Featuring speakers from NASA, SpaceX and the United Nations

The Global Space Law Center at Cleveland State University will host a symposium, “Returning to the Moon: Legal Challenges as Humanity Begins to Settle the Solar System,” on Friday, March 6, at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.

The United States will return to the Moon in 2024, commencing an unprecedented event in human history as countries of the world cooperate in establishing a “Moon Village”— the first permanent human presence on another celestial body. The symposium will explore the various legal challenges surrounding the return to the Moon including property claims, military activity, commercial ventures, jurisdictional issues, environmental sustainability and natural resource extraction.

The Global Space Law Center (GSLC) at CSU’s Cleveland-Marshall College of Law is the nation’s only academic center devoted solely to the law of outer space.  

“The imminent human settlement of outer space raises issues that go beyond traditional international law,” said Mark Sundahl, director and founder of the GSLC. “This symposium will tackle important legal questions facing both public and private entities.”

Speakers at the event will include Steven A. Mirmina, lead attorney for the International Space Station at NASA; Caryn Schenewerk, senior counsel and senior director of spaceflight policy at SpaceX; Dr. Diane Howard from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of Space Commercialization and Dr. Steven Freeland, professor of international law at Western Sydney University (Australia), who will serve as co-chair of the upcoming discussions at the United Nations regarding space resource extraction. 

“Many people don’t realize that Cleveland plays a key role in the international law of outer space,” said Cleveland-Marshall Dean Lee Fisher. “We’re proud that our Global Space Law Center is at the forefront of research and education in this growing legal field.” 

The program will run from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Six hours of Continuing Legal Education credit are available for attorneys. The option to attend only the morning or afternoon sessions (for 3 hours CLE credit) is also available. The general public is welcome to join the event free of charge, but advance registration is still required for planning purposes.

More information and online registration are available at csulaw.org/MoonSymposium.

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