Center for Air and Space Law

06/02/2026

We are pleased to publish the first article in our special Journal of Space Law Sci-Fi Edition series.

In “I Will Make It Legal”: From Palpatine to Article XVI, an Assessment of the Outer Space Treaty’s Withdrawal Mechanism, Todd Pennington uses a memorable line from Star Wars to explore a serious and largely overlooked question in international space law: what happens if a State withdraws from the Outer Space Treaty?

Drawing on examples from the South China Sea, arms control agreements and future lunar activities, the article examines the relationship between treaty law and customary international law, and asks whether some of the foundational principles of space law would survive treaty withdrawal.
A thought-provoking contribution that challenges us to think about the future resilience of the legal framework governing outer space.

Read it here: https://centerforairandspacelaw.space/2026/06/02/i-will-make-it-legal-from-palpatine-to-article-xvi-an-assessment-of-the-outer-space-treatys-withdrawal-mechanism/

05/28/2026

NASA has unveiled its plans to send humans to the Moon, which include establishing a permanent presence on Earth's nearest satellite by the 2030s. It comes as China moves ahead with its own lunar ambitions, launching three astronauts into outer space. FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks toour Executive Director Michelle Slawecki Hanlon. Check it out!

NASA has unveiled its plans to send humans to the Moon, which include establishing a permanent presence on Earth's nearest satellite by the 2030s. It comes as China moves ahead with its own lunar ambitions,…

05/27/2026

Our Executive Director, Michelle Slawecki Hanlon joined Ben Leo at GB News to discuss NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration's plans to build a permanent human presence on the . In addition to her normal LL.M. classes, Prof. Hanlon will be teaching our Master of Science course on Space Law and Commerce this fall. No JD required!

05/24/2026

In this fascinating contribution to the Journal of Space Law, Leonardo A. López Marcos and Anél Ferreira-Snyman argue that the future of human rights in space may depend entirely on how seriously we protect the outer space environment today. https://centerforairandspacelaw.space/2026/05/16/protection-of-the-outer-space-environment-at-stake/

05/24/2026

Floods. Wildfires. Earthquakes. Hurricanes. Oil spills. Armed conflict.
In the middle of catastrophe, satellite imagery often becomes one of the first and most important tools available. But who controls that data? Who gets access to it? And what legal obligations exist when those images could save lives? Elisa Leoni and Carlo Bongioanni explore this in their newly published Journal of Space Law article here: https://centerforairandspacelaw.space/2026/03/31/the-international-legal-framework-on-the-utilization-of-remote-sensing-satellites-in-the-event-of-a-disaster/ 🛰️ 🌎

05/23/2026

In a fascinating contribution to the Journal of Space Law, Alberto Rueda Carazo explores a provocative possibility: perhaps customary international law, rather than new treaties, will become the primary engine for governing the next era of space activity. Check it out: https://centerforairandspacelaw.space/2026/05/22/customary-international-law-in-outer-space-the-need-to-accelerate-its-process-of-creation/ 🛰️🚀🌕

05/22/2026

Not every dispute belongs in a courtroom—sometimes it’s settled on the pickleball court.

Our amazing LL.M. JAGs - Julian Butler, Kerry Mawn, Erick Kobres II, and Prof. Aaron Brynildson - joined The University of Mississippi - Ole Miss J.D. students for a fun pickleball match. It was a great reminder that building connections is just as important as studying the laws that govern Earth, the skies and beyond. 🚀🏓

05/22/2026

What happens when decisions are informed not by human judgment, but by autonomous systems, machine learning models and persistent aerial surveillance? Austin Brittenham delves into this question in "An End to Signature Strikes" - our newest article published in Journal of Drone Law and Policy: https://centerforairandspacelaw.space/2026/05/16/an-end-to-signature-strikes/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email The University of Mississippi - Ole Miss

05/22/2026

"I'm not teaching the law, I'm teaching you how to read the law. And the important thing about the law is that it's flexible, it's intended to change, and you should be pushing the bounds of it," says our executive director Michelle Slawecki Hanlon. Listen here:
https://www.lawhub.org/podcasts/i-am-the-law/149/space-law-the-work-behind-an-emerging-practice , The University of Mississippi - Ole Miss

Michelle Hanlon spent 25 years as a cross-border M&A lawyer before earning an LLM in space law and reinventing her practice around an environment that nobody quite controls but many want to. Space law is barely developed, but much of the daily work looks like any other industry: contracts, regulator...

05/21/2026

In “Law Enforcement Use of Electromagnetic Pulse Equipped Drones to Maintain the Element of Surprise During Warrant Services,” The University of Mississippi - Ole Miss LLM graduate Lonnie Cain explores whether law enforcement agencies could one day deploy EMP-equipped drones to disable smart home technologies before serving high-risk warrants. https://centerforairandspacelaw.space/2026/05/20/law-enforcement-use-of-electromagnetic-pulse-equipped-drones-to-maintain-the-element-of-surprise-during-warrant-services/