Description

About the seminar
Unmanned Aerial Systems (“UAS”) have emerged as a highly versatile technology with a wide range of applications, from surveying and mapping to package delivery and search and rescue operations. The rapid growth of the UAS market has attracted significant investment from private companies, such as Google and Amazon, who have recognized their potential to transform various industries. A similar story is unfolding in the space, where there has been a rapid expansion of the commercial space industry and the advent of commercial crewed spaceflight. While policymakers have largely been preoccupied with safety concerns associated with the proliferation of UAS and the burgeoning commercial space industry, the finance aspects of both markets have been mostly neglected.

Against this backdrop, this presentation outlines how the Cape Town Convention’s international legal framework may respond to UAS, given the Aircraft Protocol’s instrumental role in driving investment in the traditional aviation industry. Moreover, we examine the emerging questions and challenges arising under the not-yet-in-force Space Protocol, which aims to provide a comprehensive legal framework for space asset financing. By delving into these complex and intriguing issues, our presentation aims to explore the frontiers of asset-based financing and how the Cape Town Convention regime may apply to this new era.

About the speakers

Stefan-Michael Wedenig is a Doctoral Candidate at the Institute of Air & Space Law at McGill University. He holds an LL.M Degree from McGill University and a Master of Laws (Magister Iuris) Degree from the Johannes Kepler University in Linz, Austria. He is the Executive Director of the Institute and Centre for Research in Air and Space Law at McGill University. He is part of the research team involving the Manual on the International Law Applicable to Military Uses of Outer Space (MILAMOS) and served as an Assistant Editor of the Annals of Air and Space Law. Before joining McGill, Stefan-Michael worked for the Austrian Foreign Service at the Austrian Embassy in Ottawa, Canada. His research focuses on Artificial Intelligence and Space Law as well as Aviation and Space Asset Finance.

Jack Wright Nelson is an Adjunct Research Fellow at the Centre for Banking & Finance Law at the National University of Singapore, and a Doctoral Candidate at McGill University. He holds degrees in law from the University of Melbourne, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and McGill University. He is the Editor of the Annals of Air and Space Law, published by the Institute for Air and Space Law. Before joining McGill, Jack practiced as a lawyer with King & Wood Mallesons in Hong Kong and in Singapore, and continues to consult for the firm. For the 2020 – 2021 academic year, Jack was a Research Associate at the Centre for Banking & Finance Law, where his research focused on satellite financing across the Asia-Pacific.