the future of commercial space law and regulation · the future of commercial space law and...
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The Future of Commercial
Space Law and Regulation
Biographies
National Center for Remote
Sensing Air and Space Law
Jones Day
51 Louisiana Avenue, N.W.
Washington D.C. 20001-2113
June 7th
2011
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Herb Bachner
Panel: Federal Laws and Regulations: Creating an Environment That Really Does “Encourage and Facilitate”
Mr. Bachner is a Manager with CSSI, Inc. in Washington DC, a
position he began in September 2008. During this time he has
supported CSSI Commercial Space activities for the New Mexico
Spaceport and for the New Mexico State University Center of
Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation. Prior to his work with CSSI, Mr. Bachner was
an Aerospace Consultant working with NASA Langley, developing opportunities for commercial
space developers to meet with NASA laboratory operators and obtain laboratory services. He was
also a Member of the Virginia State JCOTS Legislative Advisory Committee for Aerospace. This
committee developed recommendations for improvements to the Mid Atlantic Regional
Spaceport (MARS) that were then acted upon by the Virginia State Legislature. Mr. Bachner was
the Manager of the FAA Office of Commercial Space, Space Systems Development Division for
10 years prior to his work as a consultant. In his role as Division Manager, he provided analysis
of U.S. Commercial Space Transportation matters to the industry, to the Office of Science and
Technology Policy, and the National Security Council. He and members of his staff met with
potential launch vehicle and launch site developers to begin discussions on how to meet FAA
environmental and safety requirements, The Division also developed and produced FAA
analytical reports including the Annual Space Transportation Forecast, Space Transportation
Developments and Concepts Report, the Economic Impact Report and the Year End Review.
Mr. Bachner’s experience in aviation includes twenty-seven years in the FAA’s Air Traffic
Control organization during which he led both international and domestic programs. His
positions included Manager for FAA’s International Technical Assistance Program, where his
Division worked with the Departments of State, Commerce and the Air Force in developing
foreign assistance programs for air traffic control and flight standards for over 80 countries, and
Manager of the FAA Maintenance Operations Program, that included the development of
training requirements, and the conduct of staffing and organizational studies for the 5,000 FAA
Systems Specialists located throughout the United States.
Mr. Bachner received his BS degree in Electrical/Electronic Engineering from the Polytechnic
Institute of Brooklyn (now NYU Poly) and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from the
University of California.
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Giovanna M. Cinelli Panel: Orbital Arc Regulation: Transitioning from Government to the Private Sector Over the Long Term
Giovanna Cinelli advises defense and technology companies on
export control and compliance matters impacting the satellite,
space, missile, computer, encryption, submarine, and defense services industries. She conducts
export transactional due diligence, investigations, disclosures, and audits, as well as analyses of
national security and economic espionage issues involving U.S. and foreign companies.
Giovanna serves as an expert witness on matters related to litigation and arbitration involving
export-controlled products, technical data, and technology. She advises clients and tribunals
overseeing or adjudicating cases on compliance, licensing, and constitutional issues implicated
by export laws and regulations.
Giovanna has worked extensively with the Departments of State, Commerce, Defense, and
Treasury, as well as Energy and the military, and was a member of the Defense Trade Advisory
Group (DTAG). She was vice chair of the DTAG from 2006 through 2008 and advised the
Directorate of Defense Trade Controls on matters associated with defense trade, licensing,
policy, and compliance. She was a member of the Regulations and Procedures Technical
Advisory Committee (RPTAC), where she advised the Bureau of Industry and Security on issues
involving export licensing, policy, and compliance.
Giovanna participated in the Foreign Export Control Officials programs, which assist foreign
government officials in designing and developing export control systems. She has spoken on
international arms and technology transfer issues on CNN's Burden of Proof and MSNBC's
Hardball with Chris Matthews. She also recently completed an in-depth analysis of technology
transfer, national security, and export issues as part of the book, Intellectual Property
Technology Transfer (2006 and 2009 supplements).
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Leonard David
Panel: State and Local Issues
Leonard David is a space journalist, reporting on space
activities for some 45 years.
Mr. David is the 2010 winner of the prestigious National Space
Club Press Award, presented this honor during the Club’s
annual Robert H. Goddard Memorial Dinner in April 2011 that was held in Washington, D.C.
Currently, Leonard is SPACE.com’s Space Insider Columnist, as well as a correspondent for
Space News newspaper and a contributing writer for the American Institute of Aeronautics and
Astronautics (AIAA) Aerospace America magazine.
In the space policy world, Leonard is a Research Associate for the Secure World Foundation,
focused on a number of space-related issues, such as the spread of space debris and the
environmental protection of space.
Leonard David has been reporting on space exploration for nearly five decades. Over those years,
his writings have appeared in numerous websites, newspapers, magazines and books, such as the
Financial Times, Foreign Policy, Private Air, Sky and Telescope, Astronomy, SPACE.com and
Space News newspaper, as well as Aerospace America and in supplemental writing for Aviation
Week & Space Technology magazine.
Mr. David has been a consultant to NASA, other government agencies and the aerospace
industry. In the mid-1980's he served as Director of Research for the National Commission on
Space, a U.S. Congress/White House study that appraised the next 50 to 100 years of space
exploration.
Leonard is co-author of Extreme Flight: Rocket Science, Sundance/Newbridge Educational
Publishing issued in 2006. As a Contributing Essayist, Mr. David's writings can be found in the
National Geographic`s Encyclopedia of Space, published in 2004. Leonard is also a co-author of
the book Chaos to Cosmos - A Space Odyssey, published by the Denver Museum of Nature &
Space in 2003.
In past years, Mr. David has served as editor-in-chief of the National Space Society’s Ad Astra and
Space World magazines, as well as the newsstand publication, Final Frontier.
For NASA, Leonard completed the task of writing a majority of the highly regarded Spinoff
1997, Spinoff 1998, and Spinoff 1999 publications. In the past, Leonard has assisted the
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audio/visual branch by interviewing and writing scripts for the monthly NASA radio program,
"The Space Story".
Mr. David has worked with the NASA exhibits branch on public outreach displays, writing text
and carrying out photo research on both the commercial uses of space and infrared technologies
for astronomy, Earth remote sensing and spinoff applications.
Leonard served as research and technical advisor for the PBS-televised, Living and Working in
Space - The Countdown Has Begun, an hour-long science fact/fiction look at careers in space
that was premiered on PBS on March 31, 1993. Leonard was contracted by the producers of the
video, the Foundation for Advancements in Science and Education (FASE), to work on the
project through 1992 into early 1993.
More recently, Mr. David served as a technical consultant to the widely acclaimed Bouncing to
Mars: The Inside Story of the Mars Exploration Rover Missions, produced by Passport to
Knowledge made possible, in part by the National Science Foundation and released in summer
2003.
Mr. David was also honored to receive the internationally recognized Royal Aeronautical Society
(RAeS) Award for Best Space Submission at the Aerospace Journalist of the Year Awards in
England in 2006 and in Paris in 2003.
In 2006, Leonard received the Orbit award for Space Media from the Space Tourism Society
honoring his writings over the decades on the burgeoning space tourism industry. Later that
year, he won the 2nd Annual Space Journalism award for best article on human spacefaring for
January-September 2005 for his article, "Space Tourism: Keeping the Customer Satisfied". In
2001, Mr. David won the National Space Society's Space Pioneer Award for Media.
Leonard David lives in Golden, Colorado with his wife Barbara where the clear, nighttime sky
fuels the imagination about space travel to other worlds…as well as concern over lost luggage at
Mars.
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James Dunstan Panel: Sustained Long-Term Planning and the Complementary Roles of the Public & Private Sectors
Mobius Legal Group’s Founder Jim Dunstan has spent more than
25 years providing legal services to high technology,
communications, outer space, and computer game law clients. Jim represents a significant
number of burgeoning outer space companies: he drafted and negotiated the first commercial
lease for the Russian Mir space station on behalf of MirCorp. Jim assisted in negotiating with the
Russian Space Agency and NASA to shoot the first television commercial onboard the
International Space Station (ISS). He helped arrange for the first pitch of the 2002 baseball
World Series to be conducted onboard ISS. He has also assisted his clients with export issues
under the ITAR. Jim assisted in drafting the Virginia Spaceflight Liability and Immunity Act, as
well as Virginia’s “Zero G/Zero Tax” legislation as a member of the Virginia JCOTS Aerospace
Advisory Committee.
Elizabeth H. Evans
Panel: Orbital Arc Regulation: Transitioning from
Government to the Private Sector Over the Long Term
Liz Evans concentrates her practice in aviation, project, and satellite
finance as well as in equipment leasing and related transactional work,
including private placements of debt and equity, structured finance arrangements, asset-based
financings, and leveraged leasing.
Liz also has represented financial institutions, credit capital corporations, equity investors, export
credit agencies, and leasing companies in complex aircraft purchases, satellite financings,
equipment leases, and asset-based financings. She has represented a variety of domestic and
foreign passenger and cargo airlines in a wide range of areas, including aircraft sales and leasing
matters, FAA and DOT compliance, equipment financings, bankruptcy matters, and
privatizations. Liz has represented Fortune 500 corporations in the purchase of business aircraft
for their fleets and in their participation in fractional interest aircraft ownership programs.
She is a member of the New York State Bar Association, the American Bar Association (Aircraft
Finance Subcommittee and the Forum of Air and Space Law), and the Association for
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Transportation Law, Logistics and Policy. She has been selected for inclusion in "Who's Who in
Aviation" and "Women in Business Law." She was selected to appear in Euromoney Expert
Guides' Bi-Annual Survey of "The Best of the Best" in aviation finance in every edition from 2001
to 2011
Represented Credit Suisse, as agent, in a DIP loan to ProtoStar Ltd. and ProtoStar II Ltd. related
to a $200 million prepetition credit facility.
Represented Babcock & Brown Air Limited and its parent, Babcock & Brown, in its $430 million
initial public offering.
Advised Oak Hill Capital Partners in connection with its acquisition of Southern Air Inc., a
provider of air cargo services.
Advised Oak Hill Capital Partners in the formation of an aircraft leasing business and the
agreement to acquire for $1.4 billion six B-777 freighter cargo planes from The Boeing
Company.
Advised PROKOM Investments S.A. on the $30 million financing for its corporate aircraft
acquisition.
Advised Oak Hill Capital Partners in connection with its acquisition of Cargo 360, Inc., a cargo
airline.
Joanne Irene Gabrynowicz
Setting the Stage: Where we are in Commercial Space, How we Got Here, and What Lies Ahead
Moderator: Federal Laws and Regulations: Creating an
Environment that Really Does “Encourage and Facilitate”
Moderator: Public-Private Partnerships: Obtaining better results in the U.S.
Prof. Gabrynowicz teaches space law and remote sensing law. She was a founding faculty
member of the University of North Dakota Space Studies Department.Prof. Gabrynowicz is an
official observer for the International Astronautical Federation to the UN Committee on the
Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. She was a member of the International Institute of Space Law
delegation to the Unidroit Committee of Governmental Experts for the Preparation of a Draft
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Protocol to the Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment on Matters Specific
to Space Assets. The UN Office of Outer Space Affairs asked Prof. Gabrynowicz to lecture on
space law at two capacity building workshops for government officials and policymakers from
developing nations. She briefed U.S. Secretary of the Interior Gayle Norton as part of the
Secretary’s preparation for the Earth Observation Summit. Prof. Gabrynowicz is the organizer
and chair of the Federal Advisory Committee for the National Satellite Land Remote Sensing
Data Archive. She also is a member of the Department of Commerce Advisory Committee on
Commercial Remote Sensing. Prof. Gabrynowicz advised the Eisenhower Institute on its study,
The Future of Space—the Next Strategic Frontier. She is also a member of the International
Society for Photogrammetry and Remote sensing International Policy Advisory Committee.
In 1999, she developed and taught a live, real-time, interactive Internet seminar, Landsat 7 Live:
Past, Present, and Future that coincided with the satellite's launch. Speakers were the principals
responsible for directing Landsat 7's science, technology, operations, and commercial activities.
From 1992-94, Prof. Gabrynowicz was a member of The Congress of the United States Office of
Technology Assessment Earth Observations Advisory Panel. From 1994-96, she was a member of
the National Research Council Committee that produced Bits of Power: Issues in Global Access
to Scientific Data. In 1994-95, Prof. Gabrynowicz was awarded a NASA/American Society of
Engineering Education Summer Faculty Fellowship from Goddard Space Flight Center where
she also served as the 1997 Dean of the NASA Space Academy. In 1996 she received a research
fellowship from the USGS EROS Data Center. In 1999, the International Institute of Space Law
invited Prof. Gabrynowicz to write and present the remote sensing law position paper at the
Third UN Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE III). In
2000, she was invited by the National Research Council (NRC) to participate in a study on
Diplomacy in a Transparent World: The Use of Civil Remote Sensing in the Development and
Implementation of Foreign Policy. In 2003, the NRC asked Prof. Gabrynowicz to testify before
the Committee on Licensing Geographic Data and Services and the Stepping Stones to the
Future of Space Workshop on International Cooperation/Competition- Why, How, When? She
was also asked to address the NASA Public Health Applications Program on Confidentiality and
Geospatial Data. In 2001, Prof. Gabrynowicz was invited by the American Institute of
Aeronautics and Astronautics to participate in the working group on Contribution of Space
Systems to the Development, Implementation and Verification of International Environmental
Agreements. She was invited by the University of Cologne Institute of Air and Space Law and
the German Aerospace Center to serve as an expert for Project 2001 which produced, Legal
Framework for the Commercial Use of Outer Space Working Group on Remote Sensing.
Before beginning her academic career in 1987, she was the managing attorney of a law firm in
New York City. She is a member of the American Bar Association, Forum on Aviation and Space
Law, the New York State Bar, the International Institute of Space Law and Women in Aerospace,
among other groups. Prof. Gabrynowicz is the recipient of the 2001 Women in Aerospace
Outstanding International Award. She was a Distinguished Speaker in the 2003-2004 Donahue
Lecture Series of the Suffolk University Law Review.
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Henry R. Hertzfeld Panel: Sustained Long-Term Planning and the Complementary Roles of the Public and Private Sector
Dr. Henry R. Hertzfeld is a Research Professor of Space Policy
and International Affairs in the Space Policy Institute at the
Elliott School of International Affairs, and an Adjunct
Professor of Law at George Washington University in
Washington DC. He has authored numerous studies and lectured on topics of U.S. and
international legal and regulatory issues related to space including the analysis of liability,
commercialization of space, and space debris. He is also an expert in the economics of launch
vehicles, earth observations, technology transfer, and other space programs. He teaches the
Space Law course at GW and is the Faculty Advisor to the Space Law Moot Court Team.
Michael Mendelson
Panel: Public-Private Partnerships: Obtaining Better Results in the U.S.
Michael Mendelson (BS, Mechanical Engineering, Tufts
University; MALD, The Fletcher School of Law and
Diplomacy; JD, Boston College Law School) is an Assistant
General Counsel at Intelsat with primary responsibility for
international commercial transactions and teleport operations.
He is an international attorney and business executive with
over 14 years legal, operations, and engineering experience in
complex transactions, high technology, business strategy, regulatory compliance, and
government relations in the telecommunications, aerospace, and high technology industries.
Prior to joining Intelsat, Mr. Mendelson was a Senior Associate in the Washington, DC office of
the global law firm, Jones Day, and deputy to the firm's U.S. telecommunications practice
director. His most recent publication is “Private Risk Management in Orbital Operations: Inter-
operator Liability and the Space Data Association,” which will be published in the June/July
edition of the German Journal of Air & Space Law.
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Charles E. Miller
Panel: Public-Private Partnerships: Obtaining Better Results in the U.S. [email protected]
Mr. Miller is Senior Advisor for Commercial Space in the Office of the Chief Technologist at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC where he advises senior NASA leaders on commercial space options and strategies, including methods to energize, enable and facilitate new commercial space industries. Prior to NASA, Mr. Miller was the co-founder and President and CEO of Constellation Services International, Inc. (CSI), which was a leading entrepreneurial space services company focused on commercial opportunities in Earth orbit. Miller also has served as a consultant to the U.S. Air Force, DARPA and many commercial space firms. Prior to NASA and CSI, Mr. Miller was the founding Chairman and President of ProSpace where he served from 1996 to 1999. Under Mr. Miller's leadership, ProSpace was instrumental in the passage of space-related legislative initiatives, including the Commercial Space Act of 1998, funding for NASA's X-33, Future-X and Space Solar Power programs, and the U.S. Air Force’s RLV Technology Development program. Miller has received several awards for his work in the aerospace field, including the "Vision in Action" award from the Space Frontier Foundation, the "Space Pioneer" award from the National Space Society, and the "Exceptional Leadership" award from the California Space Development Council. Mr. Miller studied engineering at the California Institute of Technology and has a BS in Business Administration (Finance) from the California State University of Chico.
James A. M. Muncy
Panel: Sustained Long-Term Planning and the Complementary Roles of the Public and Private Sector
Jim Muncy has worked as a space policy professional for over
30 years, including two “tours of duty” on Capitol Hill and
another serving President Reagan’s Science Advisor. An
independent consultant for the last ten years, Muncy works for
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a diverse set of clients in the commercial space transportation industry and government.
In 2009, as part of his work for long-time client XCOR Aerospace, Muncy helped staff XCOR’s
CEO, Jeffrey Greason, in his service on the White House Committee on Human Spaceflight
Plans (aka “the Augustine Commission”).
Earlier this decade Muncy led two successful space industry lobbying campaigns: winning
enactment of the Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-492), and
securing an amendment to the Iran Nonproliferation Act so NASA could buy commercial space
goods and services which included Russian content. He also worked for the first two American
“Spaceflight Participants” who purchased trips to the International Space Station. He has also
provided policy research and communications services to a number of advanced Air Force
military space projects.
A long-time leader in the space advocacy community, Muncy co-founded the Space Frontier
Foundation in 1988 and served as its Chairman of the Board for six years, and has served on the
Board frequently since then. He is a frequent speaker, writer, and media source on space policy
issues and civil, commercial, and military space programs.
Muncy holds an MS in Space Studies from the Center for Aerospace Sciences at the University of
North Dakota and a BA from the University of Virginia, where he was an Echols Scholar.
René J. Rey Panel: Federal Laws and Regulations: Creating an Environment that Really Does “Encourage and Facilitate”
René received his Bachelor of Science degree in
Aerospace Engineering from the U.S. Naval
Academy, Annapolis, MD, and began his career in space with the U.S. Air Force. While at the
USAF Space Division, he served as the Chief, Avionics Support Equipment Acquisition Division,
where he managed the planning, development, acquisition, integration and testing of spacecraft
avionics support equipment for the DoD Space Shuttle Program. Prior to this assignment, he
managed spacecraft/launch vehicle integration and launch operations for Titan 34D, Titan
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34D/TS and Titan 34B/Agena space launch vehicles. Following his last assignment at Space
Division, René separated from the Air Force, and has held progressively more responsible
positions with a number of different aerospace companies involving space mission analysis,
system design, and performance analyses for advanced satellite system and launch vehicle
concepts. Most recently, at the Boeing Company, he led an effort to define an aircraft-like
certification regime for aerospace vehicles. He is presently employed by the FAA's Office of
Commercial Space Transportation, Licensing and Safety Division. René has a Master of Science
degree in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Juris Doctor degree, Intellectual
Property Law Track, from the George Mason University School of Law; and is a candidate for a
Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree in Intellectual Property Law.
Franceska Schroeder
Panel: Federal Laws and Regulations: Creating an Environment that Really Does “Encourage and Facilitate”
Franceska O. Schroeder is a Principal in the Washington, D.C.
office of Fish & Richardson. She is a member of the firm's
Regulatory and Government Affairs group and White Collar
Criminal Defense section. Her practice emphasizes export controls
and economic sanctions, commercial and government contracts, risk management, insurance,
and legislative and policy matters that affect the aviation, space, defense, and national security
sectors. Ms. Schroeder's clients include aerospace and defense contractors, satellite
manufacturers and operators, launch services providers, systems engineering firms, software
companies, and investors in high-technology projects. She also is Legal Counsel to the American
Astronautical Society and serves as a Private Sector Advisor to the U.S. Delegation to the Legal
Subcommittee of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.
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Delbert D. Smith
Panel: Orbital Arc Regulation: Transitioning from Government to the Private Sector Over the Long Term [email protected]
Dr. Del Smith has more than 35 years of experience as an
international lawyer dealing with high-technology law, including the
financing, regulatory, institutional, and international aspects of telecommunications and
satellite communications. His specializations include direct satellite broadcasting, utilization of
the geostationary orbit, international telecommunications policy, technology transfer,
transborder data flow, satellite insurance, and computer/communication interactions. He has
represented satellite manufacturers, banks, and space insurance underwriters in numerous
transactional matters. These include assessments of financial, technology, and country risks;
drafting and negotiation of investment agreements and loan documents; conduct of corporate
valuations and due diligence analyses; international and domestic legal and regulatory
compliance; and preparation of corporate disclosures. He has also advised satellite companies on
the security and financing aspects of delivery-in-orbit satellite construction contracts.
In addition, Del's representations have involved the negotiation of asset-based and corporate
acquisitions by foreign interests seeking to invest in the U.S. telecommunications market; the
negotiation of joint venture relationships, often entailing the transfer of new technologies; and
licensing and distributorship arrangements. His experience covers satellite purchases, satellite
transponder leases or sales, microwave system lease arrangements, and earth station service
agreements. He also has frequently advised on the conduct of due diligence examinations of
investment opportunities in the communications field.
He has drafted and negotiated strategic joint venture agreements, satellite capacity leases, and
capacity leaseback arrangements for established international satellite communications
companies. He has also structured and assisted in the formation of several start-up satellite
companies, including the preparation of the initial corporate documentation, drafting and
negotiation of private investment contracts, and initial private offering memoranda.
Del is often called upon to provide strategic consultation to commercial enterprises and public
sector entities alike pursing the development and implementation of communications satellite
systems. In particular, he has assisted non-U.S. companies in expanding into U.S. domestic and
international space and telecommunications markets through direct investment and joint
ventures.
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Milton “Skip” Smith
Panel: State and Local Issues [email protected]
Areas of emphasis
Space Law
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Commercial Litigation
Construction
Government Contracts
Representative matters
Drafted launch services agreements for both
government and private sector clients
Represented general contractor JV in negotiation of dam construction contract in excess of
$400 million
Represented defense contractors in litigation involving the U.S. government with values over
$300 million
Served as Legal Advisor to Air Force Frequency Management Center, and Legal Advisor to Air
Force Space Panel charged with planning the purchase and operation of space assets
Served as Legal Advisor to U.S. Delegation in Geneva at ITU Conference on satellite
communication
Served as Director of Space Law at U.S. Space Command, and Chief of Space Law at Air Force
Headquarters, the Pentagon
Successfully prosecuted claims against U.S. government in United States Court of Federal
Claims and Boards of Contract Appeals
Litigated major multi-district cases for the Air Force including asbestos, Agent Orange and
aviation accidents, and international arbitration for the Department of State (Iran - U.S. Claims
Tribunal)
Publications and presentations
Author of a book on International Regulation of Satellite Communication, as well as six law
review articles and many other publications on space and satellite communication topics
Frequent speaker on various construction and space law topics nationally and internationally
Author of the Colorado Chapter in Fifty State Public Construction Contracting, Wiley Pubs
Author of the chapter on State Construction Contracts in Colorado Construction Law, CLE in
Colorado
Professional activities
Director, Pikes Peak Chapter, American Red Cross
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Member American Bar Association Litigation Section, Construction Committee, and Forum
Committees on Air & Space and on the Construction Industry
Member, International Institute of Space Law (“IISL”) (elected 1986)
President, Association of U.S. Members of the IISL
Regional Organizer of Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition, North American
Region
Former Chair, Aerospace Law Committee, International Law Section, American Bar
Association.
Former Chair, Colorado Space Business Roundtable
Adjunct Professor, University of Denver, College of Law, 1986 – 1988, Space Law and Policy
Adjunct Professor, George Washington University, Law School, 1989 – 1993, International Air
& Space Law
Education
Doctorate, Institute of Air and Space Law, McGill University, 1989
LL.M., Institute of Air and Space Law, McGill University, 1984
Juris Doctor, George Washington University, 1976
Bachelor of Science, U.S. Air Force Academy, 1973
Robert M. Sukol
Panel: USC Title 51: The Codification of
US National and Commercial Space
[email protected] Rob Sukol serves as Senior Counsel in the Office of the Law
Revision Counsel, an independent, non-political office in the
United States House of Representatives. In general, the
function of the Office of the Law Revision Counsel is to
maintain and improve the United States Code.
The focus of Rob's work is the preparation of "positive law
codification" bills, which restate existing law in a manner that
preserves the original policy, intent, and purpose of Congress, while improving the
organizational structure of the law. Positive law codification bills also eliminate obsolete
provisions and correct technical errors in the law. Among other projects, Rob was the principal
drafter of the positive law codification bill that enacted (in 2010) the new Title 51, United States
Code, National and Commercial Space Programs. Laws within the ambit of this project included
the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, the Land Remote Sensing Policy Act of 1992,
the Commercial Space Act of 1998, and provisions from various NASA Authorization bills
enacted over the years.
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Prior to serving in the Office of the Law Revision Counsel, Rob worked for 10 years for the
Social Security Administration in Pennsylvania, California, and Connecticut.
Rob received his B.A. from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA and his J.D. (with honors)
from Rutgers University School of Law in Camden, NJ. He is a member of the Virginia State Bar.
Rob also pursues an active interest in music (bass and guitar), playing gigs on weekends with a
local classic-rock band.
James A. Vedda Setting the Stage: Where we are in Commercial Space, How we Got Here, and What Lies Ahead Moderator: State and Local Issues Moderator: Sustained Long-Term Planning and the Complementary Roles of the Public & Private Sectors [email protected]
James A. Vedda, Senior Policy Analyst, Center for Space Policy & Strategy, has been performing
research and analyses on national security, civil, and commercial space issues at Aerospace since
2004. Previously, he spent six and a half years assigned to the Office of the Secretary of Defense
working on space policy and homeland defense issues. Before that, he was an associate professor
in the Department of Space Studies at the University of North Dakota, where he taught graduate
courses on civil, commercial, and military space policy. He has a Ph.D. in political science from
the University of Florida and a master’s degree in science and technology policy from George
Washington University. He is the author of Choice, Not Fate: Shaping a Sustainable Future in
the Space Age, published in December 2009.
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William L. Warren
Panel: Public-Private Partnerships: Obtaining Better Results in the U.S.
Mr. Warren is the Executive Vice President, General Counsel and
Secretary of GeoEye, Inc. He has served in that position since in
January 2004. He is responsible for all corporate legal guidance
and counseling, contracts management, human resource and
investor relations functions. Prior to joining GeoEye, Mr. Warren practiced law in the Northern
Virginia and Washington, D.C. offices of Latham & Watkins LLP, an international law firm, for
several years. Before that, Mr. Warren was an associate in the New York office of Baker & Botts,
L.L.P. Mr. Warren’s legal expertise is in general corporate law, including securities compliance;
mergers and acquisitions; intellectual property and employment law for clients in high
technology businesses, including satellites and communications, as well as management of
commercial litigation. Mr. Warren received his Juris Doctor with honors from the University of
Texas at Austin and is admitted to practice in Virginia, New York and the District of Columbia.
Rachel A. Yates
Panel: State and Local Issues [email protected]
Ms. Yates has practiced law at Holland & Hart since she
graduated cum laude from Boston University School of Law
in 1990. Ms. Yates recently served for five years as the
Administrative Partner of the firm’s Denver Tech Center
Office. At Holland & Hart, Ms. Yates’ litigation practice is
divided into three areas: commercial litigation, oil and gas,
and space law.
Ms. Yates represents major and mid-sized companies with business interests in the Rocky
Mountain region and throughout the world. As a litigator, Ms. Yates has defended a range of
cases, from small lawsuits to mass tort and class actions.
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In service to the firm’s space industry clients, Ms. Yates has advised them on government
contracting and risk avoidance issues. She actively participates in the Colorado Space Coalition.
In that capacity, she has testified to the Colorado congressional delegation on export controls,
drafted working documents analyzing the impacts on industry, and proposed legislatives
solutions. In addition, Ms. Yates has worked closely with her client, the Colorado Springs-based
Space Foundation, to present practical and real-world advice at the International Space
Symposium, in Toulouse, France, and the National Space Symposium held annually in Colorado
Springs, Colorado. She developed the first legal workshop presented during the symposium to
ensure that the space industry learns about cutting-edge developments in the law and the
opportunities for risk avoidance and has chaired a panel discussion on the development of
commercial spaceflight law and policy.
She has published and presented on commercial spaceflight law nationally and abroad: Space
Conference of the Americas (2010, Pachuca, Mexico); International Bar Association (2008,
Buenos Aires); the International Institute of Space Law (2006, Valencia); the University of
Nebraska Law School (2008); and University of Colorado School of Law (2009).
Ms. Yates received her Certificate of Completion from the International Space University (ISU)
Summer Session Program 2003, held in Strasbourg, France. In addition to coursework in space
policy and law, this program involved an intensive interdisciplinary curriculum covering the
principal space-related fields, including spacecraft design and engineering, satellite applications,
orbital mechanics, life sciences, physical sciences, and business management. During the
program, Ms. Yates co-authored TRACKS to Space: Technology Research and Cooperative
Knowledge Sharing, a report on innovative space technologies commissioned by the European
Space Agency.