Howard Chang
Howard Chang has dedicated his law career to developing space legal policy since his time as a law student at Georgetown University Law Center. He worked as an extern for the Secure World Foundation before completing two distinguished federal clerkships; one for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas and the second for the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. This second clerkship led to him joining K&L Gates as a white-collar investigations and litigation associate. Howard worked on multiple space finance projects while at K&L Gates, securing investments for satellite operators and coordinating with global legal teams, particularly in the Asia Pacific region, to develop the space business law practice. He routinely researched and advised on FAA and DOT regulatory issues and participated significantly in K&L Gates’ pro-bono work for the Space Shuttle Children’s Trust Fund. Howard’s tireless assistance in drafting motions and orders for review made it possible for K&L Gates attorneys to amend the original 1986 Trust Indenture to allow the trust fund to align with current NASA programs, transforming it into The American Space Exploration Children’s Trust Fund in 2024.
Howard departed K&L Gates in January of 2024 to become Assistant Chief Counsel at NASA, where he has worked on several projects vital to the development of civil space. His work has included legal issues involving Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), government contracts litigation and administration, the Wolf Amendment (Sino-U.S. international law and policy) and domestic and international real property. Howard serves as the lead attorney at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility for commercial partnerships, interagency agreements and non-profit and educational collaborations. His work as a commercial business attorney within a government framework is paving the way for national space agencies to work with the commercial space industry in a more efficient and productive manner than ever before. For his performance, NASA commended Howard with an individual merit award in recognition of his superior support to the Goddard Space Flight Center during his first six months.
In addition to his legal work, Howard has also contributed substantially to thought leadership in space law and policy. He has authored articles for The Federalist and the International Institute of Space Law on topics from Apollo 8 to the Travaux Preparatoires of the Principles Declaration of 1963. He is a frequent speaker on matters of space law, having given presentations at the Georgetown University Law Center, the University of Connecticut School of Law, the International Astronautical Congress and the Dallas Bar Association.
Outside of work hours, Howard serves as an advisor to the Georgetown University Space Initiative. He has dedicated himself to pro bono legal service throughout his career, having been named an “Exceptional Pro Bono Honoree” by Georgetown for working more than 125 pro bono hours and having been recognized at K&L Gates for his pro bono efforts each year he was at the firm. In addition to his work for The American Space Exploration Children’s Trust Fund, Howard also represented several clients pro bono in a complex federal court litigation that earned him commendation from the court for his service. He will be presenting and publishing at the International Astronautical Congress in 2024 on the Wolf Amendment and the future of the ISS. Howard continues to serve as a guest lecturer on space policy for law schools and undergraduate space courses as well.
