Australia’s space sector is booming, reshaping national capabilities and emerging as one of the country’s most dynamic and rapidly evolving legal fields – a frontier for the profession that, according to Samantha Pacchiarotta, is unlike anything seen before.
Speaking on a recent episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, Samantha Pacchiarotta, an associate at Bartier Perry, delved deep into Australia’s rapidly expanding space law sector, examining its current landscape, its accelerated growth, and the opportunities that lie ahead in this emerging area of law.
Pacchiarotta’s passion for space law was sparked after attending a talk by Professor Steven Freeland, an experience she calls transformative and eye-opening, giving her a vivid first glimpse into the realities and possibilities of working in this cutting-edge field.
“I first became interested in space law when Professor Steven Freeland visited Bartier Perry and gave a talk on space law and governance. Professor Freeland is the chair of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space,” she said.
“Hearing him speak was eye-opening. I was instantly fascinated, and I wanted to learn more.”
Her passion for this dynamic and rapidly evolving legal field has only deepened over time, as she has come to appreciate just how profoundly space technology underpins everyday life – often in ways most people don’t even realise.
“What’s interesting about space, I mean, it’s absolutely fascinating, but space tech is everywhere in our daily lives. GPS, satellite navigation, even Wi-Fi all started with technologies originally developed for space exploration,” she said.
“We as humans have become heavily reliant on space systems. They play such a big role in our critical infrastructure, from communications and transport, to health, finance, national security, and even disaster response.”
This growing reliance on space technologies, Pacchiarotta explained, has made the nation’s space law sector more crucial than ever, with the country having signed all UN space treaties and the industry now valued at billions of dollars.
“When it comes to the state of affairs of space law, Australia is all in with space law. It signed up to all five of the UN space treaties,” she said.
“Locally, the space industry is now worth around 8 billion, and it employs over 19,000 people.”
Pacchiarotta unpacked on how 2025 has been a milestone year for Australia’s space industry, pointing to several major events on home soil that are set to drive even greater momentum into the year ahead.
She said: “2025 was a big year for the space industry in Australia. We saw Gilmour Space run its first orbital class rocket test from local soil. Australia is gearing up to send our first lunar rover to the moon with NASA.”
“Just a couple of weeks ago, Sydney hosted the International Astronautical Congress at the ICC, drawing over 7,300 delegates from over 90 countries and 40 space agencies.”
Amid the sector’s rapid growth and momentum, Pacchiarotta explained that Australia’s space industry is creating a wealth of new and diverse opportunities for lawyers, making space law an exciting and expanding field for years to come.
“There is so much opportunity in this area of law, not just directly within the space sector, to advise on space-specific issues, but for all the businesses that are supporting the space industry,” she said.
“There are also so many opportunities there for lawyers to help out and provide advice to these businesses.”
