In 2021, private companies like SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, and Blue Origin made headline-grabbing strides in expanding commercial spaceflight—and market projections expect the industry to grow significantly over the next ten years.
However, this relatively new type of activity in space could also have serious impacts on the environment, such as generating greenhouse gasses. The Fordham Environmental Law Review (ELR) plans to discuss these ramifications in detail in its upcoming virtual symposium, “The Environmental Implications of Space Tourism,” on March 10. Registration for the event is ongoing.
“Space tourism is a topic that we’ve seen discussed a lot recently, as private sector entrepreneurs like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have set up their own spaceflight companies,” said the ELR’s symposium director, James Hamilton ’22. “These discussions among experts on how we should regulate the environmental impacts are still ongoing. And alongside the legal questions are scientific questions, such as the environmental effects of space debris. We still don’t know the full extent of how those things will affect the environment.”
The day-long event will feature a variety of speakers, including Steven Freeland, professor emeritus of international law at Western Sydney University and a distinguished expert in the field of space law; as well as Austin Murnane, senior legal counsel for Blue Origin, the private spaceflight company founded by Jeff Bezos.
“This is still a fairly unclear area of law, which is why it’s so important to have this sort of symposium,” said Hamilton. “Even if you’re not really interested in practicing in this particular field, it’s still a really interesting general legal question about how we’re going to create these laws as we continue to expand into space.”
What To Expect
Along with Freeland and Murnane, six other participants from both the private sector and academia will be participating. The first panel will examine the current state of the space law landscape as it relates to the environment, while the second panel will look to the future and consider what could be on the horizon in this fast-changing field of law.
Symposium Panel Line Up
10:00–10:15 a.m. | Welcome Remarks
- Dean Matthew Diller, Dean and Paul Fuller Professor of Law, Fordham Law School
- James Hamilton, Symposium Editor, Fordham Environmental Law Review
- Paolo Galizzi, Faculty Advisor, Environmental Law Review; Professor, Fordham Law School
10:15–10:45 a.m. | Keynote Address
- Steven Freeland, Professor Emeritus of International Law, Western Sydney University
10:45–10:50 a.m. | Short Break
10:50 a.m.–12:20 p.m. | Panel 1: Space Activities & The Law: Setting the Stage and the Current Legal Landscape
(1.5 professional practice CLE)
- Rada Popova, Legal Counsel, Isar Aerospace
- P.J Blount, University of Mississippi School of Law, Professor of Law; Editor in Chief, Journal of Space Law
- Austin Murnane, Senior Legal Counsel, Blue Origin
- Moderator: John Mensah LL.M. ’19, Lecturer in Law, UPSA Law School, Accra, Ghana
12:20–12:40 p.m. | Break
12:40–2:10 p.m. | Panel 2: The Future of Space Regulation in an Ever Evolving Commercialization of Space
(1.5 professional practice CLE)
- Joanne Gabynowiczk, Professor Emerita of Space Law; Director Emerita of the National Center for Remote Sensing, Air, and Space Law, University of the Mississippi Law Center; Editor-in-Chief Emerita, Journal of Space Law
- Christopher J. Borgen, Professor of Law; Co-Director of the Center for International and Comparative Law, St. John’s University School of Law
- Moderator: Kimberly E. Diamond, Adjunct Professor of Law, Fordham Law School
2:10 p.m. | Closing Remarks
- Claudia Carollo, Editor in Chief, Fordham Environmental Law Review
How to Attend
The Fordham Environmental Law Review’s “The Environmental Implications of Space Tourism” symposium will be held on Thursday, March 10, from 10 a.m. to 2:10 p.m. Three CLE credits will be available. Registration is still open.