The University of Ottawa Space Law Society (SLS) was founded earlier this year by a group of space nerds and now is an official group with the AÉCLSS and has about 50 members.
The Society has three main aims: to contribute to the field of space law and policy, both domestically and internationally; create and promote practical opportunities for students with an interest in space law; serve and engage with community, industry, and government.
They have already secured three jobs and internships for law students looking to enter the space industry, and they are just getting started.
“Space Law is not a distant concept but a tangible career path shaped by the commercial challenges and opportunities of the growing space economy,” says co-President Arjun Gupta. “I am personally excited to explore legal questions at the nexus of space law, national security, and intelligence, and we have built an incredible team so far.”
The Society’s founding team came together in an organic (or perhaps star-crossed) way. They met at panels and parties off campus and poured over the latest launch news in the Space Law course offered by Professor Aram Daniel Kerkonian.
The group from diverse backgrounds connected through their shared interests in space law, science and culture.
Said co-President Ola Mirzoeva, who is in her 2nd year of the joint JD/MA program: “We liked each other’s social media posts, high-fived over space-themed tee-shirts and puns. Many of us had a long-standing fascination with the cosmos, were devouring astronomy podcasts outside of law school, and adorning our walls with the latest James Webb telescope photos.
“Some of us had academic experience related to space law and sciences, were part of professional networks, had connections to launch missions, and had even touched moon rocks. We bonded through a shared excitement, and sometimes worry, about the advancement of space technologies and the question of what laws would govern the new space race, and potential inter-planetary future of humankind.”
This summer, Mirzoeva was a United Nations Space4Women Mentee, and worked with the legal team at MDA, a Brampton-based international space mission partner and a robotics, satellite systems and geointelligence pioneer.
“These were opportunities I had to find on my own, so I want to make it easier for other law students to join international networks and leading companies. I personally really want to see that more students (especially women) have similar opportunities,” said Mirzoeva.
After the club’s founding, the team started developing relationships with industry stakeholders and became an Associate Member of the industry association Space Canada. They have also engaged with large Canadian companies such as Telesat, and government agencies including the Canadian Space Agency and the Department of Defence.
The team found industry and government demand for legal thinkers who understand the challenges and opportunities presented by space activity and exploration. They believe that students interested in international law, legislative development in Canada, or corporate commercial practice will see promise in the realm of space law.
For the SLS and the broader space industry, the sky is seen not as a limit but as the beginning of new possibilities.
Said Gupta: “We want to spread enthusiasm for the challenges and opportunities facing humanity in this new era of space activity. We are practical thinkers driven by adding value for students, industry and community partners. This means connecting students with mentors and jobs in the space sector, helping them publish academic work, moot, and build interdisciplinary teams to work on real issues facing the space sector.”
They plan to organize events and speakers both at the university and in the community, coordinating student opportunities including facilitating connections that could lead to mentorship, SPIs and jobs, develop an editorial stream to enable students to publish on topics related to space law and policy and create more connections between science and law students through a "learning" mandate for the Society. This includes producing bite-sized learning opportunities for law students like a Read/Listen/Watch list.
In April, the Society collaborated with the Indigenous Law Student Governance in a submission to the Canadian Space Agency in response to its consultations on modernizing the regulatory framework for space.
Looking to the horizon, the Society hopes to organize a team for the international Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot.
The Society will have its launch (pun intended) event Monday, Oct. 16 at 6:30 p.m. in FTX 361 featuring Martin Herman, General Counsel at MDA, Valérie Bastien Dupuis, Legal Counsel at the Canadian Space Agency, and Dr. Aram Kerkonian, space law professor at the Faculty of Law.
Registration and more information is available at www.spacelawottawa.com.
The Space Law Society 2023-2024 executive team is: Ola Mirzoeva, Arjun Gupta, Noor Elsabagh, Keelan Kells, Anvesh Jain, Colin Coon, David Kantrovitz, Jenna Park, Shira Gerstein, Ben Mogil, Sophie Ehlebracht, (founding members) Nickolas Eburne, and Daniella Febbraro.