Astronomy vs. the Billionaire Space Race

Samantha Lawler is an astronomy professor at the University of Regina who studies the impact of the growing satellite population.

She will tell us why Saskatchewan is the best place in the world to find space debris – and how SpaceX employees showed up on a farm in a rented truck, only to be greeted by an astronomer and a dozen of Saskatchewan's finest local journalists.

Lawler will explain how events like this fit into the bigger picture of the billionaire space race and its implications for international law, the continued operation of satellites in Low Earth Orbit, atmospheric pollution, and the future of astronomy.

Her work has featured on the BBC, CBC, CNN, Scientific American, The New York Times, Wired Magazine, Nature, and many other international news outlets.

This event is part of 2026 Beatrice Hill Tinsley Lecture tour, an annual series honouring the remarkable achievements of New Zealand-raised astronomer, Beatrice Hill Tinsley.

For more information, please see the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand website.

Brought to you in association with the Auckland Astronomical Society.

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Host or Publisher Faculty of Science, University of Auckland