This two-day conference will bring public and private international lawyers together with political and legal philosophers to discuss the complex issues raised by property in outer space, including its relations to the notions of territory, jurisdiction and sovereignty, but also the international legal status of scientific research, data and samples.

Argument

This two-day conference will bring public and private international lawyers together with political and legal philosophers to discuss the complex issues raised by property in outer space, including its relations to the notions of territory, jurisdiction and sovereignty, but also the international legal status of scientific research, data and samples. The discussions will be organized around three central issues (this is tentative and may be reorganized depending on the abstracts received): (i) the relations between property, jurisdiction and sovereignty, and its implications in outer space; (ii) the prospects of “commoning” in outer space, and of a distinct future international institution and regime to govern the common use of celestial resources as currently discussed by the UN Committee on the Peaceful Use of Outer Space (COPUOS); and (iii) the public and common good of science, and its implications for a better distinction between scientific “exploration” and commercial “use”, exploitation or appropriation of science in outer space.

Programme

Wiener (Duke University, Durham); Katrina M. Wyman (New York University).

25 September 2025 

• 8.30-9.00 Property in Outer Space: Context, Stakes and Possibilities, Samantha Besson, Collège de France
• 9.00-9.15 Outer Space Exploration and Use: What Resources Out There ?, Alessandro Morbidelli, Collège de France & Co-coordinator of the PEPR Origins: From Planets to Life Research Project

Panel 1 (9.15-13.30): Sovereignty, Jurisdiction and Property in Outer Space

• 9.15-9.45 Sovereignty, Territorial Jurisdiction and Property:   an Inextricable Triangle in Space Law, Stephan Hobe, University of Cologne
• 9.45-10.15 Sovereignty and Property in Celestial Resources Anna Stilz, University of Berkeley
• 10.15-10.45 Space and Locke Katrina M. Wyman, New York University

10.45-11.15: Coffee break

• 11.15-11.45 Property in Outer Space and Competition between Legal Orders  from a Private Law Perspective Lukas Rass-Masson, University of Toulouse Capitole
• 11.45-12.15 Private International Law and the Possibility of Extraterrestrial Property Alex Mills, University College London
• 12.15-12.30 Comment Isabelle Sourbès-Verger, CNRS & EHESS, Paris

12.30-13.30 Panel Discussion

All panellists and participants

13.30-14.30: Lunch break

Panel 2 (14.30-18.15): Possible International Legal and Institutional Regimes  for the Use of Outer Space, including Commoning

• 14.30-15.00 Outer Space and the Rule of Law: A Pendulum between Conflict and Harmony Maria Manoli, University of Aberdeen
• 15.00-15.30 International Space Law Facing the Commercial Exploitation of Celestial Body Resources Philippe Achilleas, University of Paris-Saclay
• 15.30-16.00 Que le jeu commence ! Commercial Space Mining and the Politics of Treaty Interpretation Michael Byers, University of British Columbia

16.00-16.30: Coffee break

• 16.30-17.00 Commoning Outer Space Isabel Feichtner, University of Würzburg
• 17.00-17.15 Comment Niki Aloupi, University of Paris Panthéon-Assas
• 17.15-18.15 Panel Discussion All panellists and participants

26 September 2025 

Panel 3 (9.00-12.45): The Relations between Scientific “Exploration”  and Commercial “Exploitation” of Outer Space

• 09.00-09.30 Rethinking “Common Heritage of Mankind” in the 21st Century:  a Pathway towards Enabling Lunar Activities for the Benefit of All Fabio Tronchetti, University of Northumbria
• 09.30-10.00 Lunar Grabbing. On Scientific Commoning in Outer Space (and Oceanic Seabed too) Michela Massimi, University of Edinburgh
• 10.00-10.30 Scientific Exploration & Commercial Exploitation of Celestial Bodies  in Territorial Nullius Margaret Moore, Queen’s University, Ontario

10.30-11.00: Coffee break

• 11.00-11.30 Space as Province, Property and Planetary Protection:  Risk and the Rise of the Interplanetary Jonathan B. Wiener, Duke University
• 11.30-11.45 Comment Stéphanie Ruphy, Ecole normale supérieure, Paris

11.45-12.45 Panel Discussion

All panellists and participants

12.45-14.00: Lunch break

Panel 4 (14.00-16.15): General Conclusions and Discussion

• 14.00-14.30 General Conclusions Yannick Radi, Catholic University of Louvain

14.30-16.00 General Discussion introduced and chaired by Young Researchers

• Katia Coutant, Doctoral student in Public International Law,  University of Paris-Nanterre
• Alban Guyomarc’h, Doctoral student in Private International Law,  University of Paris Panthéon-Assas & Collège de France
• Yann Robert, Doctoral student in Political Philosophy,  University Jean Moulin-Lyon 3 All participants

16.00-16.15 Concluding Remarks Samantha Besson, Collège de France

The conference will take place in English, without simultaneous translation