Students launch journal to explore connections between politics and space

When someone commits a crime in outer space, whose laws would govern their punishment? Who owns the moon? Who decides how many satellites can be deployed in outer space or what happens when they fall?

A group of students interested in foreign relations, law, economics, the environment and other issues and the way they would play out in space has launched Cornell Cosmic, a journal dedicated to exploring these topics.

“They say that space is the new frontier and it really is,” said Yujing Wang ’20, a government major and Asian studies minor in the College of Arts & Sciences and a founder of the journal. She was inspired to start the journal after reading an article in The Economist by a Russian scientist who discussed that country’s approach to space law.

“You can find several TED talks about this and professors around the country working on issues of space law, but this is still very much an up and coming field,” said Wang, who is working with a group of 10 other undergrads on the journal.

The first issues came out March 10 and features four articles by undergraduate and graduate students from Cornell and other universities. Topics include scientific aspects of space exploration, as well as foreign relations in space and climate change impacts on space exploration.

The journal received funding from the Student Assembly and plans to distribute copies on campus once a year, as well as create a website.