What legal recourse can a space tourist take if he or she is injured during a suborbital flight? Is it legal to launch and connect thousands of satellites in the night sky that will ruin the view of the cosmos for many people on Earth? And, if not, what legal recourse do people have? Which space activities should be licensed, and which should not be? Will it be legal for private space companies to conduct for-profit mining activities on the moon? Can remote sensing imagery from space be used as legal evidence? Does territorial sovereignty extend into outer space? What entity is liable for damage caused to humans or property as a result of falling “space junk”? Can portions of an asteroid be owned by a corporation and, if so, what is the legal path to do so?
These are just a few of the countless questions that space lawyers answer to clarify space operations and maintain the rule of law during space flights. Attorneys are experts regarding space technology and the business of aerospace, and they have a good understanding of administrative, arms control, commercial, criminal, environmental, insurance, intellectual property, labor, and telecommunications law.
Space lawyers perform many of the same duties as traditional lawyers. For example, they provide legal advice regarding business and legal topics (such as intellectual property, compliance with government regulations, taxes, labor issues, contracts, and mergers and acquisitions). They also serve as advocates by representing their employer in criminal or civil trial proceedings. Attorneys conduct research on a case, present evidence and arguments in support of their client before a judge, and perform other duties. Additionally, space lawyers provide legal advice to elected officials and space committees of the United Nations and other governing bodies, help draft international treaties and national laws, and evaluate existing ones to determine where improvements are needed based on emerging technology, evolving space markets, and other factors.
- Aeronautical and Aerospace Technicians
- Aerospace Engineers
- Aerospace Medicine Physicians
- Aircraft Mechanics
- Arbitrators
- Astrobiologists
- Astrogeologists
- Astronauts
- Astronomers
- Astrophysicists
- Avionics Engineers
- Avionics Technicians
- Bail Bondsmen
- Bailiffs
- Bankruptcy Lawyers
- Biologists
- Biotechnology Patent Lawyers
- Bodyguards
- Border Patrol Agents
- Bounty Hunters
- Build Reliability Engineers
- Chemical Engineers
- Chemists
- Citizenship Reclamation Specialists
- Civil Litigation Lawyers
- Computer Programmers
- Contract Administrators
- Corporate Lawyers
- Court Interpreters and Translators
- Court Reporters
- Criminal Lawyers
- Drone Engineers
- Drone Manufacturing Workers
- Drone Pilots
- Drone Repair Technicians
- Elder Law Attorneys
- Electrical Engineering Technologists
- Electrical Engineers
- Electronics Engineering Technicians
- Electronics Engineers
- Engineers
- Environmental Lawyers
- Family Lawyers
- Flight Instructors
- Forensic Experts
- Forensic Meteorologists
- Geographic Information Systems Specialists
- Hedge Fund Lawyers
- Hypersonics Engineers
- Hypersonics Technicians
- Industrial Engineers
- Intellectual Property Lawyers
- Judges
- Laboratory Testing Technicians
- Law Librarians
- Lawyers
- Legal Nurse Consultants
- Legal Operations Specialists
- Legal Secretaries
- Litigation Support/eDiscovery Analysts
- Manufacturing Engineering Technologists
- Manufacturing Engineers
- Materials Engineers
- Mechanical Engineers
- Mergers and Acquisitions Attorneys
- Molecular and Cellular Biologists
- Mutual Fund Lawyers
- Non-Destructive Testing Specialists
- Paralegals
- Patent Agents
- Patent Lawyers
- Physicists
- Pilots
- Polygraph Examiners
- Process Servers
- Public Interest Lawyers
- Real Estate Lawyers
- Reusable Spacecraft System Designers and Engineers
- Robotics Engineers
- Robotics Technicians
- Space Habitat Designers
- Space Meteorologist
- Space Pilots
- Space Port Managers
- Space Systems Operators
- Space Tourism Managers
- Spacecraft Test Technicians
- Tax Attorneys
