Programme & teachers | Masterclass Space Crime & Policing

Space is no longer the exclusive domain of national space agencies. Private companies, start-ups, defence organisations, and international partnerships are playing an increasingly significant role in the space sector. However, the development of effective regulation, oversight, and enforcement is struggling to keep pace with this rapid expansion.

This creates new challenges related to risk management, compliance, cybersecurity, liability, and international cooperation. Organisations that depend on space infrastructure can no longer afford to overlook these developments.

During this masterclass, participants gain insight into the legal, governance, technological, and societal issues surrounding crime and security in outer space. The programme equips professionals to identify emerging risks, analyse future scenarios, and address governance challenges from multiple perspectives.

Planning & locations

In-person class

Dag	Locatie	Thema
8 March	VU Amsterdam	Introduction and fundamentals
9 March	VU Amsterdam	Law, governance and jurisdiction
10 March	University of Twente	Criminology and surveillance
11 March	University of Twente	Human behavior and XR simulation
12 March	University of Twente	Risks, crises and future scenarios
16 March	VU Amsterdam	Governance/ policy design, ethics and responsibility
17 March	VU Amsterdam	Integration and structure of the final assignment

Online

Dag	Vorm	Onderwerp
22 March	Online	Selection of subject and problem statement
23 March	Online	Draft note and feedback
24 March	Online	Analysis and development
30 March	Online	Individual guidance
31 March	Online	In-depth analysis and recommendations
5 April	Online	Peer feedback and conclusion
6 April	Online	Final presentations, submission, and closing

Teachers

dr. Yarin Eski

He is an Associate Professor of Public Administration at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. His work connects criminology with governance, security and policing studies, with a growing focus on space criminology and how crime, harm, policing, and regulation emerge beyond Earth. He studies issues such as space resource extraction, astrocapitalism, and new forms of planetary-scale inequality and control, including prospective analyses of astrocide. He co-edited the Routledge volume Crime, Criminal Justice and Ethics in Outer Space, developing space criminology as a distinct research area.

dr. Iris van Sintemaartensdijk

She is an Assistant Professor at the University of Twente. Her work is focused on creating safe societies, both on earth as well as in outer space. She studies how and when people make safety decisions (such as when to intervene in a crime), with a particular focus on employing technology such as virtual reality to do so. She has contributed to the Routledge volume Crime, Criminal Justice and Ethics in Outer Space.