Since Yuri Gagarin first pierced the veil of Earth’s atmosphere in 1961, 641 humans have earned the title of astronaut. Of this number, at least 60 are private individuals who have flown into space as tourists or as private astronauts. In coming years, SpaceX and other operators are preparing for a sharp increase in human spaceflight, with the Starship being designed to potentially transport up to 100 people on a single flight. As private space stations begin to populate Earth’s orbits and a permanent human presence is established on the moon, the number of destinations for human spaceflight will increase further spurring on the need to taxi humans to space.
While the future is bright, many challenges remain. From bone loss and radiation exposure to the possibility of being stranded in space, the risks to the safety and long-term health of astronauts are significant. However, the legal questions may prove to be the most difficult to solve. Uncertainty continues as to where space begins and who, therefore, deserves the title of astronaut. The application of existing international law to space tourists is unclear. The rules governing the future Lunar Gateway are only now evolving and the domestic regulatory environment surrounding human spaceflight is currently insufficient.
This symposium will address the operational and legal challenges facing the future of human spaceflight with thought-leaders in the field sharing their ideas and potential solutions.
Co-sponsored by the Global Space Law Center and the Global Business Law Review.
with generous support from BLUE ABYSS LLC and AKIN
Program Agenda
9:30 AM Welcome Remarks by Lee Fisher, Dean of CSU Law
9:35 AM Welcome from Global Business Law Review Editor-in-Chief, Kyndal Hutchinson J.D. '25
9:40 AM Remarks by Tom Chema, Gateway Group Ohio
9:45 AM What is Space Law?
10:15 AM Humans in Space: Health, Training & Access
Panelists: Dr. Laura Hoffman, CSU Law
Dr. Vladimir Pletser, Blue Abyss UK
Dr. Nathaniel Szewczyk, Ohio University
Dr. Mark Sundahl, CSU Law (moderator)
11:15 AM Coffee Break
11:30 AM Search and Rescue with the U.S. Coast Guard
Rick Button, Chief, Coordination Division (CG-SAR-2)
Scott Rienbolt, U.S. Search and Rescue Specialist
11:50 AM The International Obligation to Rescue Astronauts
Panelists: Prof. Michael Dodge, University of North Dakota
Dr. Mark J. Sundahl, CSU Law
Bailey Reichelt, Aegis Law (moderator)
12:30 PM Lunch Break
12: 45 PM Lunch Featuring a Keynote Address by: Dr. James A. Kenyon, Director, NASA Glenn Research Center
1:30 PM Northeast Ohio's Aerospace Industry
Panelists: Col. (Ret.) Joseph Zeis, Office of the Governor
Callista Puchmeyer, NASA Glenn Research Center
Jon P. Yormick, Yormick Law LLC
Caylan Fazio J.D. '25 (moderator)
2:30 PM An Astronaut's Perspective
The Honorable Dumitru-Dorin Prunariu
2:50 PM The Special Law of Space Stations
Prof. Michael Dodge, University of North Dakota
Dr. Mark J. Sundahl, CSU Law
3:15 PM Coffee Break
3:30 PM Fireside Chat on U.S. Regulation of Human Spaceflight
Dr. Diane Howard, University of Texas at Austin
Prof. Michael Dodge, University of North Dakota
3:55 PM Open Audience Q&A for All Speakers
4:20 PM Symposium Take-Aways and Final Words
Our 2025 Speakers and Panelists
Michael Dodge
Michael S. Dodge currently serves as an Associate Professor & Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Space Studies at the University of North Dakota. Prior to joining the faculty at UND, Prof. Dodge was Research Counsel & Law Instructor at the University of Mississippi School of Law's program in Air & Space Law. Before teaching at UoM Law, Prof. Dodge received his LL.M. degree in Aviation & Space Law from McGill University in the Fall of 2011 (thesis: “Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and the GPS-Galileo Agreement”). Before attending McGill, he obtained his J.D. in 2008 from the University of Mississippi School of Law, where he was also the first recipient of the Certificate in Remote Sensing, Air, and Space Law. He obtained dual degrees in B.S. (in Biological Sciences) and B.A. (in Philosophy) in 2005, from the University of Southern Mississippi.
Dr. Laura Hoffman
Dr. Laura C. Hoffman is an Assistant Professor of Law at Cleveland State University College of Law and Co-Director of its Center for Health Law and Policy. Previously, she served as a Senior Research Fellow at Yale Law School's Solomon Center for Health Law and Policy, and as an Assistant Professor of Law at Seton Hall University School of Law, where she focused on improving healthcare access for people with disabilities and children. Dr. Hoffman also worked for Data Federal Corporation as a contract Attorney Advisor for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals. She earned her S.J.D. in Health Law and Policy from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, along with two LL.M. degrees, a J.D., and a B.A. Dr. Hoffman's scholarship has been published in numerous law reviews and journals and cited by the National Council on Disability and the RAND Corporation. She is an Inaugural Fellow for the ASLME 2022-23 Expanding Perspectives Fellowship Program.
Dr. Diane Howard
Dr. Diane Howard has devoted her space career to public service – through both pedagogy and policy development. She most recently served as Director of Commercial Space Policy at the National Space Council (NSpC) in the Executive Office of the President, advising and assisting the President on the development and implementation of space policy and strategy. Previously, Dr. Howard served as Chief Counsel for Space Commerce in the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of the General Counsel.
Currently, Howard is consulting and teaching. She has spearheaded interdisciplinary programs incorporating space law and policy and the role of technology at UT Austin’s Strauss Center for International and Security Studies as well as Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida where she taught full time prior to her work in government. Dr. Howard is a proud member of the International Institute of Space Law, the International Academy of Astronautics, the International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety, and the Explorers Club.
Dr. James A. Kenyon
Dr. James A. Kenyon is the director of NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, overseeing a staff of over 3,200 and an annual budget of approximately $900 million. He is a Fellow of both the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Royal Aeronautical Society. Kenyon holds a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from Georgia Tech, a master’s in mechanical engineering from Purdue University, and a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. Before his current role, Kenyon was the director of the Advanced Air Vehicles Program at NASA Headquarters, managing the development of cutting-edge air vehicle technologies. He also worked at Pratt & Whitney in various leadership positions, including executive director of advanced programs and technology, following a 17-year career with the Department of Defense, where he focused on strategic planning and aerospace science and technology programs.
Dr. Vladimir Pletser
Dr. Vladimir Pletser holds a Master of Engineering in Mechanics, a Master of Sciences in Geophysics, and a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from the University of Louvain, Belgium. He is currently the Director of Space Training Operations at Blue Abyss, proposing new astronaut training approaches. From 2016 to 2018, he was a Visiting Professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, supporting microgravity research for parabolic flights and the Tiangong Space Station. Previously, he spent 30 years at ESA's ESTEC, developing scientific instruments for microgravity research and managing the ESA aircraft parabolic flight program. He logged 7389 parabolas and holds the Guinness World Record for flying on 14 different airplanes. Pletser was a Belgian astronaut candidate and participated in Mars mission simulations. He is a visiting professor at 20 universities in Europe, USA, Canada, Africa, Israel, and China and has over 850 publications. He is a member of the International Astronautical Academy and other scientific organizations.
Hon. Dumitriu-Dorin Prunariu
Dumitru-Dorin Prunariu works as an expert at the Romanian Association for Space Technology and Industry (ROMSPACE) and serves on the Board of the Romanian Space Agency. In 1981, he completed an eight-day space flight on Soyuz-40 and Saliut-6. He is a founding member of the Association of Space Explorers (ASE) and served as its president at various levels. Prunariu has held roles such as President of the Romanian Space Agency and Ambassador to Russia. He chaired the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN COPUOS) and co-vice-chaired the Space 2030 Agenda Working Group. Prunariu has been involved in several UN expert groups on space security. An asteroid, “10707 Prunariu,” was named in his honor for his contributions to Near Earth Objects research. He holds degrees in aerospace engineering and space flight dynamics and has authored numerous scientific publications and books.
Callista Puchmeyer
Callista Puchmeyer is the chief counsel at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, providing legal advice to senior leaders and managing the Office of the General Counsel. She has over 20 years of professional experience, including 18 years in private industry and the U.S. government. Puchmeyer defended complex legal matters before federal bodies, notably winning six bid protests before the Government Accountability Office. She served as Glenn’s deputy chief counsel from 2015 to 2018 and joined as an attorney advisor in 2011. Prior to NASA, she was an attorney at Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP in Cleveland, specializing in complex contract law. Puchmeyer holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ohio University and a law degree from Cleveland State University. She is licensed to practice law in Ohio and completed the Federal Executive Institute’s Leadership for a Democratic Society program in 2018. Puchmeyer was inducted into the CSU Hall of Fame in 2024.
Bailey Reichelt
Bailey Reichelt is a founding member and partner at Aegis Space Law, specializing in international trade law and U.S. launch regulations. She is also a Board Member of the Association of Commercial Space Professionals (ACSP), a non-profit focused on regulatory compliance for space startups. Before Aegis, Reichelt managed international trade compliance programs for aerospace and defense manufacturers, and advised on government and commercial contracts. She began her legal career as a public defender in Texas after earning her law degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law. At home in North Carolina, Reichelt enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, and pets. With numerous hobbies, she loves meeting new people and learning new things.
Dr. Mark J. Sundahl
Mark Sundahl is a Professor at Cleveland State University College of Law, where he teaches International Business Transactions, Commercial Law, Space Law, and Ancient Athenian Law. Prof. Sundahl is a leading expert on the law of outer space and focuses primarily on the business, legal, and policy issues arising from the recent increase in private space activity. He has lectured around the world on space law and his writings have appeared in leading academic journals. He currently serves as a co-chair to the Moon Village Association, Lunar Multi-Stakeholder Coordination Working Group.
He has previously served as a member of the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC), a Member (and former Assistant Secretary) of the International Institute of Space Law (headquartered in Paris) and a member of the UNIDROIT working group that was charged with drafting a new international treaty on the finance of satellites and other space assets—the Space Assets Protocol to the Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment.
Jon P. Yormick
Jon Yormick is the founder of Yormick Law LLC. He is an attorney with over 30 years of experience in international business and trade law. His practice often centers on sensitive investigations, self-disclosures, penalties, enforcement, compliance, and litigation involving antiboycott regulations, customs, export controls, economic sanctions, FCPA/antibribery, and government procurement. Yormick’s business law practice concentrates on international business transactions, trade, and dispute resolution.
Yormick represents and advises US and non-US clients on export controls, involving the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions, anti-boycott regulations, deemed exports, and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, including handling self-disclosures, investigations, and penalty cases. He represents and advises clients on US Customs law matters, such as investigations, fines, penalties, and forfeitures, and prior disclosures.
Colonel (USAF Ret.) Joseph Zeis
Colonel (USAF Retired) Joseph E. Zeis Jr. serves as Senior Advisor to Governor Mike DeWine for Aerospace and Defense, focusing on Ohio’s military and aerospace installations, including Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and NASA Glenn Research Center. He reports directly to the Governor, identifying growth opportunities and working closely with Jobs Ohio to advance economic development and improve the quality of life for service members and their families.
Zeis is a Commissioner of the Ohio Third Frontier Commission. A 4th generation native of Washington, DC, and retired U.S. Air Force Colonel with over 26 years of service, Zeis graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1981 and holds advanced degrees in Aeronautical Engineering and National Resource Strategy. He commanded the 46th Test Wing at Eglin AFB and has extensive flight experience. After retiring in 2007, Zeis was Executive VP of the Dayton Development Coalition and a civil litigation associate attorney. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Dayton School of Law.
Rick Button, Chief, Coordination Division (CG-SAR-2)
Scott Rienbolt, U.S. Search and Rescue Specialist