Elon Musk’s ‘Starman’: Is it Really Legal for Billionaires to Launch Their Roadsters into Space?

On a sunny Tuesday in February, SpaceX, the privately held rocket company of billionaire Elon Musk, launched a 23-story tall rocket, known as the Falcon Heavy, into space. Bolted into the second stage of the rocket was a luxurious, cherry red Tesla roadster. If you somehow missed this news, it’s actually worth going back and watching the videos. It’s no overstatement to say that it may be a watershed moment for humankind. This is the first known instance of a private individual building the world’s most powerful operational rocket and launching his own private sports car into space. Both the computer animated video of the launch and the genuine mission video are breathtaking. In fact, one could mistake the actual mission video for the computer animation. It was that perfect

Nuclear Power Sources and Future Space Exploration

In this article, we will first provide a brief explanation of what NPS is and how it works. The article will clarify how terms are used and explain some factual background so that the issues can be discussed with clarity. It will follow with a brief history of the use of NPS in space, illustrating that the United States and Russia (including the former Soviet Union) have employed various forms of NPS in space for more than forty years. Next, the focus will shift to a discussion of the international legal regimes governing NPS both in space and, to a limited extent, on Earth, before launch. After the international legal regime, the United States\u27s domestic regulatory and procedural structure is examined, with a discussion of an illustrative case in which plaintiffs attempted to enjoin the US Government from launching the NPS-equipped Cassini spacecraft. We conclude by examining several policy issues concerning nuclear power and propulsion systems in space, including the rationale and need therefor, while advocating extensive public participation and transparency in the safety reviews and decision making related to the use of this technology. Finally, the Article calls for spacefaring nations to establish and observe an international, technically-based safety framework to provide assurance to the world population that space NPS will be used in a safe manner and to facilitate bilateral and multilateral cooperation on missions using nuclear reactors and technologies in space

New Entrants: Nations

In this panel moderated by Harlan Cohen experts discussed the question: What are the emerging governance challenges as new nations emerge as space-farers

Who Is Going to the Moon? Public/Private Partnerships, Procurement, and Export Controls

This panel explains the regulatory framework through which private companies will be able to partner with NASA as the Artemis program moves forward. The history of NASA is also a history of public/private partnerships. This material begins with an understanding of the legal rules that governs the traditional procurement process followed by federal agencies that hire private contractors. But partnering with NASA can take many non-traditional forms, including the licensing of NASA intellectual property, entering into one of the very flexible Space Act Agreements with NASA, or partnering with NASA through one of the competitive programs that have already proven successful in developing the next generation of launch vehicles to deliver cargo and crew to the International Space Station. The panelists will share their views on other regulatory challenges faced by companies, such as SpaceX and their suppliers, that provide products and services to domestic and international customers