Summer of Law and Space Debris
Gabriel Celello, KMI Legislative Intern
4 minute read
Here at KMI, part of my job, and joy, is helping to bring aboard interns, show them the ropes, and mentor them through their internship projects. Over the course of this summer, it was a delight to interview and bring on Gabriel Celello, our legislative intern. Engaging in discourse with Gabriel about the latest in orbital debris policy and legislation provided a new perspective for many of us due to his unique viewpoint as a law student. The following paragraphs are his experience and takeaways from his time with us. We wish him all the best moving forward and hope to hear more about his journey over the coming years. With that, here is Gabriel’s experience at KMI in his own words.
As a kid, looking up to the stars from my family’s deer camp near my hometown of Iron Mountain, Michigan, I had visions of what the world looks like outside of Earth. I had a growing desire to understand the importance of the great unknown. The stars, the satellites, the rockets, and now the growing issue of orbital debris. From when I was just that little boy looking into the sky to now being a young man, the amount of space debris has nearly doubled. Upon starting college, I chose to go with my family tradition of studying law with the aspiration of becoming a lawyer. Coming up on my final semester at Northern Michigan University (NMU), I wanted to live in Marquette for the summer and work in an impactful industry. When I learned about KMI, I leaped to grab the opportunity (quite the same as Laelaps, the Greek legend of a dog, and inspiration for KMI’s spacecraft, who caught everything). Although a field I was not familiar with, I quickly learned the ins-and-outs of the space industry and the policymaking that was needed to make it work.
Before starting my internship with KMI in May, I was unaware of how dangerous orbital debris was. Finding out how the smallest debris can disrupt an entire mission in space was quite a surprise. On my first day, I not only found this out but became infatuated with the concept of keeping space clear for all. Taking in all the information I could find on policy and regulations centered around space debris, I felt an overwhelming desire to do my very best to help the cause. Thinking back to those nights growing up, looking at the stars, it is hard not to be concerned about orbital debris; however, the team at KMI instilled a feeling of faith that the right people are working on the issue at hand.
While at KMI, I studied different avenues of the space industry. In the beginning, trying to understand how Michigan can be a more impactful space state, I looked into how states such as California, Colorado, Florida, and Texas manage such an important industry. When accompanying Co-Founder Adam Kall at an event at NMU, I was able to speak with State Representative Jenn Hill and the Office of Governor Gretchen Whitmer to voice the ways Michigan could be an integral part of space initiatives. As we eagerly await new policies to emerge that target orbital debris, it is with great confidence that I say we are moving in the right direction.
Throughout the 12-week internship, I worked on my Capstone project, a legislative timeline as a resource for KMI and all those who are interested. This data source provides everyone with a timeline of space legislation and policy, both enacted and proposed. The thought behind the project was to be something that is informative and easy to understand. Currently, there are 64 pieces of legislation listed in the Capstone (21 passed and 43 proposed). As I created this resource, I spent much time looking into a few specific pieces of policy. The first is the Mitigation of Orbital Debris in the New Space Age that takes a giant leap for mankind in the prevention of orbital debris. Passed in 2022, this changes the former requirement of a retrieval period of 25 years after missions end to just 5 years. Another important proposed legislation is the Accessing Satellite Capabilities to Enable New Discoveries (ASCEND) Act, which calls on NASA administrators to identify, evaluate, acquire, and disseminate commercial Earth remote sensing data and imagery. The third act that caught my eye was the Licensing Aerospace Units to New Commercial Heights (LAUNCH) Act. LAUNCH would introduce a streamlined application of regulations to commercial space launch and target reentry requirements of private remote sensing space systems. Knowing that two of the three mentioned above are proposed, rather than passed, I started brainstorming. As I developed this project, I made it in a way that it can continue to be updated going forward.
As my internship comes to an end, I struggle to express just how appreciative I am of KMI and every team member. Studying law, the common route prior to law school is working in a firm or a courthouse. Not many students can say they were able to spend their summer working in legislation for an orbital debris remediation company. This opportunity has changed my perspective on the current space industry, as well as the growing issue of space junk. Thinking back to that boy in Iron Mountain, Michigan, he would be in awe of the intricacies of space that I was fortunate enough to be involved with for a summer just 79 miles away from home.
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