Nebraska Law played key role in developing first-of-its-kind space manual

Students and faculty from the University of Nebraska College of Law played a leading role in developing a newly published manual for military interactions in space.

In the works since 2018, the Woomera Manual on the International Law of Military Space Activities and Operations was published earlier this year by Oxford University Press. It is the first comprehensive examination of how Earth-bound laws will be applied during times of peace, tension or crisis, and armed conflict in space.

As editor in chief, Jack Beard, associate professor of law and director of Nebraska Law’s Space, Cyber and National Security Law program, helped guide the development of the manual with a team of space and military law experts in the United States, Australia and United Kingdom.

Nebraska Law students provided critical research and editorial support, helping shape the manual into a resource designed to assist military and civilian government personnel, space operators and policymakers involved in military space activities. 

“The six years of this manual has involved a lot of students here at Nebraska,” Beard said. “It is unquestionably one of the biggest highlights of the manual for me.”

Nebraska Law students also collaborated internationally, participating in a key editorial meeting in The Hague, Netherlands, where representatives from 24 nations reviewed the manual in a process hosted by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Jon Natvig, a 2023 Nebraska Law graduate, served as rapporteur, the person appointed to report on the proceedings. 

“I thoroughly enjoyed getting to be a part of a manual that is certainly a first of its kind,” Natvig said. “Getting the opportunity to work with Professor Beard, as well as fellow students at the University of Nebraska College of Law, and the experts and representatives from governments across the world has been unparalleled.”

The Woomera Manual is the result of an international collaboration between the NU College of Law; Australia’s University of Adelaide and University of New South Wales-Canberra; and the United Kingdom’s University of Exeter. Its development featured five workshops, including one at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, attended by experts from around the world.

Named after the South Australian township where numerous rocket launches occurred in the 1960s and 1970s, the Woomera Manual builds upon the legal foundations set by the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. The treaty governs the use and exploration of outer space and serves as the foundation of international space law.

The manual is intended to provide a clear, objective overview of existing international law applicable to military space operations. It offers a reliable reference for governments and military forces to avoid miscalculations and advance peaceful cooperation in space.

Nebraska’s Space, Cyber and National Security Law program is globally recognized for its expertise in the intersections of security, space and technology. Faculty members actively consult with U.S. and foreign governments, nongovernment agencies, military organizations and the private space industry.

“Working on the Woomera Manual has been one of the great experiences of my law school career,” said Matias Cava, a 2024 Nebraska Law graduate. “This is a manual that will be instructive to people actually operating in space.”