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Cassandra Steer

Lecturer, ANU Center for International and Public Law; Mission Specialist, ANU Institute for Space, Australian National University
I am a senior consultant and lecturer, specialising in space law and space policy at the Australian National University College of Law. I have over 13 years’ professional experience in academia and strategic direction of research centres and NGOs. I was an Assistant Professor at the Universiteit van Amsterdam, where I taught and researched comparative criminal law and international criminal law. I moved to Canada in 2015 to become the Executive Director of the McGill Institute for Air and Space Law, and to pursue my research in space security and the applicability of the law of armed conflict to space. I was concurrently Executive Director of Women in International Security-Canada. For a short period before my maternity leave I took up the position of Acting Executive Director of the University of Pennsylvania Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law, where I organized and facilitated a high level national roundtable on space security and space weaponization. I have recently relocated to Australia to continue my specialisation in space law, and to provide legal and policy expertise to research and technology development undertaken under the ANU Institute for Space (InSpace).

Global Geopolitics Series

Anti-satellite weapons: the US has sworn off tests, and Australia should follow suit

Apr 23, 2022 08:11 am UTC| Politics

When United States Vice-President Kamala Harris was at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California earlier this week she said the US would not conduct tests of destructive, direct ascent anti-satellite missiles. This...

SpaceX's historic launch gives Australia's booming space industry more room to fly

Jun 03, 2020 15:00 pm UTC| Technology

At the weekend, Elon Musks commercial giant SpaceX launched two NASA astronauts in a spacecraft named Crew Dragon which, from the inside, looked like a souped-up Tesla. The Falcon 9 rocket launched the spacecraft,...

Economy

EU and CPTPP Nations Push for Landmark Digital Trade Agreement

The European Union and member nations of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) have officially agreed to pursue a groundbreaking digital trade deal, marking a potentially...

Cybersecurity Stocks Tumble After Anthropic's Claude Mythos AI Leak Sparks Market Fears

Major cybersecurity stocks took a sharp hit Friday following reports that Anthropic accidentally exposed details about its next-generation AI model before its official launch. CrowdStrike fell 7%, Palo Alto Networks...

Gold Prices Rise Amid Geopolitical Tensions and Safe Haven Demand

Gold prices climbed on Friday, positioning the precious metal for a weekly gain as investors retreated from riskier assets and sought refuge in safe haven investments like bullion and the U.S. dollar. The move came amid...

Oil Prices Surge Past $100 as U.S.-Iran Peace Hopes Collapse

Global oil markets turned sharply higher on Friday as diplomatic efforts between the United States and Iran appeared to unravel, pushing Brent crude above $100 per barrel for the first time in recent weeks. The escalation...

NASDAQ Tech Selloff: Correction or Collapse? What Analysts Are Saying

The NASDAQ Composite has officially entered correction territory, posting its sharpest valuation decline since the dotcom era as markets react to escalating U.S.-Iran military tensions. While the selloff has rattled...

Politics

Trump Warns "Cuba Is Next" Amid U.S. Military Posturing in the Region

Speaking at a Miami investment forum on Friday, President Donald Trump issued a striking warning toward Cuba, declaring Cuba is next while highlighting recent U.S. military operations against Venezuela and Iran. Though he...

Nepal's Ex-PM K.P. Sharma Oli Arrested Over Deadly 2024 Anti-Corruption Protests

Nepals former prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli was arrested Saturday morning as authorities launched a formal investigation into his alleged negligence during violent anti-corruption protests that claimed 76 lives last...

U.S.-Iran War Update: Rubio Says Conflict Could End in Weeks as Strikes Escalate

Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed Friday that U.S. military operations against Iran are progressing ahead of schedule, with officials expecting the conflict to wrap up within weeks rather than months. Speaking after...

Trump Questions U.S. Commitment to NATO Amid European Tensions

President Donald Trump once again cast doubt on Americas dedication to NATO on Friday, declaring that the United States does not have to be there for the alliance remarks that have reignited global concerns about the...

Russia and Iran Explore Diplomatic Path Amid Middle East Conflict

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held talks with Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi on Friday, with both sides exploring the possibility of a political and diplomatic resolution to the ongoing military crisis in the...

Science

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates

Elon Musks SpaceX is shifting its near-term space exploration strategy, choosing to prioritize a return to the Moon before pursuing missions to Mars, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report citing sources familiar...

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Technology

Chinese Universities with PLA Ties Found Purchasing Restricted U.S. AI Chips Through Super Micro Servers

Procurement records reveal that four Chinese universities, two of which have direct ties to the Peoples Liberation Army, acquired Super Micro Computer servers loaded with restricted Nvidia AI chips over the past year. The...

Federal Judge Blocks Pentagon's Blacklisting of AI Company Anthropic

A federal judge has temporarily prevented the Pentagon from enforcing its designation of Anthropic as a national security supply-chain risk, dealing an early blow to the Trump administration in a growing dispute over...

SMIC Allegedly Supplies Chipmaking Tools to Iran's Military, U.S. Officials Warn

Chinas top semiconductor manufacturer, SMIC (Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation), has reportedly been transferring chipmaking equipment to Irans military industrial complex, according to two senior Trump...

Google's TurboQuant Algorithm Sends Memory Chip Stocks Tumbling

Major memory chipmakers took a significant hit on Thursday after Google researchers introduced a groundbreaking compression algorithm that threatens to reduce artificial intelligence demand for memory chips. Samsung...

Reflection AI Eyes $25 Billion Valuation in Massive $2.5 Billion Funding Round

Nvidia-backed artificial intelligence startup Reflection AI is in advanced discussions to secure $2.5 billion in fresh funding, with negotiations pointing to a staggering pre-money valuation of $25 billion, according to a...