On September 27th, Prof. Mark Sundahl served as co-chair of a panel examining the legal issues surrounding the nascent asteroid mining industry.  The panel was part of the International Astronautical Congress, the primary annual space industry conference which was held this year in Guadalajara, Mexico.  Prof. Sundahl’s panel followed on the heels of Elon Musk unveiling his plan to colonize Mars over the next 50 to 100 years. The speakers on the panel represented a diverse array of perspectives and, after over three hours of presentations and discussions, a general consensus emerged recognizing the legality of private asteroid mining activities under existing international law.