Moon

During the Space Age, the United States sent astronauts to the lunar surface six times, exploring a tiny fraction of its equatorial regions. Before and since that time, a handful of robotic explorers have expanded these investigations incrementally. Lunar orbiters have mapped the entirety of the lunar surface in the past few decades … yet this closest of Earth’s neighbors remains just out of reach for habitation and exploitation. But this situation is at a crossroads, with the spacefaring powers of Earth, and many private companies in the U.S. and abroad, poised to reach the Moon within the decade. How will we best explore, prospect, and settle our natural satellite? The Moon session at ISDC will bring together some of our finest thinkers to explore the subject in depth.

Chair:

Michelle L.D. Hanlon

President

National Space Society

Chair:

Michelle L.D. Hanlon

President

National Space Society

Michelle is Co-Director of the Air and Space Law Program at the University of Mississippi School of Law and its Center for Air and Space Law. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Space Law, the world’s oldest law journal dedicated to the legal problems arising out of human activities in outer space and the Faculty Advisor for its sister publication, the Journal of Drone Law and Policy. Michelle is a Co-Founder and President of For All Moonkind, Inc., a nonprofit corporation that is the only organization in the world focused on protecting human cultural heritage in outer space. For All Moonkind has been recognized by the United Nations as a Permanent Observer to the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. Michelle is also the chair of the International Committee of the National Space Society and the mentor to the newly-formed National Space Society Legal Fellows program. Michelle received her B.A. in Political Science from Yale College and her J.D. magna cum laude from the Georgetown University Law Center. She earned her LLM in Air and Space Law from McGill University. Prior to focusing on aviation and space law, Michelle was engaged in a private business law practice. Her legal career commenced with the restructuring of sovereign debt for a number of South and Latin American countries and evolved into the negotiation and implementation of cross-border technology mergers and acquisitions. Her subsequent solo practice advised entrepreneurs across four continents on all aspects of bringing their innovative ideas to market: from basic corporate formation to financings and buyouts. Michelle continues to provide advice and counsel in respect of all aspects of air, space and cyber law through the consulting firm of ABH Aerospace, LLC.

Speakers

Pascal Lee

Planetary Scientist

Mars Institute, SETI Institute, & NASA Ames Research Center

Dr Pascal Lee is a planetary scientist with Mars Institute, SETI Institute, and NASA Ames Research Center. He holds an ME in geology and geophysics from the University of Paris, and a PhD in astronomy and space sciences from Cornell where he was Carl Sagan’s last T.A.. Lee’s research focuses on water on Mars, Mars’ moons, ice caves on the Moon and Mars, and planning the future human exploration of Mars. He has led over 30 expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctica for planetary analog studies and is recipient of the United States Antarctic Service Medal. Lee is also an FAA-certified helicopter commercial pilot and flight instructor, and enjoys painting space art.

Wes Faires

Director

Space Rights,LLC

Wes Faires

Director

Space Rights,LLC

Wes Faires is advocate for private property rights beyond national jurisdiction, and observer to the UNCOPUOS Legal Subcommittee and Hague International Space Resources Governance Working Group.

Ed Koellner

Senior Attorney

USAA Federal Savings Bank

Executive Entrepreneurial Leader for International Legal, Fintech, and Cryptocurrency

• Senior Leader and trusted international legal advisor fintech and digital asset technologies.
• Compliance Executive building and leading teams to strengthen compliance programs.
• Intellectual Property Executive pioneering new paradigms protecting intellectual property.
• Experience in Mexico, Canada, Brazil, England, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy, and Lithuania.
• Member Wisconsin Bar, Patent Attorney United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO).

Charles Radley

Director

Space Initiatives Inc

Charles Radley

Director

Space Initiatives Inc

Spacecraft systems engineer on manned and unmanned spacecraft development and operations.

B.S. Physics, M.S. Systems Engineering, Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

In 1981 he started work on communications satellite systems integration, launch campaigns and range safety. Developed proposals for lunar space missions for the 1990 Space Exploration Initiative. He was a member of the subcontractor teams for the Galileo and Magellan space probes, the International Space Station, experiments for Spacelab-MSL-1 and several communications satellites. He worked on the Mobile Transporter, and the power system for NASA Space Station Freedom which became ISS.

AJ Link

Space Law Communicator

AJ Link (he/him) is openly autistic. He received his JD from The George Washington University Law School and his LL.M in Space Law at the University of Mississippi School of Law. He is the inaugural director of The Center for Air and Space Law Task Force on Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity in Aerospace and an adjunct professor of space law at Howard University School of Law. AJ is the Communications Director for Mission: AstroAccess and works as a research director for the Jus Ad Astra project. He serves as the Space Law and Policy Chair for Black in Astro and was the founding president of the National Disabled Law Students Association.

AJ is a policy analyst for the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. He has been actively involved with disability advocacy in the Washington, DC area and nationally within the United States. He serves on several advisory boards and steering committees that focus on disability advocacy and broader social justice movements.

Lauren Andrade

Space Lawyer

Lauren Andrade

Space Lawyer

Lauren Andrade earned her JD from the University of Hawaii at Manoa William S. Richardson School of Law in 2020 and she completed an MA in History at the University with a focus on US Space Policy in 2021. She received her LLM in Air & Space Law from the University of Mississippi in 2022. She currently works for the Department of Health and Human Services in the Office of Civil Rights. Lauren’s research primarily focuses on issue of international law and disarmament.

Dr. Frederick Jenet

Space Entrepreneur

Fredrick Jenet, PhD, is an MIT/Caltech trained astrophysicist turned space entrepreneur with 25 years of space exploration and development experience. Dr. Jenet has secured over $50 million in funding for space related R&D. His research ranges from deep space exploration to characterizing orbital debris, with 50+ publications in refereed journals and popular articles such as “If Earth falls, will interstellar space travel be our salvation?” He created the “Arecibo Remote Command Center,” enabling students to make astrophysical discoveries with global impact, founded the first Center of Excellence in South Texas for space exploration, and created the UT STARGATE program, in collaboration with SpaceX, having technology development facilities located at the Boca Chica orbital launch facility. In addition, he is the CTO of Lunar Station, an MIT startup delivering intel and insights to lunar mission planners, and an investment advisor to Spaced Ventures, a space startup funding platform.

Kwame Newton

Senior Analyst

Renaissance Strategic Advisors

Kwame Newton

Senior Analyst

Renaissance Strategic Advisors

Kwame Newton is a Senior Analyst at Renaissance Strategic Advisors, an aerospace and defense firm in Arlington, VA. Prior to joining RSAdvisors, he served as a member of the National Space Society’s Legal Advisory Council, where he researched and wrote position papers on the Artemis Accords and space economics. Prior to that time, he co-authored a paper titled Africa and the Artemis Accords: A Review of Space Regulations and Strategy for African Capacity Building in the New Space Economy, which was published in New Space Vol. 9, No. 1. In addition to his work with NSS and RSAdvisors, Kwame also co-founded Clean Orbit, a nonprofit startup dedicated to educating the public about the need for orbital debris mitigation and remediation. Kwame holds B.A.s in Government and American Studies from Cornell University, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Schedule for Moon Session