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Cara Cavanaugh focuses her practice on complex transactions in the space and satellite industry. She represents clients in financing, acquisitions, and corporate matters, drawing on a background in science policy that gives her a practical understanding of the sectors she serves. She has experience in drafting and negotiating complex commercial space industry agreements, including Satellite Procurement Agreements, Launch Services Agreements, and related contracts for both domestic and international clients. She also assists clients with U.S. space regulatory compliance, including with spectrum regulations from the Federal Communications Commission and export control regulations from the Bureau of Industry and Security.

Before law school, Cara worked as a science policy fellow at the Science and Technology Policy Institute, where she supported the space portfolio. During law school, she served as a legal extern for NASA and a legal intern for the Satellite Division of the FCC. These experiences inform her current practice and her ability to navigate the technical and regulatory dimensions of transactions in the space and satellite sector.

Cara is a recipient of a Fulbright Award for Ireland.

Capabilities

Experience

  • Science Policy Fellow, Science & Technology Policy Institute, Institute for Defense Analyses, 2018-2021
  • Content Marketing Specialist, Cell Press, Elsevier, 2018
  • Legal Extern, Office of General Counsel, NASA, 2023
  • Legal Intern, Federal Communications Commission, Satellite Division, 2022
  • Press Office Intern, Cell Press, Elsevier, 2017

Recognition & Leadership

  • ABA Forum on Air & Space Law Scholarship, 2022

Credentials

Education
  • J.D., Georgetown University Law Center
    • President, Space Law Society
  • M.Sc., Science Communication
    • Fulbright Award
  • B.A., History of Science, cum laude, Princeton University
Admissions
  • District of Columbia
Languages
  • English, Native
  • French, Conversational

Related Capabilities

Government Contracts Space & Satellite