"Meet ECSL Members" Series: Tanja Masson-Zwaan, Asst. Professor and Deputy Director of the International Institute of Air and Space Law at Leiden University

Tanja Masson-Zwaan’s Interview Questions:

1. Can you briefly introduce yourself in a few words?

I am a space lawyer and work at Leiden University’s International Institute of Air and Space Law. I am also President Emerita of the International Institute of Space Law (IISL), the main international association of space lawyers. I was a board member of the IISL for 25 years and attended all but 4 IAC’s since 1986, so you could say I am a space law dinosaur... :)

 2. How did your career path begin?

The day after I graduated from Leiden University, I started as co-director at the new Institute which was being created by Professor Wassenbergh. I transitioned from student to staff in a day, and my professors were suddenly my colleagues. The Institute was being established from scratch, and my colleague and I started in very small offices in the basement of the Law School, drafting statutes, designing a logo, ordering pencils, creating a library, and so on. It was pioneering work and created a lifelong bond with, and love for, the Leiden Institute.

3. Why did you decide to study law, and did you specialise within a special area of law?

I started with law because I wanted to become a simultaneous interpreter and you needed a bachelor’s degree in an academic study to be admitted. I always loved learning languages and wanted to work at an international organisation as an interpreter. But during my studies I realised that I preferred forming my own ideas, rather than translating other people’s thoughts. I chose international law because I never had the ambition of working as a company lawyer or in a law firm, and liked the combination of policy, international relations, and law. I also knew I would not stay forever in The Netherlands, as my partner is Swiss/French, and with international law I could work anywhere. We did indeed live abroad for about 15 years, and I worked as Secretary of the IISL while living in Paris, taught space law in Singapore, and worked as a space law consultant in Toulouse.

4. What drew you to space law in the first place and what were the first steps you took in this direction?

Towards the end of my master’s, I took an optional course in air and space law, partly because my partner was working at ESTEC as an engineer, and I was curious about the field. I had a good connection with Professor Wassenbergh who was in the process of establishing the Institute. I decided to apply and got the job. My colleague had more affinity with air law and I with space law, so the division of work emerged naturally. I liked space law because not everything was set in stone and there was lots of room for creative legal thinking. This is even more the case today; the field is expanding at high speed due to the increasing commercialisation and privatisation and the ‘newspace’ trend, but there are also ever more challenges, such as environmental issues, long term sustainability and growing geopolitical tensions. There is a lot of work for space lawyers, and it is becoming less ‘niche’ by the day.

5. How did you end up teaching space law and what is your view on teaching this specific field of law?

During my first years at the Institute, before I moved abroad, we were not teaching much, as that was the professor’s job. We organised international conferences all over the world and taught a few classes for bachelor’s students. But when I returned to the Institute in 2008 there was an LLM in air and space law, and since then I am in charge of all the space law teaching in the master’s and we also have a course in the bachelors’ and have several PhD students. My teaching philosophy is that students must learn how to apply the law, not learn it by heart. That’s why we have only open book exams, students make presentations and write papers, and we do class debates, quizzes and so on. I want them to question what I teach and form their own opinion, and if that does not coincide with mine that is fine, as long as they convince me in a meaningful and substantiated manner. I most enjoy teaching when students actively participate and ask questions.

6. What was the most exciting space related project you have ever worked on?

Teaching ESA astronauts! I was invited by ESA to do this a few years ago and was pleasantly surprised that astronauts have to learn about space law. I had to do a dry run of all my classes and was challenged to make the content as clear and practically oriented as possible; I still benefit from that exercise and am looking forward to repeating this course with the next group of astronauts. I also enjoy designing space law courses for specific groups of practitioners. I designed and taught courses for the Dutch radiocommunication agency, for a group of Chinese government officials, for engineering students, and for a law firm that wants to develop a space law practice, to name a few.

7. As a Professor, what advice would you give students career wise in the space law and policy world?

Many students dream of working in an international organisation such as the UN, ESA or the EU after graduation, but I think it is better to first look around a bit and gain some experience in the industry. I usually advise them to work or do internships in a small and/or large space company first, to gain a good understanding of the space sector. I also encourage them to join various groups and associations such as ECSL, IISL or SGAC, which all provide wonderful opportunities for networking, attending conferences, and broadening their horizon. The Space Studies Program of International Space University is another great opportunity for building a network in the space sector. I enjoy teaching there and helping some of my students attend ISU, and vice versa. I really think that learning about different aspects of space activities will greatly increase your value. This can be other fields of law such as procurement or contracting, or entirely different fields in space, such as engineering or science. Space is multi-disciplinary, and space law students should build their profile accordingly.

8. What role has the ECSL had in your professional life?

I was actually involved in the creation of ECSL. In the late 1980s I was at a conference at the Institute of Air and Space Law in Cologne, and we were brainstorming with the then ESA Legal Adviser, Gabriel Lafferranderie, who wanted to create a space law centre at ESA. I became a member of the founding board in 1989, and left in 1996 because I moved to Singapore but always remained a member. I taught at the first summer course in Messina, and a few other ones in those early years, such as in Jaen. I was pleased to be invited back in recent years, as it is a wonderful event. I see ECSL as a useful forum for my European space law network, just like IISL is at the global level.

9. Is there a specific ECSL event you are looking forward to?

I always encourage my students in the Leiden LLM in air and space law to join the Young Lawyers Symposium, because this is an excellent opportunity for them to present their research and meet their peers from across Europe. Personally, I always enjoy the Practitioner’s Forum, to meet colleagues from all over Europe, although it has sometimes become a bit too academic in terms of attendance. The annual IISL/ECSL symposium at the UNCOPUOS Legal Subcommittee is also one of my favourites. Both organisations do an excellent job in providing expert talks on novel topics that are perhaps not yet ready for discussion and decision by the Committee, but which require its attention.

10. Is there anything you wish the ECSL to implement or change?

Something small, but which would help maintain and expand the ECSL membership, would be to send members an annual invoice to pay their dues, rather than inviting them to go to the website and re-join each year. It often happens that I want to attend an event and realise I forgot to renew my membership. It might also be nice to create regular networking events for ECSL members at conferences such as the IAC, as has been done several times in the past, and is planned this year in Dubai.

11. Who would you like us to interview next?

There are many wonderful young space lawyers who are extremely active and creative in developing new activities and initiatives. One example is the IISL Knowledge Constellation, and another is the Space Court Foundation. Laetitia Zarkan is involved in both and is a PhD student in the novel field of cyber security at the University of Luxembourg.  I’m sure she would tell an inspiring story.