On December 11, 2024, firm attorney Camisha L. Simmons spoke in Wenchang, China at the Galaxy Forum space conference hosted by the International Lunar Observatory Association. At the Galaxy Forum she presented on the topic “Space Settlement and Commercialization: Clarifying Private Property Rights.”
Though there is a flurry of activity in the race to settle and commercialize space, the law on private ownership of property in space needs further clarification. Private ownership of property in outer space is a gray area and a topic of debate amongst many. Her presentation covered the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, the 2015 U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act that grants private U.S. Citizens “engaged in commercial recovery of an asteroid resource or a space resource” the right “to possess, own, transport, use, and sell the asteroid resource or space resource obtained,” and other applicable laws addressing ownership of property in space. She proposed to the global audience in attendance various ways in which current law regarding ownership of property in outer space may be clarified.
Loading...