland State University. The group consists of 25 members from around the world drawn from industry, academia, government, and nongovernmental organizations. Each member of the Research Council are also active members of the Project and have been instrumental in compiling the ideas generated during the Project’s initial meetings (with special thanks to Hailey Hillsman). On June 24, The Registration Project will hold its first Public Workshop as part of the Moon Dialog series of cutting-edge webinars on issues related to humankind’s return to the Moon.
Prof. Sundahl Quoted in Discover Magazine
The GSLC’s director, Prof. Mark J. Sundahl, was recently quoted in Discover Magazine in connection with the announcement made by Jeff Bezos that he will be flying into suborbital space on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket on July 20th – only to be upstaged by Sir Richard Branson’s announcement that he will be flying on his SpaceShipIII on the Fourth of July. In the article, Prof. Sundahl explains the regulation of suborbital tourism:
One way that the government could have gone was to say, ‘Hey, we’re going to certify the spacecraft, make sure that they’re safe and give them the stamp of approval, . . . but [Congress] didn’t go that way. Instead, they said ‘We’re going to prove we’re protecting space tourists by just requiring the companies to tell them that they may die, and then it’s up to them to make a decision if they want to take that risk or not.’
Bittersweet Moment: Three Members of the Research Council have Graduated!
Although graduation is a moment to celebrate, the Global Space Law Center regrets that four of its Research Council members have completed their legal studies and are taking the next steps in their careers. The Global Space Law Center would like to again thanks graduating students Aimee Fanter, Jeffrey Murphy, and Stephen Robison for their meaningful contributions to the work of the Center. If your company or agency is looking for a newly minted space lawyer, please consider these hard-working young lawyers!
We are fortunate that two of our students, Hailee Kepchar and Hailey Hillsman, will be staying on for the next academic year and will comprise the first team from Cleveland State University to compete in the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition.
