We cordially invite all students and scholars of the JU’s Faculty of International and Political Studies, as well as PPSA and PISA to participate in a stationary meeting with Professor Michael Byers.

Professor Michael Byers will give a lecture on the subject: Who Owns Outer Space?, referring to his newest book by the same title, prepared with astrophysicist Aaron Boley, and published by Cambridge University Press.

The meeting will take place on May 29, 2023 (Monday) at 13:15 in room 202 in the building of the JU’s Faculty of International and Political Studies.

All participants will have an opportunity to comment and ask questions.

Students, who will participate in the meeting, will receive certificates.

Professor Michael Byers holds the Canada Research Chair in Global Politics and International Law at the University of British Columbia. He also co-directs the Outer Space Institute, a global network of space experts united by their commitment to transdisciplinary research that addresses grand challenges in the use and exploration of space. Dr. Byers has been a Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford University; a Professor of Law at Duke University; and a Visiting Professor at the universities of Cape Town, Tel Aviv, Nord (Norway) and Novosibirsk (Russia). Together with astrophysicist Aaron Boley, he is the co-author of a new book – Who Owns Outer Space? –published by Cambridge University Press.

Abstrakt wykładu:

Can we mine the Moon? Will space debris prevent future launches? Can Elon Musk really colonize Mars? All of these questions are highly pertinent today. For space has become a very busy place, with 180 launches occurring in 2022 alone. It is an important part of the global economy, involving nearly half-a-trillion dollars of activity annually. It is also increasingly militarized, through the heavy use of Earth imaging and communications satellites and the related development of anti-satellite weapons. At the same time, space still sees considerable cooperation, including between the United States and Russia on the International Space Station. And now, rapid technological developments such as reusable rockets are opening the door to space mining and the future human settlement of other celestial bodies. All these developments create challenges for national and international policy makers. They also cast new light onto the disciplines of international relations and international law and their traditional problems and theories.