05/19/2026
This post got lots of views on LinkedIn, so we thought to re-post it here. đ
I recently found myself wondering how companies like SpaceX
plan to build (already built?) commercial dominance in space when no nation or private entity can legally own space. Under the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, an international agreement signed during the Cold War, nations may not appropriate outer space, the Moon, or celestial bodies as sovereign territory.
The more I thought about it, the more obvious it became that the modern economy increasingly rewards control over infrastructure and operations rather than simple ownership of physical territory or traditional assets.
It was like that ah ha moment that Musk must have had decades ago. In many respects, the paradigm shift has already happened. While we still instinctively associate power with tangible ownership, space commercialization is exposing a shift already occurring throughout the modern economy: the increasing importance of operational control over infrastructure, etc. rather than ownership rights. I wrote a blog about How SpaceX and AI are Challenging Traditional Concepts of Jurisdiction and Ownership.
SpaceX, AI, and orbital infrastructure are reshaping commercial law, jurisdiction, ownership, contracts, and operational control as private companies expand beyond traditional territorial boundaries.
