Michelle Hanlon is a leading voice in space law, policy and governance whose work spans academia, international organizations and the commercial space sector. As Executive Director of the Center for Air and Space Law, she explores the legal and ethical challenges of humanity’s expansion into space, with a particular focus on preserving human heritage beyond Earth. Her leadership, scholarship and advocacy have helped shape conversations on the future of space exploration, international cooperation and emerging space activities.
Research Interests
- Lunar governance
- Sustainability of Space Activities
- Orbital Debris
- Drones for First Responders
- CUAS
Biography
Michelle L.D. Hanlon is Executive Director of the Center for Air and Space Law at the University of Mississippi, where she also serves as Director of the Master of Science in Air and Space Law Program. She is co-founder and President of For All Moonkind, the only organization in the world dedicated to protecting human heritage in outer space, and founder of the Institute on Space Law and Ethics. Under her leadership, For All Moonkind became a Permanent Observer to the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.
Michelle is Editor-in-Chief of both the Journal of Space Law and the Journal of Drone Law and Policy. Her work bridges governance, commerce, heritage and ethics, examining how law can shape humanity's expansion into space, support the development of a sustainable space economy and reduce the risk of conflict in an increasingly contested domain.
Through both the Center and For All Moonkind, Michelle has helped shape national and international space policy. She played a key role in the development of the One Small Step Act, signed into law in 2020, and advocated for the inclusion of provisions protecting human heritage in outer space within the Artemis Accords. She has addressed the United Nations, testified before the U.S. Congress, and advised governments and international organizations on the development of space legislation, regulations and policy.
A sought-after commentator on aerospace law and policy, Michelle's insights are regularly featured by international media outlets. Known to many in the space community as the "Godmother of Space Law," she is recognized for her ability to bridge legal scholarship, public policy, commercial development, and ethical considerations in the emerging space economy.
Michelle received her B.A. in Political Science from Yale College and her J.D., magna cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center. She earned her LL.M. in Air and Space Law from McGill University, where her research focused on commercial space activities and the intersection of commerce and public law.
Education
LLM , McGill University (2017)
B.A. Political Science, Yale University (1983)