Ashling Sugarman Pursues Space Law and Satellite Policy
Ashling Sugarman is building a space-law career after combining international business and intellectual property work with legal studies. She interned at the FCC Space Bureau during a licensing overhaul and has researched satellite right-of-way rules and lunar time governance. She is finishing law school while working remotely with Blue Origin’s legal team and hopes to start her own space business.
Sugarman combined an international business degree with three years in intellectual property before law school. A summer at the Space Court Foundation showed her a less conventional route, which led to the FCC Space Bureau, where she became the first intern in its front office during a licensing revamp.
Her research uses aviation and maritime traffic practices to question the ordering of seven factors in the EU’s proposed Space Act for deciding which satellite moves. She also presented a quantified right-of-way framework and studied lunar time standards, while finishing law school and working remotely with Blue Origin.
Sugarman’s work may influence how satellite operators resolve orbital conflicts and how lunar time is coordinated, affecting commercial space firms, regulators, and international partners. Clearer right-of-way and timing rules could reduce friction and uncertainty, though outcomes depend on adoption by governments and industry. Her path also illustrates how legal expertise may shape emerging space commerce, potentially opening roles for lawyers and policy specialists in a sector increasingly central to communications, navigation, and exploration.