With claims that by 2040 the moon will support a population of more than 1,000 people, and another 10,000 will be visiting the moon in that same year, attention is turning to the role the law and lawyers will play in space exploration.

Near space is abuzz with human-initiated activity as we strive towards a sustainable future beyond Earth. With private companies like Moon Express, Elon Musk’s SpaceX, and Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin setting their sights on missions to the moon in 2021 and beyond, the space race is no longer between countries, it’s between companies. There are plans for private tourism, mining for water and rare minerals, 3D printing in space and tracking the tens of thousands of objects larger than a softball currently in the earth’s near orbit.  

With 2021 gearing up to be a big year in space exploration, the Law Society of NSW’s final Thought Leadership event for 2019 will focus on Smart Law for Deep Space. Donna Lawler, Co-Founder and Principal, Azimuth Advisory will facilitate the panel discussion with some of Australia’s leading experts on space law including Kirby Ikin, Managing Director, Asia Pacific Aerospace Consultants (APAC) and Professor Steven Freeland, Professor of International Law, Western Sydney University. Getting to grips with the legal order in outer space is a pressing matter for the legal profession. I hope you can join us as we discuss these questions and explore what legal principles will guide us safely and ethically across this exciting new frontier.

On another note, we are delighted that the leader of the British Academy project, Professor Colin Mayer of Oxford's Saïd Business School, will present the keynote address to the 2019 Supreme Court Corporate and Commercial Law Conference in the Banco Court on 29 October. Joining Professor Mayer on the program are:

• The Honourable TF Bathurst AC, Chief Justice of New South Wales
• The Honourable Justice James Edelman, High Court of Australia
• Catherine Livingstone AO, Chairman, Commonwealth Bank of Australia
• Daniel Crennan QC, Deputy Chairman, ASIC
• Dr R P Austin, Barrister, Level 22 Chambers.

The program will focus on The Future of the Corporation which, in the wake of Commissioner Hayne’s Report into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry and the consequences for business, regulators and the legal profession, should ensure a thought-provoking and informative conference. Register now via the conference website.

Elizabeth Espinosa, Law Society President

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