Dr. Susmita Mohanty in conversation with Dr. Tanja Masson-Zwaan, joining from the Hague in the Netherlands, about UN space treaties, multilateral space governance, role of arbitration and dispute resolution, export controls, satellite interference, space debris mitigation mechanisms and space resources governance.
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Biography: Dr. Tanja Masson-Zwaan
Dr. Tanja Masson-Zwaan is Assistant Professor and Deputy Director of the International Institute of Air and Space Law at Leiden University, President Emerita of the International Institute of Space Law (IISL) and a former Vice President of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF). She co-authored ‘Introduction to Space Law’ (4th and 5th ed.) and chairs the Board of Editors of Kluwer’s journal Air and Space Law. Tanja advises the Dutch Government and other institutions on space law issues and was co-founder of the Hague International Space Resources Governance Working Group.
Tanja teaches at universities worldwide and is Global Faculty member of International Space University (ISU), where she also serves as vice-chair of the Academic Council. She sits on various organisations’ Boards, including Open Lunar Foundation. She is an elected full member of professional associationssuch as IISL, the International Academy of Astronautics(IAA) and the International Law Association (ILA). She was a Member of the Founding Boards of the European Centre for Space Law (ECSL) and of Women in Aerospace-Europe, andis an Honorary Board Member of Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC). Tanja received several awards and is a Member of Honour of the Netherlands Space Society (NVR). In 2020 she received a Royal decoration as ‘Officer in the Order of Orange Nassau’for her work in space law.
What is Space for Diplomacy?
Space for Diplomacy™ is a podcast hosted by Dr. Susmita Mohanty, the trailblazing Director General of Spaceport SARABHAI, India’s foremost space policy think tank.
Each episode features in-depth conversations with former heads of space agencies, senior diplomats who have shaped international treaties, eminent legal minds advising governments, and leading technologists at the forefront of innovation — exploring complex, ever-evolving themes such as geopolitics, technology diplomacy, international cooperation, and all things space.
The podcast tracks the rise of eastern space powers, fractures in multilateral institutions, and the growing influence of private industry. Its mission is to critically revisit the 20th-century space narrative and craft a new one — balanced across hemispheres and attuned to shifting geopolitics, power realignments, and a new world order.